THE SPORT OF ROWING Cooke, 1956 3-seat: “Probably the most important move affecting the 1956 Varsity occurred on the freshman crew during the spring of 1955 at Gales Ferry, about two weeks before the Yale-Harvard Race. “Coach Gilcreast – we called him ‘Gilly’ – moved Rusty Wailes, his tall rangy 5-man, down to 7 behind Bob Morey.”2525 “Rusty Wailes, a carrot-top,2526 whiplash of oar, tireless, in time and rangy, the kind of 7-man that makes a good stroke great.”2527 “Rusty was surprised at the move. He had always considered himself a 5-man. His father, Ron,2528 had rowed 5 in the Varsity at Washington at the age of 35! “It was a brilliant move, as Rusty was just what Bob Morey needed, taking the stroke from Bob and powering it up the boat. “Art Gilcreast’s insight set the foundation for the next year’s Olympic crew.”2529 The 1956 Varsity had to be built around the 1955 Freshmen because the 1955 Varsity wasn’t much faster than that year’s Jayvee. Grimes: “After my freshman year with Gilly, I did not row at all in the Varsity boat during my sophomore season [spring, 1955]. Jim called me ‘Gaines’ for an entire year, couldn’t find a place for me to row for three weeks among four boats, and so I had to go run in the rain with another guy, and I spent most of my sophomore year in the fourth and third boats. 2524 Pew, 1956 Crew 50th Reunion, 2006 2525 Cooke, op. cit. 2526 another red-headed 7-seat like Rusty Callow, Stork Sanford and Chuck von Wrangell. 2527 Mendenhall, Oar, p. 5 2528 Stan Pocock: “Ron Wailes was the only man I ever heard of who could lift an eight out of the water by himself.” S. Pocock, p. 136 2529 Cooke, op. cit. “When we got in the Jayvees, we beat the Varsity every day, every paddle, every row, and still he wouldn’t change them. “Jim was a very stubborn fellow. He would tub me with Es, and then he would tub Es with someone else to see how the results came out. Then he’d row us by pairs, and so on and so forth, and I never lost, ever, but I never got a shot. “Well, he didn’t want anybody like me who was playing football and wasn’t going to be rowing year round, and I can understand that. Besides football, I had even played basketball my freshman year. “Jim did give me one shot in 1955, and we took off like a greased bandit, but I was back in the Jayvee the next day, and we went back to beating the Varsity. “Finally, Jim lined the boats up and said, ‘Alright, whoever wins will go to the Sprints,’ and of course the Jayvee caught a crab in the last six strokes, and the Varsity won by a deck. “I was so disgusted I actually quit rowing before the Yale-Harvard Race. The guys in the Jayvee begged me to come back, at least come up to Gales Ferry, so I did, and we resumed beating the Varsity. “Eventually, Jim said, ‘Alright, I’m going to row you guys four miles against each other. Since the Jayvee has never rowed four miles, I’ll give them a full length.’ “Well, he didn’t give us a full length, but he did give us two-thirds, and with a half a mile to go, we were still in front. “Then the [air went out of the balloon], so to speak, but that’s how I got my shot at the Varsity for the Harvard race.”2530 Gilcreast: “Charlie’s great moment came in a four-mile trial prior to the Yale- Harvard Race his sophomore year, and I had the chance to redeem myself for having 2530 Grimes, op. cit. 702
