January 11, 2006
New Programs for Building Champions
Michael Teti
Head Men's Coach,
U.S. Rowing Association and Olympic Crew Member
Minutes of the 15th Meeting of the 64th Year
President Bill Haynes called the meeting to order at 10:14 AM.
John Marks led the invocation. Jim Ferry delivered the notes of the previous weeks meeting. Frank Long introduced Mike Teti who was born in Upper Darby PA, and was a member of the U.S. National team for 12 years, and rowed in three Olympics. He is head of the U.S. Rowing Association and is coach of the U.S. Olympic Crew. In. the Olympic games of 2004, his team won the gold medal. No question, that was a fantastic achievement, and much to Mike’s credit. Perhaps the highlight of this presentation was a movie, in full color, of the five boats competing in the Olympic games of 2004, held in Athens, Greece, when the U.S. team, in 115 degrees heat, managed to edge out the Canadian boat by about 15 feet, with the German, Australian, French and Dutch boats trailing behind. Surely, the American win over Canada helped ease the pain of the defeat we suffered in 1775, when our troops were repulsed at Quebec. As for the Germans, well, who can forget the Battle of the Bulge. Surely, our stalwart rowers had these memories in mind as they rowed to victory. As our coach most aptly put it, the U.S. team was a “head wind crew." While all of these favorable events were taking place, and given the pressure he was under, our coach admitted he did not have time to change into fresh clothing, which I suppose was another means of putting off our opponents.
Let me offer a few of my own thoughts about this sport of rowing. It requires the participants to train vigilantly and get into tiptop shape, as their hands, arms, legs, feet and all of their joints will be strained to the limit in a competitive race. They are not called upon to make any decisions on their own, as would be called for in other sports such as football or basketball. And they must have the discipline necessary to respond to the beat set by the coxman, who sits in the stern of the boat, and like a Roman soldier, barks out the tempo and blithely steers the boat. The coxman is the one who best can evaluate the position of his boat in relation to its competitors, and make adjustments in the beat as necessary to win the race, or at least to finish ahead of some of the other boats. In the event his team should win, then tradition calls for the crew members to toss the coxman into the lake.
Our speaker referred to the fact that he had his rowers frequently workout and row on Lake Mercer. One easy way of accessing this Lake is to play golf at Mercer Oaks, a public course which charges only a few bob for a round. When you arrive at the 17th hole, that is after first completing holes one through sixteen, the teeing ground provides a wonderful vista of the Lake. However, from the tee, it would be wise to draw the ball with your drive, the right to left action thus created will help deliver your ball onto the fairway, and not into the glistening water of Lake Mercer. That will also save the cost of one of those expensive Titleist golfballs. Good luck with your game!
Respectfully submitted,
John A. Pell '48
John Marks led the invocation. Jim Ferry delivered the notes of the previous weeks meeting. Frank Long introduced Mike Teti who was born in Upper Darby PA, and was a member of the U.S. National team for 12 years, and rowed in three Olympics. He is head of the U.S. Rowing Association and is coach of the U.S. Olympic Crew. In. the Olympic games of 2004, his team won the gold medal. No question, that was a fantastic achievement, and much to Mike’s credit. Perhaps the highlight of this presentation was a movie, in full color, of the five boats competing in the Olympic games of 2004, held in Athens, Greece, when the U.S. team, in 115 degrees heat, managed to edge out the Canadian boat by about 15 feet, with the German, Australian, French and Dutch boats trailing behind. Surely, the American win over Canada helped ease the pain of the defeat we suffered in 1775, when our troops were repulsed at Quebec. As for the Germans, well, who can forget the Battle of the Bulge. Surely, our stalwart rowers had these memories in mind as they rowed to victory. As our coach most aptly put it, the U.S. team was a “head wind crew." While all of these favorable events were taking place, and given the pressure he was under, our coach admitted he did not have time to change into fresh clothing, which I suppose was another means of putting off our opponents.
Let me offer a few of my own thoughts about this sport of rowing. It requires the participants to train vigilantly and get into tiptop shape, as their hands, arms, legs, feet and all of their joints will be strained to the limit in a competitive race. They are not called upon to make any decisions on their own, as would be called for in other sports such as football or basketball. And they must have the discipline necessary to respond to the beat set by the coxman, who sits in the stern of the boat, and like a Roman soldier, barks out the tempo and blithely steers the boat. The coxman is the one who best can evaluate the position of his boat in relation to its competitors, and make adjustments in the beat as necessary to win the race, or at least to finish ahead of some of the other boats. In the event his team should win, then tradition calls for the crew members to toss the coxman into the lake.
Our speaker referred to the fact that he had his rowers frequently workout and row on Lake Mercer. One easy way of accessing this Lake is to play golf at Mercer Oaks, a public course which charges only a few bob for a round. When you arrive at the 17th hole, that is after first completing holes one through sixteen, the teeing ground provides a wonderful vista of the Lake. However, from the tee, it would be wise to draw the ball with your drive, the right to left action thus created will help deliver your ball onto the fairway, and not into the glistening water of Lake Mercer. That will also save the cost of one of those expensive Titleist golfballs. Good luck with your game!
Respectfully submitted,
John A. Pell '48