THE SUNSET OF CONIBEAR Soviet Technique Today Karl Adam is remembered through media coverage of his revolution- ary new technique. In retrospect, there was nothing particularly unique or new or revolutionary about any individual component of this style. Much like his GDR counterparts across the nearby border, it basically looked like he had just taken the Moscow Style as a point of departure, upping the ante so to speak. The New York Times: “Ratzeburg rowed with a short-stroked, light precision which its coach, Dr. Karl Adam, claims the Soviets have perfected.”4154 But the result was revolutionary as Adam pushed far beyond these initial inspirations. Ratio Most crews up to this point in the 20th Century, including American, Soviet and GDR crews, had made great efforts on each pullthrough to increase the pace of their shell, to accelerate strongly before the inevitable loss of speed as the boat took time to glide during the recovery. In other words, they maximized the ratio between recovery and pullthrough. Ted Nash: “In the ‘50s, a comfort level of 30-34 strokes per minute had been established worldwide.”4155 “Due to the low rating used, there was considerable acceleration on each pullthrough and deceleration on each recovery . . . Inevitably, the boat was moving quite slowly at the catch.”4156 4154 Jon M. Vondracek, Germans Start U.S. Tour with Easy Rowing Victory, The New York Times, April 21, 1963 4155 Nash, personal correspondence, 2009 4156 Wilson, pp. 22-3 The new Ratzeburg approach represented a complete rejection of this philosophy. They maintained little ratio and a very high rating down the course, and the intent seemed to be to tick the boat along at a steady pace and then not give it time to slow down on the recovery. It should be recalled that this was the same philosophy followed by American single sculler Joe Burk during the 1930s.4157 Sports Illustrated: “The oarsmen’s high-stroking caused something of a minor sensation last year [1959] during the European Championship at Mâcon, France. According to the official report of the final, they took off at 47, steadied out at 41 and led all the way to win easily. But some knowing crew observers claim that they sprinted at an unheard-of 52 at the start. Rigging and Body Mechanics Sports Illustrated: “The Kiel/Ratzeburg oars are longer outboard than is usual. As a result, the oarsmen have to pull the inboard section of the oar through a smaller arc. The long slide allows them to maintain an upright position that is unsettling to watch but obviously effective. The style does not compress the stomach and permits far easier breathing, but it does require phenomenal amounts of power in short but sharp bursts.”4158 Race Tactics Many crews thus far in the 20th Century, especially the Soviets, blasted off the line, grabbed the lead and tried to hang on. The new Ratzeburg Style also rejected this philosophy. Their initial high ratings 4157 See Chapter 58. 4158 Lovesay, op. cit. 1149