THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT Nash: “Mike’s wife, Laura Terdoslavich, was the bow with Sue Morgan in my women’s coxless-pair which had also won the Olympic Trials. Also, the Penn Elite Center Men’s Coxed-Four of Mark Borchelt, Mike Plumb, Pat Hayes, Bob Zagunis and coxswain John Hartigan had won their Trials, so it was easy to have the men’s pair informally join in our group. They fit! “As in 1968, I had not been named to the ‘76 Team even though I had three boats on the squad . . . but it all worked out, as these nine athletes and two spares wrote a letter to the USOC on my behalf, and I joined the team in Canada one day prior to opening day.”5998 The Heat The Oarsman: “The first day of racing was Sunday, July 18. The day was relatively windy, mostly crosswind from the Lane 1 side, shifting more towards a tailwind. “In the straight-pairs, we weren’t sure what we had in Cal Coffey and Mike Staines, and they drew mixed luck in their heat, fortunate with Lane 1, unfortunate with the Landvoigt twins of East Germany.5999 After a rather poor first few strokes, our pair showed great fortitude, coming right back through the field. “By 500 meters they were second, a position they held down the course to finish ahead of the Russians by three seconds, though the same margin behind the Easties. From all appearances, the pair looked strong, smooth and savvy. “In other heats, crews from Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia won in virtually identical times with virtually 5998 Nash, op. cit. 5999 See Chapter 119. Ted Nash Penn Elite Center Women’s Coxless-Pair 1976 Olympic 7th Place, Île Notre Dame Bow Laura Terdoslavich Staines 5’10” 178 cm 150 lb. 68 kg, Coach Ted Nash, Stroke Sue Morgan (Hooten) 5’9” 175 cm 161 lb. 73 kg identical margins over crews from Poland and Bulgaria, respectively.”6000 Staines: “The heats were pretty encouraging. Before them, we had no idea how fast we were, but we knew who the 6000 Men’s Rowing, The Oarsman, July/August 1976, pp. 24-30 1683
