THE SPORT OF ROWING Midshipmen raised their beat once more, bit-by-bit. “There was no sign of coasting or letting up, and Stevens’ head bobbed up and down2330 as he dug his oar in and out, and the men in gold and blue in back of him responded as one. “Once over the line, the Navy coxswain, Ensign Charles Manring, a recent graduate, stood up in the shell for a brief cheer.”2331 1952 Olympics For the first time in history, our Olympic Team flew to the Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. Ed Stevens: “Of course, technically it wasn’t a jet, but rather a propeller plane, but I kept wondering why we were so tired over there every morning.”2332 “We arrived about midnight, but it wasn’t quite dark yet. As we soon found out, there were only three hours of darkness during the nights, with sunrise at 0300. Of course, this is compensated for during the winter, when there are only three hours of daylight.”2333 The New York Times: “The fifteenth Olympiad, celebrated at Helsinki in 1952, reached a new peak in games participation, organization and quality of performance. Finland was still burdened with heavy war indemnity, but the Games were noteworthy in many ways: this was the first time the enemies of World War II – the British, Americans, Germans and Russians – had met in peaceful competition, and it was the 2330 See analysis and photos earlier in this chapter. 2331 Lincoln A. Werden, Navy Eight Clips a Record in Gaining Trip to Helsinki, The New York Times, July 6, 1952 2332 Qtd. by Anderson, p. 32 2333 Stevens, p. 7 IOC 1952 Olympic Games, Helsinki first time that the U.S.S.R. had competed in the Games since 1912.2334”2335 Navy’s first row at the Olympic regatta site on Drumsö Fjord off the Meilahti Gulf near Helsinki came on July 12, eight days before their opening heat. The New York Times: “The United States oarsmen went out for loosening up spins, and as they paddled leisurely over the Drumsö Fjord course, the undefeated Navy Eight noticed that the Russian Eight was behind them. “‘The Russians trailed us all through the workout of some two or three miles,’ Bill 2334 See Chapter 79. 2335 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, August, 1960, p. 63 648
