THE LONG ECLIPSE OF AMERICAN ROWING their rowing togs. Most of them never spoke, never looked at anyone, just stared straight ahead. Next door the Penn Lightweights, author included, called them “rowbots,” but never when we might be overheard. It was only later that I discovered how truly funny they were. Eric Sigward tells the following anecdote: “Stowe was stroking for Vesper in Philadelphia, where they had to row on a dog-leg course for lack of straight water on the Schuylkill. Zimonyi was coxing. Before one particular race, Stowe said to Zimi, ‘Cut the turn sharp. I don’t want to row all over the course.’ “As they came under the bridge where the turn was made, Stowe looked at his oar and saw it coming about six inches from the bridge abutment. When they came out of the turn, Zimonyi said in his Hungarian accent, ‘Vuss that closs enoff for you?’”5022 All these men strode the sidewalks of Boathouse Row with a purpose that made everyone else feel like we were invisible to them. And after every practice, they left as quickly as they had come. 1963 Tokyo International In October 1963, Dietrich stroked the Vesper Eight at the Tokyo International Sports Festival, the international rowing test event for the Toda Bashi Rowing Course, site for the Olympic regatta one year later. It gave the crew the chance to see Ratzeburg up close. The various eights also broke down into pairs and coxed-fours. The Amlong Brothers won the coxless-pair over the 1959 European Champions from Ratzeburg. Dietrich, Bill Knecht, Hugh Foley and Dick Flanigan in the coxed-four sprinted from two lengths down to lose to Ratzeburg by only half a second. 5022 Sigward, personal correspondence, 2008 In the eights, Vesper fell behind early by a length to Adam’s crew and spent the rest of the course slowly closing the gap until it was reduced to 2.5 seconds at the finish. Stowe: “Rowing in Tokyo gave Rosenberg and Rose the opportunity to study the rowing course, which proved invaluable a year later. “European rowing courses are laid out to take advantage of prevailing tailwinds, and the Ratzeburg Style is short in the water with a high stroking cadence, both advantageous with a tailwind. “However, the Toda course did not seem to have a prevailing wind, and headwinds were not uncommon. This early knowledge of the anticipated conditions for 1964 helped Vesper to design both a crew and a technique that could present an advantage over the Germans on that knowledge alone.”5023 Rosenberg: “I never modified my technique for Tokyo 1964 after having been there in 1963.”5024 1964 Olympic Trials The 1964 Eights Trials showdown between Harvard and Vesper were described in Chapter 100. One additional anecdote: Lehman: “I happened to be at the starting line, rowing back from just having lost the semis for the double, so I had a close-up view of our eight before the race started. “In the dead silence between ‘Ready all’ and “Row!” the derisive Virginia drawl of Tom Amlong was heard. ‘I hope you boys brought your Sports Illustrateds with y’all,’ referring, of course, to the recent story on Harvard’s certainty to win the Olympics.”5025 5023 Stowe, p. 45 5024 Rosenberg, personal correspondence, 2007 5025 Lehman, op. cit. 1393