THE SPORT OF ROWING FISA 1984 Video New Zealand Men’s Coxless-Four 1984 Olympic Champion Stroke Keith Trask 6’3” 190cm 209lb. 95kg, 3 Conrad Robertson 6’2” 189cm 201lb. 91kg, 2 Shane O’Brien 6’8” 203cm 212lb. 96kg, Bow Les O’Connell 6’4” 193cm 196lb. 89kg Trask, Robertson and O’Connell had won Gold in the 1983 Coxed-Four. O’Connell had also won Gold in the 1982 Eight. which sets you up for that technique [second] 500, alright? It’s really most important that you think technique all the way through there, and you’re going with the crew. You’re working hard, but you’re thinking technique. You’re thinking leg drive and lean [back]. “At 1,000 meters, then you’ve got the move that’s on, and it’s a decided break, and it’s to be decisive in which you’re not going to suddenly hammer the ♠ᵜ!♪ out of the thing, but you’re going to start to apply more power and apply more effectively than even what you were doing before, possibly. “The whole thing started in ‘82 with the move on the Russians, which means the last part of the race is essentially taken care of. If it’s not, well, you just have to pull something out. That’s all.”6656 Team Manager Dudley Storey also spoke before the heat: “The New Zealand trait is always to win, regardless. We have this little saying that if you practice coming 6656 Pieces of Eight, A Quest for Gold, Television New Zealand, Ian Taylor Producer/Director, 1984 second, you’ll finish second all the time. The idea is to go out there and win the heat, so I’m sure Harry will have been saying, particularly with Canada being so fast . . . and Great Britain, the best way to put the first nail in their coffin is to beat them today.”6657 And beat them they did, biding their time for 1,000 meters and then forging into the lead soon thereafter. Bow-seat Nigel Atherfold, after the heat: “You don’t really want to be more than two-thirds of a length behind, and I was [thinking] it must be getting pretty close to that, and I’m just sitting, waiting for the 1,000. “He called the move and gaaaah, within about the first five strokes we’d already shot straight back up to them. “Bloody good!”6658 Stroke-seat Mike Stanley: “How effortlessly was that?! We were doing it so economically, you were almost cruising 6657 Pieces of Eight, op. cit. 6658 Ibid. 1840
