Today I had the pleasure of hosting Island rowing legend Bruce Beall on the podcast. We had a spirited conversation covering topics as wide and varied as one could imagine, but mostly, natch, about rowing. I am hustling to get all the preparations done for our weekend events, Saturday's Holiday Hootenanny and Sunday's sneak premiere of Boys in the Boat, so I am going to post this now and finish up the text portion tomorrow. Thank you for your patience. I will leave one link from the Bainbridge Review that, along with the 'cast should keep you busy until tomorrow.
A1984 Olympic rower from the UW, Bruce, has been instrumental in bringing the excitement and energy of the sport to Bainbridge Island. Now the Director of Rowing at the beautiful new boat house and training facility that houses BIR, next to Waterfront Park, he colorfully shares with us many of the stories that have created the mystique that permeates the sport.
The long, proud and storied history of rowing in Washington State, with The University of Washington at its epicenter, is the backdrop for Olympic glory and a tradition of excellence, as well as a basis for the current upswell of rowing’s popularity resulting from the best-selling novel by Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat, and the subsequent film treatment of the same name, directed by George Clooney. Sunday at 4 the film will debut at the Historic Lynwood. It will be a crowing achievement for those even casually involved with the sport and its myriad local connections. Much of this fascinating history is on display at the Bainbridge Island Rowing Club’s sparkling new, multi-purpose boat house, named for legendary Washington boat builder George Pocock.
Our conversation today takes us from Bruce’s coaching days at Harvard, through his quest to compete in the Olympics and Pan-American games, to the sacred boathouse on Lake Washington built by Ulbrickson, Pocock and the 1936 team that would incredibly win the gold medal in Berlin at the same games where Husky Joe Rantz and American Jesse Owens would upstage Adolf Hitler. This is a timeless story of hard work, determination, overcoming adversity, defeating obstacles, but mostly it is about teamwork and the magical bond created when like minds, bodies and spirits discover ‘the swing’.
Our entire conversation leads to the natural conclusion that rowing is not simply a sport preferred by elite Ivy Leaguers and the American aristocratic privileged class, but a healthy lifestyle choice enjoyed by thousands of people looking for some good, clean, low-impact and accessible fitness enhancing fun. You can learn to row today, indoors on the Erg or on the protected waters of Eagle Harbor, by contacting BIR at Bainbridgerowing.org.
After reading Brown’s wonderful tome and viewing Clooney’s motivational and entertaining film, making that call should be your next move.
Huge thanks to Mr. Beal for taking the time out of his hyper-busy day to visit with us. And go Dawgs!
Kevin
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