THE SPORT OF ROWING Janoušek, the first overseas coach to be put in charge of an Olympic sport, would start the process by which the grim record of winning one rowing medal, a Silver in 1964, at the six Games between 1952 and 1972, would be transformed.”5364 Mike Spracklen: “There were no professional coaches in Britain until Bob Janoušek was brought in from Czechoslovakia in 1969.”5365 Janoušek had been a member of the 1960 and 1964 Czech Olympic Bronze Medal Men’s Eights. National Squad The Oarsman, May 1972: “After their ill-starred earlier attempts at a National Team, concentrating on the selection of clubs rather than individuals, Janoušek has successfully spearheaded a new effort which holds much greater promise of success. Apparently, even this effort has not progressed on a thorn-free path, for the British ARA News of last January had this to say: ‘The fact that opposition to the formation of a national squad held the national coaches in chains until nine months before the Olympic Games must not escape attention.’ “The initial move toward a National Squad was made last fall when, through invitation to all members of their [1971 European Championships] Copenhagen team and small-boat trials of others interested in being added to that group, a total of fifty-seven members was identified. Thereafter, a five-part program was begun, resulting in further development and periodic testing in small boats and by ergometer to reduce the number of oarsmen on the squad. The fourth part of the program will culminate in competition at the Ratzeburg, Amsterdam and Lucerne 5364 Henderson, op. cit. 5365 Spracklen, personal correspondence, 2010 regattas, after which the final selections will be made. Part five consists chiefly of three weeks of high altitude training at St. Mor- itz, Switzerland. “At international regattas, the entries will be of combined crews under the names of those clubs whose members form the crew. Other than participating in certain international regattas, the members will be available to their clubs, provided this does not clash with the squad training program. Some have already rowed in the Boat Race.”5366 Martin Cross: “‘Bob,’ as everybody knew him, was a big, thick-set man who spoke with a heavy Eastern European accent. He was a man of few words. He hardly ever praised his athletes, from whom he always kept a respectable distance, never mixing socially. But he had a good sense of humour with a laugh that sounded like a donkey’s bray. His rowers worshipped him. Janoušek remains one of the most charismatic people that I have come across in rowing.”5367 The Observer: “‘He spoke no English when he arrived,’ says [Chris Baillieu, stroke of the British international medalist double during the mid-1970s5368], ‘and to produce what he did with so little to work with was nothing short of miraculous.’ “Janoušek confirms that it was a moribund scene that greeted him. ‘No one was aware of the standard that was required to compete successfully at top international level,’ he says. ‘It was just clubs racing each other, thinking how good they were because they were producing good times to Fawley5369 or whatever. They went to some international event or championships, got beaten badly and were quite surprised. They 5366 Jack H. Frailey, New Zealanders & British Build Toward Munich, The Oarsman, May 1972, p. 22 5367 Cross, p. 21 5368 See Chapter 130. 5369 See Chapter 5. 1482
