Really Old Article

[amerks127]

My dad dug this up in the SI Vault from 1960...

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071341/index.htm

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote amerks127]My dad dug this up in the SI Vault from 1960...

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071341/index.htm[/quote]
Nice.  Thanks.  Turned out that Navy represented the US in Rome in 1960, and didn't medal while Germany won.  Yale, Berkeley, Washington, and Navy crews had won the prior eight eight-oared Olympic golds.

What the SI piece didn't make clear is that Stork's crews always had a difficult time winning on Quinsigamond because the distance--1 1/4 miles at the time--was shorter than the usual two-mile intercollegiate races, and less than half the distance of the end-of-season Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships, rowed then over a three-mile course.  Sanford geared his crews for the IRAs and featured a more powerful stroke at a lower stroke-count--better suited for three miles than for a 1 1/4 mile sprint.  When US crews lost their dominance in the Olympics--rowed over a 2000 meter course--the distance of all intercollegiate races, except the four-mile Yale-Harvard race, was changed to 2000 meters.

Here's an SI piece on the 1963 Eastern Sprints featuring a classmate of mine, Chip Bettle, with a bit more on Sanford's rowing style: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074913/1/index.htm

[Al DeFlorio]

As long as we're on the subject of Cornell rowing, here's an SI cover the likes of which you probably won't see again: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/7773/index.htm

[Josh '99]

Who wears short shorts?

Crew wears short shorts.

[cth95]

Great article.  I rowed for the Freshman Lightweights in '90-'91 and loved it.  Unfortunately, I had to work for the rest of my duration on the hill,so I couldn't keep it up.  Some of my teammates were in the undefeated varsity boat in '92.  Not that I would have been in that boat by any means, but it would have been pretty cool to be a part of the team.

Rowing is a great sport which requires the ultimate in teamwork.  It is nice to get to read about it every now and then.

[Killer]

Darn right.  25 cents for SI?  Probably about what gas cost back then as well.