139. the Next Generation of U.S. Scullers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE ERA OF POLARIZATION 139. The Next Generation of U.S. Scullers Jim Dietz – Gregg Stone – Larry Klecatsky – Bill Belden – Scott Roop – John Biglow – Paul Enquist Consistent success for the most part eluded American men competing in international sculling in the post-Rosenberg era. Nevertheless, the U.S. produced several unforgettable individuals and enduring stories during the 1970s and „80s. Jim Dietz According to a 1972 feature article in Life Magazine, James William Dietz “was a gangling, uncoordinated 15-year-old when he took up rowing to get out of the shadow of an athletically successful older brother.6828 “Dietz‟s crew experience began in 1964, when he competed for the New York Athletic Club in all classes of rowing and sculling events. As a high school student, he won all United States and Canadian Scholastic Championships in single and double sculls from 1964 through 1967, and won the first Junior World Championship in single sculls at Ratzeburg, Germany in 1967. “During his competitive years, Dietz Ted Nash Collection won forty-five United States and thirty- seven Canadian National Championship In 1971, he set what was then a course record time of 7:02.43 at the Internationale titles. He was a member of almost every 6830 U.S. National Team from 1967 to 1983, Rotsee Regatta. including U.S. Olympic entries in 1972, 1976 and 1980.”6829 All his life, Jimmy Dietz has done everything to the max. He has rowed hard, trained hard, raced hard and talked hard. 6828 Bill Bruns & Co Rentmeester, photographer, The Single Sculler‟s Search for Pain, Life Magazine, April 14, 1972, p. 70 6829 www.umassathletics.cstv.com 6830 See Chapter 74. 1915 THE SPORT OF ROWING Dominic Keller Jim Dietz setting the new course record of 7:02.43 on the Rotsee in 1971 His description of all things rowing has Technique always been Kernschlag. Dietz: “The starter says, ‘Partez!’ and – In his competitive days, the most bam! – you‟re off. You explode. All the noticeable aspect of Dietz‟s sculling frustrations, all the time that you‟ve put into technique was his exaggerated and violent training, it just comes out! head lift on top of his near-maximal 75° arc “The first 400 meters is like an all-out of body swing, but closer inspection of Jim sprint. Then you settle into your stroke until Dietz‟s technique surprisingly reveals the you hit the last 500 meters, when you Classical concurrent Schubschlag force explode again. The 500-meters-to-go buoy application associated with the German is always a different color, and you just Democratic Republic. The aggressiveness watch it moving away. Then you hit 250 and enthusiasm which marked everything meters, and you forget about everything. Dietz said and did on and off the water was It‟s all out, everything you have. If I‟m evenly and skillfully applied all the way to ahead in the last quarter, nobody in the 6831 the end of each pullthrough. world‟s going to beat me.” In 1972 at Oberschleißheim, Dietz lined up in the Olympic final next to GDR sculler 6831 Bruns & Rentmeester, op cit, p. 73 Wolfgang Güldenpfennig, 6‟0” 182cm 1916 THE ERA OF POLARIZATION Gaumont-Pathé Newsreel, 7237GJ 00001 1972 Olympic Singles Final Wolfgang Güldenpfennig, GDR 6‟0” 182cm 181lb. 82kg +5°, +30° to -30°, 0-10, 0-10, 0-10 Hybrid-concurrent Schubschlag Jim Dietz, United States 6‟7” 201cm 201lb. 91kg -5°, +35° to -40°, 0-10, 0-10, 0-10 Hybrid-concurrent Schubschlag Remarkable similarities. Compare Dietz in Frame 3 to Güldenpfennig in Frame 4. 181lb. 82kg, and the similarities were earlier,6832 but whereas Mackenzie‟s startling. pullthrough had been hybrid-concurrent with As is shown in the newsreel frames on emphasis on initial leg drive, Dietz‟s this page, the very tall Dietz did not pullthrough was fully concurrent with a compress his long legs fully and instead balanced application of legs, back and arms. relied on his long arms and extra body angle At mid-drive, Dietz closely resembled with a distinctive low head position to get Güldenpfennig in every way except for the his extraordinary length at the entry. In this, slightly higher raising of the chin. Both he closely resembled 6‟5” 196cm, 227lb. were fully committed from fingers to toes. 103kg Stuart Mackenzie from a decade 6832 See Chapter 86. 