A Case Study of Olympic, World and Commonwealth Sculling Champion Peter Antonie
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A CASE STUDY OF OLYMPIC, WORLD AND COMMONWEALTH SCULLING CHAMPION PETER ANTONIE A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PART FULFILMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS, SPORTS HUMANITIES/MEDIA, DIVISION OF HEALTH, DESIGN AND SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA ROBIN POKE AUGUST 2006 ii Abstract This thesis is a biographical case study of Olympic, World and Commonwealth sculling champion Peter Antonie, whose career at the elite or high performance level spanned some 23 years – from 1977 to 2000. The thesis examines the exploits of an oarsman and sculler regarded within his sport as one of Australia’s greatest ever, despite his being considered physically disadvantaged at every phase of his career. Antonie was, most notably, a man of small stature – widely considered a handicap at the level of rowing to which he aspired, and at which he ultimately succeeded. The study also examines what it was, despite those perceived disadvantages, that drove him to excel. The thesis further examines, in thematic form, parallel developments within Australian rowing and sculling in the quarter of a century in which Peter Antonie competed. This was a period during which fundamental changes were seen in Australian sport, notably in the areas of funding and administration, and which saw a transformation from amateur to professional participation at the Olympic, Commonwealth Games and world championships levels. There were also marked changes to high performance rowing as a result of technological advances that produced new types of equipment, and scientific developments that brought new training and selection methodologies. The research was carried out as part of a systematic attempt to examine and investigate Peter Antonie’s reputation, particularly as it compares with his better- known contemporaries, the so-called Oarsome Foursome, and to analyse that reputation in light of the administrative developments in Australian rowing and Australian sport. The historical approach used was the biographical method of research and analysis, with the preferred technique the obtaining of oral testimony from 50 interviewees, some of whom were interviewed more than once. The research clearly indicated that throughout his career Peter Antonie continually defied assumptions about his potential, particularly where science-based preconceptions about talent identification were concerned, and achieved success far beyond initial expectations. As a result his achievements, nationally and globally, are perhaps unparalleled, and he is held in the highest regard, particularly by the higher profile Oarsome Foursome. Despite this accolade, however, Antonie’s public profile iii remains very low, to the extent that beyond the rowing fraternity he is virtually unknown. Despite, too, rowing’s status as an Olympic sport and the commensurate increases in funding during Antonie’s career, he himself maintains a fundamentally amateur approach to his participation in rowing and is critical of several facets of its current ‘professional’ administration. Despite, too, rowing and sculling once being among Australia’s major sports a hundred or so years ago, within contemporary Australian society it has a low profile, a situation which, given that current administration, appears likely to continue. Problems encountered during the research included some diffidence on the part of an essentially humble and self-effacing subject and a lack of literature relating to Antonie and his sport. But these were to an extent offset by the enthusiasm displayed for the project by other interviewees. The results of the research are significant in that, like the subject, they defy some precepts concerning facets of Australian rowing and sculling, which in turn might encourage further investigation. v Acknowledgments This thesis was inspired by Dr Daryl Adair, whose enthusiasm, wisdom, patience, guidance and friendship have been greatly appreciated. I was particularly inspired by his dedication to the expansion of the academic and historical analysis of rowing and sculling in Australia, a pursuit so expertly begun by him and others, and in which I seek to be a participant. I am also particularly indebted to Peter Antonie who, like the sport he has graced, has received scant recognition despite extraordinary achievements. This thesis is an attempt, in part, to redress that imbalance. I also gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of my interviewees, all of whom, without exception, demonstrated unqualified enthusiasm for the project and thus made my task relatively easier. I am also deeply grateful to my wife, Lesley, for her patience, understanding, support and love. I also owe a huge debt to my father, the late Royce Poke, who introduced me to rowing and sculling. He passed