“In a sport like this—hard work, not much glory, but still popular in every century—well, there must be some beauty which ordinary men can’t see, but extraordinary men do.”
Chapter 1-George Yeoman Pocock-provided the shell that was used by the boys in the Olympics
Page 1 He is talking about the sport of rowing (crew). That is hard and there is not much glory in it.
In our society today, there is not much glory in a sport that is not football, basketball, baseball or hockey. I am a swimmer and I feel that his quote can be said for my sport also. I work very hard at swimming. I train with a National team six days a week for about three hours a night. I give it my all and I am good but that is not enough for the society we live in.
When I entered …show more content…
At first read, I found it odd that he would compare a man/boat with a horse/rider.
The more I thought about it, it makes sense. I understand the comparison. A rider must move with the horse to be a great rider. To jump the rider must also rise. He must understand a horse’s movements to understand how to guide it. The same can be said with the boat. An oarsman must be able understand the boats movements and be able to guide it where he wants it to go. His movements, to be successful, must be in sync with the boat.
“If you put him in the boat, Coach, we will pull him across the line. Just strap him in. He can just go along for the ride.”
Chapter 17-Joe Rantz
Page 335 Joe was talking about his teammate, Hume, who was sick with a fever and Ulbrickson had decided to replace him with another person.
“They were not just 9 guys, they were a crew.” This is such a powerful quote for being part of a team.
After all they had been through they could not imagine their last race without him.
I would give anything to have that kind of camaraderie and to be part of a team like …show more content…
He did not learn until he was an old man, that everyone felt that way.
I think this is a very powerful statement that needed to be in the book. It shows that when you are feeling something, others may be feeling the same way and you may never know. Did these feelings make each of the boys work harder to be as good as the others? I think it probably did. I think by not communicating their feelings about this to each other made them all work harder and be a better team. You never want to fail your teammates.

“One survivor of the 1936 gold medal race is still with us today, though-the Husky Clipper.”
Epilogue-Author
Page 368 Brown is talking about the shell that the boys won the gold medal in.
I find it curious that the boat is talked about as a member of the team. I have never heard of any other sport that considers their equipment one of the team. I wonder, in today’s society, do rowers still believe this?
The Husky Clipper

"Where is the spiritual value of rowing? ...The losing of self entirely in the cooperative effort of the crew as a