Thank You, Harry

Coaching in the rain, October 2011
The above photo is a screenshot from an as yet unpublished short film I've been planning to edit for some time. It comes from a cold, rainy morning in Boston, following the Head Of The Charles in 2011, when Harry Parker and Bill Manning were gracious enough to allow me to ride in the launch during their training sessions. A rain drop obscures the crew in the middle ground, just in front of the port pontoon of the launch.

In many ways, this image speaks volumes about the man, and the legend. Already battling illness, Parker was unflinching and, to my eye, seemingly completely unaffected by the cold temperatures and wet weather. Not only that, but the joy that he took in coaching and helping athletes to refine and perfect their craft was, as ever, evident, even on a slow, steady state day recovering from the excitement of the previous weekend.

I didn't know Harry Parker well. In fact, I hesitate even to say that I knew him. I might have been someone whom he recognized from an interview here and there, or interactions around the racecourse, but in actual fact, we were acquaintances at best. However, as a rower having taken up the sport in the United States, I find it's impossible to feel like you didn't know him. Equally impossible for those of us stateside, and even abroad, is to grasp the idea that he'll no longer be in that launch, guiding yet another outstanding Harvard crew to victory in the coming season, and those thereafter.

The reasons for this are many. As Ed Hewitt of row2k outlined in a well-written remembrance of Harry, Parker's influence was, and continues to be, absolutely everywhere in the sport. It seems impossible that he is gone because he was so clearly a legend in his own time—and, for that reason, in many ways, he lives forever. Having lost loved ones, I know it may be little comfort in these sad times, but in the days, weeks, and years to come, I hope that his family and everyone in the rowing community can take joy in just how well Harry lived, and in how well he is remembered, celebrated, and loved—how much he remains a daily presence in the hearts and minds of all those who take up an oar in Boston, the United States, and the world over.

He was a man who accomplished so much in our sport—no doubt there will be books published on him—but, perhaps more importantly, he was a man who knew that you have to live with everything you've got.

Not two days before he passed away, Parker was in his launch on the Charles. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

-Bryan

Trending posts this month

"I Row Crew" — Rowing in 'The Social Network'

Image
Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b
Read more

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? At Marin Rowing Association, Culture is Key

Image
Hands in after training  My alarm goes off—it’s 4:22am.  It’s been a while since I did this. Immediately, I think back to a college dorm room, rolling out of bed and running down the steps to carpool caravan to Marina Del Rey.  Not this time, though. It’s a Tuesday in late September, and I’m heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Greenbrae, California, where I’ll meet with the Marin Rowing Men’s Masters squad. Fortunately, it’s an unusually warm morning—and when I roll in, the boathouse is already buzzing with activity.  Launch time: 5:10. Heading out into the Bay before dawn The Marin Rowing Association program has both men’s and women’s masters boats competing to win at every event they attend. In the fall, that can only mean one thing: The Head Of The Charles .  The boat that Coach Rodrigo Rodrigues and I spend most of our time with is the Grand Masters eight—average age 60+. But that’s just one of five crews that launched with us that morning. Everyone’s up before 4:30am. So, wh
Read more

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

Image
The top 10 best rowing coaches, including guess who (Photo © Iain Weir / Rowing Photography ) It's time for the third and final part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. These coaches not only command respect based on performance, but have also shown the ability to adapt to new circumstances, build dynasties, and ultimately help shape the trajectory of rowing as a sport. Honestly, it would be easy to extend this series into 10 more posts... But we wouldn't do that to you. As we've said before, the hope is that the following may serve to educate and spark discussion, as both an appreciation of history and of the coaching craft. Also note: As we stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, there are few women in this list, but that is a reflection of a general underrepresentation of women in the head coaching ranks in our sport—and indeed (as has been well documented ) a growing number of NCAA sports in the United States.
Read more

Video Of The Week: Holland Beker 2013

Image
This week's video comes to us from the Bosbaan, where the 2013 Holland Beker saw truly elite, international competition over the weekend. Perhaps the most outstanding racing came in the women's single, where the A Final closely mirrored a world championship or Olympic final in recent years—the lineup included two-time Olympic champ Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, Kim Crow of Australia, New Zealand's Emma Twigg , reigning Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, another two-time Olympic champion (albeit in the women's eight) in Eleanor Logan , and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist (also in the eight) Chantal Achterberg of Holland.  As it turned out, the final was a wire-to-wire victory for Kim Crow, who looks to be on top form and may be the athlete to beat in this event for the foreseeable future, holding off both Karsten and Twigg in the closing stretch, with Knapkova finishing fourth. Elle Logan had another solid race in a great field, finishing just ove
Read more

So, are Naked Rowing Calendars a Thing Now?

Image
Warwick rowers are all in again this year (Photo courtesy of Warwick Boat Club)  The phenomenon started four years ago with the Warwick Rowing men's squad. Then, the following year, the Warwick women's team joined the fray. Now, Newcastle University's men and women are back on the naked calendar train. So, the question is, have rowing and naked calendars become a thing? The above video features the 2014-2015 Warwick women's squad—the third edition of the calendar , and, from the looks of it, the raciest. However, perhaps not so racy as that of the 2014-2015 Warwick men (see below). But raciness aside, all four of these teams have chosen worthy charities and have gone "the full monty" to make sure that those causes have received considerable contributions. The Warwick women contribute to Macmillan Cancer Support —a cause for which Warwick reports it has donated some £5,000. The Warwick men? Sport Allies —a charity that combats homophobia in spor
Read more