on to me a passion for the sport and its history that has never left me - and never will. vi Abbreviations, Acronyms AARC Australian Amateur Rowing Council ABC Australian Broadcasting Commission, later Corporation ACT Australian Capital Territory AIS Australian Institute of Sport AOC Australian Olympic Committee AOF Australian Olympic Federation ARC Australian Rowing Council FISA Federation International des Societes d’Aviron – the international rowing federation IOC International Olympic Committee ITC Intensive Training Centre MUBC Melbourne University Boat Club n.a. No author (in footnotes) NSW New South Wales NSWRA New South Wales Rowing Association OAP Olympic Athlete Program PA Peter Antonie (in footnotes) VRA Victorian Rowing Association WA Western Australia vii Glossary of terms Blade(s) The part of the oar locked in the water during a stroke, but also a generic term for ‘oar’ Bow Front of the boat. Also the position of the rower sitting in the bow, e.g. bowman Bow side The side on which the scull or oar is on the left (starboard side) of the sculler or rower Coxless Without a coxswain Crew Those in a boat containing more than one person. (It is incorrect to refer to a crew as a ‘team’) Double Abbreviated reference to a double scull crew Eight Crew of eight rowers each using one oar, which always has a coxswain Four Crew of four rowers, each using one oar that can either have a coxswain or be coxless Lightweight Lightweight rowers are required to race under a specified weight. The lightweight class was initially introduced to encourage more universality in the sport, especially among nations with less statuesque people, and was added to the World Championships program in 1974 for men and in 1985 for women. After a close vote by the FISA Congress in 1993, the category appeared in the Olympic Games program for the first time in 1996. The three events, a men’s coxless four and double scull and a women’s double scull, replaced the ‘open’ weight events of the men’s coxed pair and four and the women’s four.1 Lightweight women’s crews must average 57 kg, with no member heavier than 59 kg, and lightweight men’s crews must average 70 kg with no member heavier than 72.5 kg2 Pair Crew of two rowers, both using one oar, that can either have a coxswain or be coxless Quad Crew of four scullers that is almost invariably coxless Rating Rate of strokes, usually per minute 1 www.worldrowing.com, retrieved 7 July 2003. 2 n.a., ‘Rowing’, Australian Olympic Team Handbook, 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney, News Limited, 2000, p.215. viii Repechage A French word meaning ‘second chance’ (to qualify for further rounds) Rigger An adjustable metal frame attached to the side of the boat to support the swivel that holds the oar or scull at its pivot point Scull A boat used by a rower or rowers using two oars (sculls), i.e. a single, double or quadruple scull. Also a term used for the oar used by scullers Shell A rowing boat Spoons A particular shape of oar blade Squad A team of rowers, scullers and crews. See also ‘Team’ Stroke The act of placing the oar in and extracting it from the water. Also the position of the rower or sculler sitting in the stern of the boat and setting the pace and/or rhythm Stroke side The side on which the scull or oar is on the right (port side) of the sculler or rower Sweep (–oared) A boat/crew propelled by rowers each using one oar Team A squad of rowers comprising scullers and/or crews ix Peter Antonie – The Record International 1977 World Championships, Amsterdam Lightweight Coxless Fours Silver medal 1978 World Championships, Copenhagen Lightweight Coxless Fours Bronze medal 1979 World Championships, Bled Lightweight Eights Sixth 1981 World Championships, Munich Lightweight Double Sculls 11th 1982 World Championships, Lucerne Lightweight Eights Fourth 1983 World Championships, Duisburg Lightweight Eights Silver medal 1984 World Championships, Montreal Lightweight Eights 10th 1985 World Championships, Hazewinkel Lightweight Single Sculls Ninth 1986 Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh Lightweight Single Sculls Gold medal World Championships, Nottingham Lightweight Single Sculls Gold medal 1987 World Championships, Copenhagen Lightweight Single Sculls Fifth 1988 Olympic Games, Seoul Quadruple Sculls Fifth 1989 World Championships, Bled Double Sculls Fourth 1990 World Championships, Double Sculls Bronze medal Lake Barrington, Tasmania 1991 World Championships, Vienna Single Sculls Fourth 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona Double Sculls Gold medal 1993 World Championships, Roudnice Double Sculls Seventh 1994 World Championships, Indianapolis Double Sculls Ninth x 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta Double Sculls Eighth 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney Eights Reserve Henley Royal Regatta, England 1988 The Queen Mother Cup for Quadruple Sculls 1995 The Double Sculls Challenge