THE SPORT OF ROWING Ted Nash: “Jake Fiechter had joined Penn Elite Center that summer and was a wonderful guy to coach. Even in such a short time, he proved that high class always shows up in stress time. After he came in second in the Coxed-Fours Trials and then second in the Coxed-Pairs Trials with Joe Amlong, he was picked for our spare. He went by chance into his own Harvard Eight when they needed him. “As in 1964, it shows that an excellent alternate is critical and can save an entire team.4732 That is why it is so important to select alternates carefully and try often to row them in the crews that they may later assist.4733 Steve Brooks: “Jake adds the following anecdote concerning his precipitous entry into the boat: He was standing in the breakfast line on the morning of the rep, piling his plate with scrambled eggs and a heavy load of pancakes when Harry came up and said, ‘Eat light. You may be racing today.’ “As for me, I wasn’t freaked out by being put in the stroke seat at the last minute. When it was clear it was going to happen, and Mike was out and Jake was in the boat, it was kind of like, ‘Well, let’s just go do it. It’s not ideal. It’s not exactly what we’d hoped for, but let’s just go do it.’”4734 The first repêchage included five boats with two to qualify, and it looked bad for the United States. They had to beat either the Czechs, who had come in an easy, uncontested third in the first heat, or GDR, who had already beaten the U.S. by six seconds in Heat 2. Zang: “Cleve Livingston in the 2-seat had gastrointestinal problems. Despite that, the crew rowed an iron-hearted race. Down by more than a length to an East German 4732 See Chapter 85. 4733 Nash, personal correspondence, 2007 4734 S. Brooks, op. cit. Luther Jones Jake Fiechter training at Gunnison, Colorado. (Note the Harvard oar.) team that had beaten them badly in the heats, the team moved from last to second, securing the last spot in the final.”4735 It was a terrific finish. Czechoslovakia indeed showed they deserved a place in the final by winning, but the Americans were only a couple of feet, less than a meter, behind as they crossed the line. GDR never gave up and finished about half a length out of first. They went on to win the petit final. Repêchage 2: 1 AUS 2 URS 3 NED 4 MEX 5 JAP 6:10.80 6:12.12 6:12.90 6:43.13 6:44.37 Steketee: “ I remember Harry talking to us about strategy for the repêchage and saying, ‘Based on what’s happening with the other crews, you guys are going to have to hold yourselves back for the first half.”4736 4735 Zang, p. 128 4736 Steketee, op. cit. 1314
