THE WINDS OF CHANGE The New York Times: “With 40,000 jamming the lovely tree-lined banks of the 2,000-meter course on Lake Wendouree at Ballarat, Yale University’s Eight scored a glorious victory over the Canadian and Australian crews to which the Elis had lost in the opening round. “Granted a reprieve in the ‘second repêchage, Jim Rathschmidt’s chance’ powerful Varsity crew became the first eight to win the Gold Medal after losing in the heats. “In a stirring fight the entire length of the course, the American crew, despite the strenuous ordeal in gaining the final, overtook and killed off the rangy Australian Eight. The Elis then had just enough left to stand off a closing sprint by Canada. “As Yale shot across the finish line at a scorching beat of forty strokes, the winner by half a length amid the roaring cheers, a number of the oarsmen sagged in their seats. “Later, as the crew stood on the float to receive the medals in the victory ceremony, two members had to be supported by their teammates.”2695 The New Yorker: “It may have been this spectacle, with its suggestion of Marshal Ney inspecting the troops on the retreat from Moscow, which set some of the witnesses near me to crying. Or it may have been simply the contagion of tears, for most of the rowers – as well as their coach, Jim Rathschmidt – were weeping by the light of the setting sun.’”2696 The New York Times: “Yale’s gallant ‘come-back kids’ stirring victory in the eight-oared final extended America’s long- standing domination in this Olympic event, which the United States has won eight straight times since 1920.”2697 2695 Allison Danzig, Yale Eight Caps U.S. Rowing Feat, The New York Times, November 28, 1956 2696 Lardner, op. cit., p. 64 2697 Danzig, op. cit. Grimes: “Make no mistake about it. Jim Rathschmidt won us the Olympics. We didn’t do it. Jim did, and he did it because with his style and what he taught us, we were able to adjust five or six strokes up, which we’d never done before, without losing our run or anything else. “If Jack Kelly were alive today, he would tell you he had never seen a crew pick up two lengths in three days, which is what we had to do in Australia, and the reason we were able to do that was simply Jim’s style. “Jim concentrated so hard on bladework, and look at the results. We had guys passing out all over the place. They were completely done in. “Where we won the race was where races always should be run, which was between 800 and 1,200 meters. Once we busted the Australians, the Canadians were never going to catch us. “They thought they could. They still think so. They still think that they were the fastest crew, but they never won a race against the U.S. or Australia. “Kris Korzeniowski2698 was in British Columbia at the time. Apparently, they’re still rerowing the final of the Olympics.”2699 Postscripts George Pew: “After graduating early from Yale, Charlie Grimes went on to [Oxford] University where he rowed for Pembroke College. They won the Ladies Plate at Henley in 1957. “Charlie had this railroad engineer’s hat that he always wore, but Queen Elizabeth was receiving that year. She was going to give out the prizes, and the rules at Henley were that you could not appear with your head covered in the presence of the Queen. 2698 See Chapter 124. 2699 Grimes, personal correspondence, 2006 739
