THE SPORT OF ROWING like to have changed. Martin Cross rowed in a disjointed way that earned him the name ‘ratchet man,’ and he had little perception of how to balance the boat. He and Steve Redgrave drew their hands low to their bodies at the finish, while Richard and Andy drew high, with the result that the boat was continually down on port side. These are examples of the technical deficits that could have been corrected with more cooperation from the athletes in the early stages.”6145 Overall, emphasis in the boat was on quick catches and acceleration to the release. Redgrave came on with his legs, back and arms all at once upon entry, and his body weight remained suspended all the way until his ferryman’s finish. Perfect Classical Technique, concurrent Schubschlag. Holmes and Budgett behind him followed his lead pretty well, although they broke their arms a bit later, and Budgett was quite a bit more expressive with his finish, described by Martin Cross as “a barn door flapping in the wind.”6146 Cross, on the other hand, was a horse of a different colour. Martin Cross Cross: “I was very much an outsider, but Mike Spracklen was glad to have a measure of experience among his young group.”6147 Cross was also the odd man out in the four as far as technique was concerned. Cross: “Speed in rowing came through ‘If in doubt, pull effort or trying more. harder’ was my catch phrase.”6148 Martin Cross already had an enviable international rowing career, Junior World Silver Medalist in the coxless-fours in 1975, two World and one Olympic Bronze in the 6145 Spracklen, personal correspondence, 2010 6146 Ibid. 6147 Cross, p. 85 6148 Ibid, p. 38 coxless-fours between 1978 and 1980. He would go on to be a member of four Olympic teams, medaling twice. But he didn’t make the boat on technique. In 1984, Cross’s initial hit with legs, back and arms together at entry was so violent that it actually juddered his head. Cross: “I was known for my no- nonsense direct but rustic application of pressure at the catch.”6149 Nevertheless, after the explosion, somehow his innate boat moving skills then took over to generate a strong surge from there to the release. The Cross Factor Martin Cross had to have been a cardiovascular phenomenon. He became well known for a blistering last 500, which he referred to in the third person as “the Cross Factor,” as the following anecdotes from later in his career illustrates. Spracklen: “After the LA Olympics, I was assigned by Penny to coach Martin Cross and Adam Clift in the coxless-pair. Martin was now more friendly, both were receptive to my coaching, and by the end of the winter they rowed the pair well. “The 1985 World Championships were in Hazewinkel, Belgium, and the main competition was from the outstanding Russian Pimenov Pair,6150 whom they had never beaten. “The wind had blown with the course through the regatta, but on finals day it was very strong. The water was calm at the start but gradually became rougher and rougher until the waves were high for the last 750 meters. In training before the racing started, I had watched the Russians and noticed their blades continually scraping the surface of the water between strokes. They appeared to make no attempt to balance their boat or 6149 Ibid, p. 79 6150 See Chapter 79. 1718
