THE SPORT OF ROWING John B. Kelly III John B. Kelly Jr. 6’1” 185cm 183lb. 83kg 1949 Diamond Sculls Champion +5°, +30° to -15°, 0-9, 0-9, 0-10 Classical Technique Concurrent Schubschlag, ferryman’s finish The last two frames record the beginning of the recovery. developing his arms and back with weights.”3783 Kelly, Jr. had a technique that had evolved from that of his father. In Philadelphia, between the two Kellys had come Joe Burk, who had started his sculling at the Penn A.C. under Muller in 1934 but had gone off in his own direction and by 1938 had developed a high-stroking variant of the Muller approach with much less body swing and layback.3784 Between the 1920s and the 1940s, typical ratings in single sculling races moved from the low- to the mid-30s, and, perhaps as a result, young Kelly evolved a bit in the general direction blazed by Joe Burk. Kelly biographer Daniel J. Boyne: “The smaller guys, I think, are always the ones to study, because they can’t just rely on power and mass. Kelly, Sr. was undoubtedly a smooth oarsman, but he was also a very, very powerful and willful man. His son, in his own words, had to learn to ‘sweat blood,’ too. Less physically able than his 3783 McIntyre, personal conversation, 2006 3784 See Chapter 56. father, he pushed himself to unconsciousness on more than a few occasions.”3785 1948 NAAO Official Rowing Guide: Jack “is truly a ‘chip off the old block’ who rows with a style which some observers say is better [i.e., more modern, less body swing] than his father’s. He uses a powerful, lunging stroke, not too long, and is capable of carrying the stroke up to a high rate per minute. “His entire stroke is clean, unwavering and completely under control, pointing to a natural rowing ability. He draws the blades through the water at high speed without evident effort and makes a rapid, natural recovery, with no excessive lean-back and no over-emphasis on getting the hands out.”3786 Indeed, in contrast to his father and to his mentor, Paul Costello, Jack, Jr. ended his concurrent Schubschlag pullthrough with a ferryman’s finish, which allowed him to 3785 Boyne, personal correspondence, 2006 3786 Charles F. Kain, 1948 NAAO Official Rowing Guide, p. 63 1040
