THE SPORT OF ROWING learned that you can’t afford not to press on.”7873 Honebein: “You can go in circles thinking about the shoulda, woulda, coulda. The goal of everyone in that boat was just to have the best possible piece, regardless of the result. “Do I think that we could have beaten the Dutch? I can’t say yes or no to that. Had we given our best piece, we probably would have been in the medals. Which medal? I couldn’t tell you. The Germans were going really well that day. The Canadians were going well that day. Obviously, the Russians were also going well in the last 500. “That’s the disappointment for our boat . . . that we didn’t have our best piece. We could have walked away from the Olympics not ecstatic but happy with a Bronze or even fourth place or fifth place . . . if we had rowed the best piece possible, but that’s the thing that our boat lives with. I think that everybody in there knows that it wasn’t our best piece. “You don’t get a second chance, and that’s the thing that I think is really great about this sport. You have to show up and put down on that day. “I still look back on those four years as the best years of my life.”7874 Hall: “Revisiting those days with you has been very helpful for me, Peter, because I had forgotten so much, and despite the outcome in ‘96, it was the time of my life, too. “It is also interesting to see how similarly we all seem to feel about that time. In particular, the group from ‘94 through selection of the eight in ‘96 seemed to me to have a very strong bond, and while maybe I believe the bond was stronger in ‘94 and ‘95 because I was in the boat those years, 7873 Jeff Moag, Training Day, Rowing News, March 2010, p. 44 7874 Honebein, op. cit. perhaps that is where some of that ‘magic’ resided.”7875 After Atlanta, the U.S. decided to turn the reins of the National Men’s Team over to American Mike Teti, a member of Korzo’s 1987 World Champion Eight, and so Mike Spracklen finally returned to his boyhood home in Marlow, England. Spracklen: “It was a bad time emotionally for me after Atlanta. “Annie and I had made many friends in USA. We enjoyed living in San Diego and the American way of life, and we could see ourselves living out our lives in USA. “I was very well supported by USRowing and had only myself to blame for the board not wanting me to continue. I felt that I had let down those who had supported me, the athletes, and executive director Frank Coyle who had given me tremendous support. “There was some satisfaction from believing that I had helped raise the standard of USA rowing and that I had contributed in some way to the success of the USA Team that followed after my departure. “It was also nice returning to my home in Marlow, which had its attractions, too!”7876 British Women Upon his return home, Mike took up the vacant position of British Women’s Coach and formed a training group at Longridge Scout Boating Centre, next to his old home base, Marlow Rowing Club. Spracklen: “The challenge was motivating, but the four years that followed turned out to be the most unpleasant in my rowing career.”7877 Guin Batten: “My sister, Miriam Batten, 1991 Pairs Bronze Medalist, came 7875 Hall, op. cit. 7876 Spracklen, op. cit. 7877 Ibid. 2190