THE SPORT OF ROWING Joe Burk remembers: “Pennsylvania’s hopes for the 1955 season were originally built around its great stroke, Jack Guest. One can imagine the squad’s concern when the big man reported for fall practice with his troublesome back once again in a rather precarious condition. It held up pretty well in the fall but, at the same time, it served notice that there might have to be a radical change of plans. “Those fears were realized early in March, and out of the re-shuffle came the 1955 crew. There were no stars, no magnificent hulks of manhood, no poetry of motion – just a well-integrated crew with a tremendous desire to win. It was one of those rare cases when all of the pieces in the jig-saw puzzle fell in together. The success of this crew was merely additional evidence that eight-oared rowing is the greatest of team sports.”2425 No matter how deeply this historian delves into rowing technique, there remains an ephemeral quality that is difficult to grasp, something we acknowledge without hesitation in endeavors such as dancing or figure skating or ski jumping or boxing or horse racing or politics or friendships. We call it style, or we call it karma or charisma, or we call it genius, or we call it destiny. Some crews have it, and some crews just don’t. Penn had it in 1955. The men still do. Joe All the memories of these men return to their coach and how he has been an example to them. Crocco: “Joe Burk is an absolute model of a man.”2426 Lane: “In September of 1954, Joe told the heavyweight crews that he was going to 2425 Burk, Comment, p. 15 2426 Crocco, op. cit. focus our training efforts toward the three mile race at the IRA in Syracuse in mid- June, 1955. “The training for that regatta continued uninterrupted for nine months. Unlike previous years, when the crew went indoors to the tanks at the onset of cold weather, we stayed on the river throughout the winter. “When ice formed on the river around Boathouse Row, Joe would take the coach’s launch out before practice and cut a path through the ice that would accommodate the shells. It was not uncommon for the sweat to freeze on the backs of our shirts. “I also remember that on the last day before Christmas vacation, Joe announced that he was going to jump into the river after practice to make sure that we could survive in the icy water if someone ever fell in. “It was December 17, and the temperature was 17 degrees, and being sort of a smart alec, I blurted out, ‘Sure, Joe! If you go in, I’ll go in, too!’ “Well, you know what happened. As soon as all the shells were in and stored, Joe dove off the dock, swam around a bit and climbed out, fit as he could be. “Then, all eyes switched to the Big Mouth. “I had to jump in, but unlike Joe, I did not dive head first, and I did not swim around. I jumped in and immediately regretted it. From the intensity and location of the pain, I was certain I would never be able to have children. “From Joe’s perspective, however, the test was successful and would permit us to stay on the water all winter.”2427 Technique By 1955, Joe Burk’s technique had evolved a bit from the 1st Generation Conibear Stroke he had learned from Rusty 2427 Lane, op. cit. 672
