INTERNATIONAL ROWING TURNS PROFESSIONAL so placed in an American boat in an international race.”3426 Beaverton (Oregon) Valley Times: “Beaverton’s Kent Mitchell got a Bronze Medal in the Olympics at Rome. “‘He was very happy to have gotten that much,’ said his mother, Mrs. Andy Mitchell. ‘It was rough. They (the other teams) were that much better.’ “Kent told his parents that the American two-man crew did as well or better than it had ever done before. ‘He had never seen anything so fast over here,’ she said. “The U.S. team represented the Lake Washington Rowing Club. A spokesman at the club said before the Olympics that on the basis of the performance of teams from other countries, it would be a miracle if the U.S. team reached the final, Mrs. Mitchell said.”3427 It must be mentioned that while the German Pair never again rowed internationally, Antanas Bagdonavičius and Zigmas Jukna from RK Žalgiris Vilnius went on to an extraordinary career. Together since 1959, after their 1960 Olympic Silver Medal in the coxed-pairs, they were European Champions in 1961. In the coxless-fours, they won the European title in 1965 and World Silver in 1966. In the coxed-fours, they were European Champs in 1967. In the eights, they were Philadelphia Cup winners3428 and World Silver Medalists in 1962, Grand Challenge Cup winners, European Silver Medalists and fifth in the Olympics in 1964, and Olympic Bronze Medalists in 1968.3429 Harry Parker had come in fifth in the single,3430 and by also coming in fifth, the U.S. Eight from the Naval Academy became the first American Eight not to win since 1920.3431 The other Lake Washington boats had mixed results. The Coxed-Four had not qualified for the final, and the Coxless-Pair came in fifth. Only the LWRC Coxless- Four had won.3432 Mitchell: “September 3, 1960 (continued). “Following the races, there was much talk about the future, which seems to be foremost in most everyone’s minds after today’s shellacking. What was being tossed about was what we’ll have to do in America to keep pace in rowing with these Europeans. It’s all a matter of competition. In Germany there are no less than 300 rowing clubs. Why, with such competition, their entries will always be hard to beat. “Conn talked as if he might try to better this year’s Bronze in ‘64. I wonder if I should keep it in mind . . . ”3433 Draeger: “My relationship with Conn was positive from start to finish. The reasons that I quit rowing after the 1960 Games were: 1. I had to report for to the Army for active duty in early 1961, and the Army was not willing to assign me to athletic duty. 2. Loree was pregnant with our first child. 3. My financial circumstances were such that if I wanted to eat regularly and feed my wife and coming family, rowing would not suffice. “The opportunity that Conn gave to Loree and me was life-changing. I will be eternally grateful.”3434 3426 Allison Danzig, German Eight Triumphs, With Navy Finishing Fifth, The New York Times, September 4, 1960 3427 Beaverton Valley Times, September 4, 1960 3428 See Chapter 98. 3429 Ochkalenko, personal correspondence, 2011 3430 See Chapter 66. 3431 See Chapter 90. 3432 See Chapter 83. 3433 Mitchell Journal 3434 Draeger, op. cit. 947