1917 THE SPORT OF ROWING Note Dietz in Frame 3 and Güldenpfennig in came to basically the same boat-moving Frame 4. conclusions. These two scullers moved boats in the Despite his signature exaggerated head same manner, the same basic concurrent lift and macho talk of explosions, Jim Dietz Schubschlag technique originated by Ned was a very elegant and effective sculler, and Hanlan and used by the great scullers of his Schubschlag technique set him apart every era ever since, from Kelly, Sr. and from many of his American sweep and Beresford to Ivanov and Spero to Van sculling contemporaries who were Blom and McKibbon. increasingly embracing Rosenberg-inspired Dietz: “I do remember „everyone‟ mutant Kernschlag Modern Orthodoxy. telling me that I was way too violent in my sculling, but having read and studied In 1967, after he won the Junior World Fairbairn, Adam and Klavora and having Championship in the single, Jim won the talked at length with Rosenberg, I always Pan Am Games in the double with Jim felt that I had good feel for the water. Storm.6835 He rowed four years for British “I could feel the acceleration and got Schubschlag Thames Waterman‟s coach excited by it.”6833 Ernie Arlett at Northeastern University in Not surprisingly, Jim Dietz‟s force Boston.6836 Back in the single, he came fifth curve is a near-perfect parabola. at the 1972 Olympics, second at the 1974 World Championships, first in the 1975 Pan Ams and third in the 1979 Pan Ams. In 1983, he came second in the Pan Am double with Californian Curtis Fleming.6837 He was still competing in 1984, losing in the U.S. Single Trials and then in the Double and Quad Trials with Tiff Wood,6838 to be discussed shortly. Gregg Stone Gregg Stone along with Tiff Wood are remembered as exemplifying a significant Author segment of American rowing and sculling in the post-Parker/Rosenberg era. Both were Jim Dietz converted New England prep school and Near-perfect parabola Harry Parker-trained Harvard sweep rowers. A quick look at Stone‟s technique seems Unlike the 1972 Vesper/Union Olympic to disclose Modern Orthodox hybrid- coxless-four and their coach, Dietrich 6834 concurrent body mechanics and explosive Rose, who carefully analyzed and segmented mutant Kernschlag force slavishly and self-consciously copied GDR application, but the truth was much more technique, Jim Dietz seemed to row on pure nuanced. talent and enthusiasm, but intellectually, intuitively and subconsciously as well, he 6835 See Chapter 87. 6836 See Chapter 116. 6833 Dietz, personal correspondence, 2006 6837 See Chapter 142. 6834 See Chapter 122. 6838 See Chapter 140. 1918 THE ERA OF POLARIZATION Robert Gregg Stone III is the son of “I guess there still is some mystery to Bob Stone, captain and 4-man of the Eastern rowing.”6844 and Western Sprint Champion 1947 Harvard crew.6839 Gregg had been bow-seat and Tiff After he graduated from Harvard in had been 6 on the 1972 Thames Cup 1975, Stone‟s determination and strength of Champion Harvard Freshman crew that will helped him become America‟s top included four future National Team single sculler from 1977 through 1979. members,6840 but it seemed that all the Stone: “In regards to rowing style, I attention in those days went to Dick Cashin consider myself practical as opposed to and Al Shealy, who were destined to doctrinaire. Obviously I was influenced by become World Champions just two years the rowing at Harvard. As you have noted, later as Harvard juniors.6841 Perhaps that some elements of the Harvard Style in our encouraged both Stone and Wood to try that era reflected Al Shealy‟s rowing style and much harder for their own share of rowing later that of Rosenberg, who reinforced what glory. In the years after graduation, both Al‟s father had taught him.6845 eventually turned to single sculling after “After graduation, I was loosely frustrating experiences with National Sweep coached by Ernie Arlett, the first U.S. Selection Camps. Men‟s Sculling Coach. Ernie was less Stone: “Tiff never made much headway interested in angles and application – at at the National Camps despite being a great Northeastern he had coached Jim Dietz and seat racer, and I wasn‟t even invited in 1974. Cal Coffey,6846 two contrasting styles – and Small wonder! I was in the Harvard Jayvee. more in watermanship. This meant a clean “After that summer, Al Rosenberg had finish, blades square until well out, pretty much made up his mind on the moderately fast away, control of the slide program to build to Montréal [in 1976], and and a catch with fingers, not with arms or it didn‟t include Tiff.”6842 shoulders (or back). The Rude and Smooth Harvard crews 6843 Larry Klecatsky of this era were known for incredible aggressiveness when it came to technique, Stone: “In the fall of „76, I was training and racing, and no one had a more beginning law school and needed rowing for competitive attitude than Gregg Stone. an outlet. Sy Cromwell6847 encouraged me Stone: “I was not an extraordinary to emulate Larry Klecatsky, the champion athlete. I love athletics and competition, but lightweight single sculler.