THE LONG ECLIPSE OF AMERICAN ROWING of the fact that we rowed very, very well. It was a joy to row. Technically we felt good about it. Psychologically we felt good. “We knew we were fast.”5190 Shealy: “1974 was the Year of Milk and Honey for us on the U.S. Team. Allen Rosenberg rode into town as the experienced and successful gunslinger and set the foundation in six short weeks for a bunch of true amateurs to beat a gaggle of state- supported, drug-infused Iron Curtain automatons. “Allen was money good, due to his success with the 1964 Olympic Eight, and he arrived like a miniature George Patton in Morocco, expected to turn a ragtag outfit into fearsome razors. “For me, it was the acme of a long struggle to gain the summit, but it was not without its drama.”5191 What Allen achieved in six weeks was nothing short of remarkable. Watching film of the crew, the impression is one of incredible focus and discipline, of flawless timing and bladework. Shealy: “For the life of me, I couldn’t understand Allen’s determination to break down each of our rowing techniques, chuck out the parts, and rebuild from scratch.5192 He claimed that this would work, and who were we not to believe him? “Actually doing it, however, was an order I almost couldn’t fill. “I never really gave technique much thought until Rosenberg forced the issue. I remember comments from onlookers about the Harvard ‘style,’ referring to the pause at the finish and an acceleration toward the stern. I think this was the chief elemental difference in technique between us and other crews, and I recall this being problematic at 5190 Mickelson, op. cit. 5191 Shealy, op. cit. 5192 the essence of the Modern Orthodox approach. the National Team Camps until Rosenberg had us all dancing the same jig.”5193 “I recall weeks of work at the camp trying to get his technique down; exaggerated lean at the finish, arms out first, and then upper body with legs locked down, then full extension, followed by an ever-so- slight shooting of the slide. “The emphasis on sequence which Al put on his technique was at first quite baffling and awkward, but I managed to see that it was a natural movement: legs first, backs opening from the hips and then arms, all in a sequential drive. At Harvard we tended to open with the back more and with more emphasis on continuous leg drive. “All this seemed elegantly simple, and easy to do in drills, but it proved almost impossibly difficult for many while at full pressure. I finally got the picture, but it wasn’t until I was seat raced against [6’2” 188cm 190lb. 86kg] Jim Moroney5194 in the final days of the camp that a fire was lit under my can, and I figured it all out.”5195 “To this day, I believe that I came very close to losing my seat at the camp. “The result of Allen’s effort and insistence was pure and highly effective. I never rowed in a crew before or since that was more cohesive and efficient in its application of power.”5196 Nash: “An unusual proof of the 1974 Crew’s later coolness and Rosey’s ability to calmly adjust under fire: In 1974, I had purchased a new Donoratico eight which Al had wanted to race, and it was delivered to us in Lucerne. The problem was that the beautiful chestnut-colored violin of a boat was hull-perfect but seemed to be too small 5193 Shealy, op. cit. 5194 University of Pennsylvania undergrad, stroke of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Coxless-Four coached by Dietrich Rose at Vesper Boat Club. See Chapter 122. 5195 Shealy, p. 38 5196 Shealy, personal correspondence, 2005 1433
