The Amateurs - It's Nothing Like Leisurely Kayaking

Just finished David Halberstam's The Amateurs profiling the lives of several scullers and their coach in the 1980's.  This is an interesting "crew" of men who manned 6-man, doubles, and single skulls.

It was very interesting how rich Seattle and UW history is in the sculling sport.  The book included pictures of workouts and trials and competitions including victory at the 1984 Olympics.

Paul Enquist and Brad Lewis celebrate Olympic Gold medal victory in double sculls 1984.

Scullers exercised 600 hours a year and practiced, hands on oars 475 hours a year.  Races in comparison totaled about 130 minutes a year.  Few sports had as great a disparity between the time committed in practice and time actually spent in game or race conditions.  Note that a scull is only 12 inches across, and even the slightest mistake or shift of weight can flip it.

The people competing in rowing at this level did so with a demonic passion.  No overt financial reward at the end, or covert financial reward.  Almost always the children of the upper middle class, privileged, affluent, a group that did not readily seek hardship.  But the descriptions of the physical work outs sound brutal.

At one point the UW crew was so rough it was known in the sport as “Lurch, Wobble, and Gobble”.  This exposes the argument in this sport whether style is more important than power and endurance.

The book includes fun stories about rivalry between Harvard and Yale crews.  And also fun anecdotes about California sculler Brad Lewis, the outsider who broke into the Easterners ranks.

Very interesting, well written book, although unlike a scull race it tends to drag a little in the reading toward the end.