THE SPORT OF ROWING despite rough water and headwind, the U.S. drove into the lead as they had the year before and maintained a 0.38 second advantage at the 1,000 meter mark. The third 500, however, was all GDR. Rowing their Schubschlag pullthroughs more elegantly and seemingly effortlessly than the Americans, they smoothly pushed to open water over Penn A.C. In the last 500, GDR ceded half a length to the surging Soviets but crossed the line clear winners. 1 GDR 2 URS 3 USA 4 GBR 5 ITA 6 HOL 6:39.70 6:41.30 6:43.46 6:45.58 6:50.30 6:52.11 Swinford: “Yes, we lost in ‘87 due to Espe’s injury. Silly stuff, but it happens. Even so, we led for over 1000m. The Easties barely got through us.”6505 This gave GDR 1987 Gold to go with their 1986 Bronze, matching the Americans’ 1986 Gold and 1987 Bronze. After that final, GDR 3-seat “Bruno” Brudel approached the men from Penn A.C. with a smile and a question: “Best two out of three?”6506 It was never to be. The ‘86 Boat in 1988 In 1988, with Ted’s Coxless-Four again the USRA priority boat, followed by Kris Korzeniowski’s Camp Eight and Coxed- Four and then the Trials-selected pairs, the uneasy “camp versus club” alliance continued, yet the greatest competition for the now two-time World Medalist Penn A.C. Coxless-Four would come from their own teammates. 6505 Swinford, op. cit. 6506 Qtd. by Lambert, op. cit., p. 11 Swinford: “In ‘88, we went to Piediluco to race the world and avenge ‘87. We met the Russians who had squeaked past us that year for the Silver. We were given an old heavy wooden Filippi that would not track straight in any kind of crosswind, so what did TED do? He had the boatman graft on some more fin area, making an already inferior boat heavier still with more drag, but it cured the directional problems, and we beat the Russians in their own backyard in an inferior boat. “But the sharks started circling when Espe got hurt only days after our return to the States, including the Killer Bs. Before that, there was no chance for anyone else. The fours-without event was ours.”6507 Ted’s Penn A.C. B-Boat was a formidable combination. Bow-seat Raoul Rodriguez was a former football player at Tulane University. He and 3-seat Dave Krmpotich had rowed in the 1987 Penn A.C. Trials-winning Coxed-Four while 2- seat Tom Bohrer had stroked Ted’s Trials- winning 1987 Coxless-Pair. Only stroke Rich Kennelly, Jr. had not yet represented the U.S. in world competition. They quickly earned the nickname “Killer Bs.” The competition between the two Penn A.C. boats was passionate and intense, and that passion continues today. Dan Lyons: “In 1988, my four, the ‘86 Four, won again at Piediluco by six seconds over the Russians, and when we came back to the States we beat the other Penn AC Four (containing my 1985 pair-partner, Dave Krmpotich) in coxed-fours by eight seconds (easily) in San Diego.”6508 Nash: “That race had been thrown together at the San Diego Crew Classic by Korzo because the Olympic Committee wanted press and TV publicity for the National Team performing before a big crowd, but our second place boat had not 6507 Swinford, op. cit. 6508 Lyons, op. cit. 1798
