THE SPORT OF ROWING center of the race course. Harry threw out the rules of rowing and orchestrated the race as he felt it should go.”7235 In the second semi-final, there were also four competitors closely tracking each other down the course. Several went out too fast, and all crossed the finish line within 1.1 seconds or just over half a length. It was Sean Colgan first, Brad Lewis second, Greg Montesi third and Charlie Altekruse a heartbreaking fourth. Lewis: “I survived the semi-finals, although only by inches, due to a blazing fast start and a remarkably slow finish.”7236 Colgan: “I won my semi by 0.7 seconds over Lewis, but I had shut down as I had the final the following day. “Harry then proceeded to assign the lanes for the final, which is also illegal. My dad walked out and quit. Winning my semi, I should have had Lane 3 or 4. Instead, I got Lane 1!!!”7237 Greg Montesi, 6’1” 185cm 179lb. 81kg, a 1982 United States Naval Academy graduate, is the son of Ed Montesi, 5-seat on the 1959 Pan Am Champion Syracuse University Eight. At the age of 17, Greg won Bronze in the singles at the 1976 Junior World Championships in Villach, Austria. He won the U.S. Junior title a second time in 1977, but mononucleosis kept him from again competing in the Junior Worlds. An active-duty Marine in 1984, he had been training hard for the Olympic Singles Trials only since the previous January. Altekruse: “It ended up that the only time in my life that I ever officially raced a single was at the ‘84 Trials, when I missed the final by a split second to Greg Montesi. 7235 Dietz, personal correspondence, 2009 7236 Lewis, Assault, p. 19 7237 Colgan, op. cit. Carol Robbins McGowan Discussions during the Singles Trials Harry (above) and Korzo “I told Harry Parker that I didn’t want to race in the petit final because I knew that the Double/Quad Camp was going to start a few days later. I was exhausted, I was disappointed, and I couldn’t understand what I would have to gain. “That conversation features in The Amateurs as a confrontation between Harry and me, which I never talked to Halberstam about. I would be surprised if Harry talked to him about it, but maybe he heard about it third hand.”7238 What are Selection Trials? In fairness, it should be noted that selection trial races are unique in sport. In a 7238 Altekruse, op. cit. 2020
