THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT He came under Mike Spracklen’s coaching after that regatta. Mike immediately set Redgrave on a course to be a great single sculler.6131 The goal they chose was an Olympic Singles Gold Medal in 1988, nine years in the future. Spracklen: “Steven Redgrave was the first person [in modern times] to row full time in Britain. His parents encouraged and supported him to the hilt. His mother ran a driving school so that Steven could continue rowing.”6132 In 1980, he and double-partner Adam Clift won the Junior World Silver Medal behind a GDR boat containing future two- time Olympic Singles Champion Thomas Lange. Chris Dodd: “Redgrave and Clift lost because they had been training as possible reserves for Moscow Olympics over 2,000 metres, and when they reached the 1,500m finish line in Hazewinkel they were about to put in their killer finish. Spracklen was in a Belgian hospital because he’d fallen off his bike. Steve and Adam had a punchup after the race while yours truly was trying to get a quote!”6133 Spracklen: “In Moscow 1980, the British Men’s Team won Silver in the eights, Bronze in coxless-fours and Bronze in coxless-pairs. Jim Clark took Mike Hart’s place in the double with Chris Baillieu and, coached by Penny Chuter, they finished fourth. “After Moscow, Chuter was put in charge of preparing the men’s team for the Los Angeles, and the following year she led the team to Munich for the World Championships, where she coached the men’s eight to Silver. Richard Budgett and 6131 Ross, p. 31 6132 Moag, op. cit., p. 44, edited and added to through personal correspondence, 2010 6133 Dodd, personal correspondence, 2011 “In 1983, Tanner was given the role to form and coach the lead boat. The crew he chose was a coxed-four which contained his old four with Richard Budgett now in place of Jim Clark. It was the only crew to make the final in the World Championships but finished sixth. Team goals had not been achieved, and another step backwards was taken. “There was more hierarchy concern. Bob Janoušek resigned with the parting comment that Britain had no chance of a medal in Los Angeles, and Penny was put back in charge. She rejected the coaches who had fought to get her removed and Tom Cadoux-Hudson won Bronze in coxed- pairs. Martin Cross, John Beattie, Ian McNuff continued in the coxless-four with Jim Clark in place of David Townsend and David Tanner as their coach. They finished in 10th place. The other athletes of significance that year were Andy Holmes who came fifth in a club-based coxed-four and Steve Redgrave, who raced for the first time in the quad that finished eighth. “In 1982, there were no medals and only two boats, a coxed-four and the young quad, reached the final. Penny Chuter’s Eight finished in 9th and last place, which gave certain coaches the opportunity to attack her, with the result that Bob Janoušek was asked to step back in and rescue the team. His first directive was that everyone must row in the national squad or consider themselves excluded from the team. The young scullers in my hands were forced to go to the squad, but Steve Redgrave stuck to his plan to race his single. “Bob Janoušek, however, by this time had other commitments. He had retired from coaching and was running a successful boatbuilding company. He had limited time, which gave David Tanner the opportunity to influence selection of the crews. 1713
