THE SPORT OF ROWING After taking two years off, Lianne Nelson stroked the U.S. Eight to another Silver in 1998. Hartmut’s assistant, Ian Simpson: “The mood in Chula Vista definitely changed after November, 1998 when Frank Coyle, USRowing Chief Executive, fired Hartmut at the FISA Coaches’ Conference in Toronto, Canada. The team rallied around Hartmut and, together with leading college coaches, successfully had him reinstated. But there was an ever-present tension and uncertainty hanging over the team from that moment on.”8068 Reluctantly, Hartmut chose Lianne Nelson, the only survivor of the 1995 World Champion Coxless-Four, to stroke the Olympic Eight in 2000. Buschbacher: “Terrible on weights, ja? Terrible on erg, but she beat everybody in single and pair, so I have to put her in the boat.”8069 Fuller: “Hartmut had a very scientific approach, from my perspective, and you have human error in there and you try to put people in seats, but if he had really, truly believed that Lianne didn’t deserve it, he wouldn’t put her in the stroke seat of the eight in the Olympic year. “The bottom line is I talked to Hartmut for hours as to who should stroke the boat in 2000 because I had stroked it in ‘99. I watched every single day in practice, Ultimately, Hartmut put Lianne in the stroke seat because he believed she was the best person for that spot. “There’s like this big mythical thing that Lianne was not strong. She was incredibly strong for her size. Lianne moved her way up. I saw her lose pair races. I saw her win pair races. I saw her do well on the erg. I 8068 Simpson, personal correspondence, 2011 8069 Qtd. by Steve Gladstone, personal conversation, 2000 Technique The technique of the 1999 Eight is especially instructive about the state of the squad as they built toward Sydney. Body angle forward had been limited in order to increase leg compression at the entry. Commitment of the coordinated leg and back effort was complete and effective (Frames 2 through 7, following page) until the legs were flat and the back had reached its limited layback position. Ian Simpson: “Hartmut’s approach to technique was simple. Just move the boat as fast as possible for stroke after stroke after stroke. Eventually your body will figure out the most efficient way to achieve that goal. “But there was also a lot of power curve testing, and they were encouraged to use their leg drive to climb the power curve quickly, and to hold on to the power as long as they could. “‘More Legs!’ “‘More Handle-Speed!’”8071 Unfortunately, with the legs and backs having completed their motions and the arm effort only just begun, the effort to move the 8070 Fuller Kearney, op. cit. 8071 Simpson, op. cit. saw her do badly on the erg. I saw everybody. “I was in the trenches with these women. It was hard, hard work, and none of us performed beautifully every single time out. We all had our ups and downs, and how you rebound from the downs is what defines your career. “I guess I get just a little weary of hearing these stories over and over again. Hartmut’s a really smart guy, and he put Lianne in the stroke seat of the Eight in the Olympic year because he wanted us to win. He wanted to win! He would never have jeopardized that chance.”8070 2254