THE SPORT OF ROWING 142. 1984 Olympics Olympic Trials – Lake Casitas – Andy Sudduth The Plot Thickens Lewis: “Harry’s squad returned to Hanover for its final tune-up before the Trials – ten days away – and within a few hours of settling in, the rumor mill began to churn. First off, Tiff and Biggie raced a double against the Love Boat.7329 Without having practiced and using a slower boat, Tiff and Biggie defeated it by half a length. “Tiff was overjoyed at the thought of rowing with Biggie. Joe and Biggie, best of friends, had roomed together upon returning from Lucerne, but immediately following that fateful practice, Joe moved into a different room. “Harry soon stepped into the fray. He entered Biggie’s room and closed the door. When Harry emerged, Biggie was firmly in the single, and Tiff was on his own.”7330 That was the way Brad heard it from a distance. It was actually much worse. The team got home from Lucerne on Monday, June 18, and the Trials were scheduled to begin on Friday, June 29. Biglow quickly suggested to Tiff that they row a double in practice with Tiff stroking, perhaps to give his back a bit of a rest and perhaps because he had been rattled by his relatively poor showing in Europe. Of course, Tiff was all for it, and Harry agreed 7329 Lewis’ derogatory nickname for Altekruse and Bouscaren, after a silly American television situation comedy. 7330 Lewis, Assault, pp. 102-3 to let them race against Altekruse and Bouscaren. On Wednesday, June 20, the two doubles did fifteen power-20s. Tiff and John, “filled with fury and rage,”7331 won them all. The next day, June 21, they rowed four 1,000s. Tiff and John won the first by half a length. Charlie and Joe won the last three, but very narrowly. At that point, Harry called off the competition. Tiff then asked to seat-race Bouscaren. Harry turned him down. Tiff and John kept rowing their double. On Sunday, June 24, they put Biglow in the stroke seat, and “the boat seemed to take off.”7332 Tiff asked John if he wanted to enter their double in the Trials the next weekend, and John said that he did. When this idea got out, all hell broke loose. That was when Joe moved out of John’s room and Charlie moved out of Tiff’s room. Tiff and Biggie continued to wrestle with the idea for two more days, until Tuesday, June 26, when Biglow finally bowed to enormous pressure from Bouscaren, Altekruse and ultimately Parker and backed out. Of course, that was just about the end of a life-long Olympic dream for Tiff Wood. Unless he could get into a Trials-winning double or quad, the best he could hope for would be to be named sculling spare, an 7331 Halberstam, p. 180 7332 Ibid, p. 181 2044
