THE SPORT OF ROWING That meant Biglow had to respond, and they rowed almost side by side, matching stroke for stroke, neither conceding, each simply trying to put more power into each stroke. “It was an almost perfect race . . . ”7074 Tiff Wood: “It was one of those ‘neither of us is going to quit’ sorts of things. There’s a point where you put everything onto it, and usually for me if I do that, it happens. “John and I developed a great relationship in ‘81. Huge mutual respect as competitors, I think driven in part by that race in Hanover. For a losing race, that was the best race that I’ve ever had.”7075 According to Halberstam, Tiff and John became good friends, members of a two- person exclusive club of fierce competitors who respected one another above all others. Very special experience for both of them.7076 Biglow: “Beating Tiff in such a special race qualified me for the U.S. Olympic Festival in South Carolina or North Carolina or someplace, and that regatta might have been my first 2,000 meter races. “Then came the Trials.”7077 The New York Times: “John Biglow earned the right today to represent the United States in the World Championships in Munich, West Germany, later this month. “Biglow, of Yale, was a comfortable 2½-length winner over Tiff Wood of Harvard on the 2,000 meter course in 7 minutes 8.5 seconds. Wood’s time was 7:16.8.”7078 Biglow: “I remember thinking when I raced in the 1981 Singles Trials, that it was around my third to fifth races ever at 2,000 meters, and then the World Championships in Munich would be my sixth, seventh and 7074 Halberstam, p. 81 7075 Wood, op. cit. 7076 Halberstam, pp. 83-4 7077 Biglow, op. cit. 7078 2 Rowing Titles to Ivy Leaguers, The New York Times, August 3, 1981 eighth races ever. It made me feel very humble. I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m not any more special than anyone else. I haven’t done any more. I haven’t worked harder, but somehow single sculling is working for me.”7079 Gregg Stone: “The pattern of all American scullers of that era was to have very few races under their belts when they went to their first Worlds. We were amateurs in every sense. My first Worlds was my fourth regatta in a single. In 1985, Andy Sudduth7080 would win a World Silver in his second 2,000 meter sculling regatta!”7081 Wood: “I was John’s sparring partner until he left for Europe, and we had some great workouts. It was kind of fun, having decided I was not going, helping him get fast by going as hard as I could and pushing him.”7082 Oberschleißheim Biglow: “One amazing thing for me at my first Worlds in Munich was that I was rowing against someone that Frank Cunningham looked at films of and said, ‘That person rows beautifully!’ It was Ricardo Ibarra from Argentina. Frank liked how flat his stroke was. He brought his hands in and out on a very level plane. “Ibarra was in my heat, and I fell way behind. There was also this Swede, Hans Svensson, a huge guy [6’6” 199cm 227lb. 103kg, Falkenbergs Roddklubb], who was way out, like five lengths, after 500 meters, but near the end of the race I’d passed him, and Ibarra was right in front of me to my right within a length, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I feel very comfortable! 7079 Biglow, op. cit. 7080 See Chapter 142. 7081 Stone, op. cit. 7082 Wood, op. cit. 1978
