This model represents a bit of a nostalgia trip. A couple of months ago I watched the movie The Boys in the Boat on Amazon Prime. It’s the story of the University of Washington eight-oar crew that won the Gold Medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. I was attracted to it because I spent seven years at UW in the 1960’s; hence the nostalgia. Both my sister, Sherry Gillham, and my friend, Bill Anderson, told me that the book by Daniel James Brown was much better than the film, so I read the book, and they were right.
The winning boat, called the
Husky Clipper after the UW husky mascot dog, was built by George Pocock in the
loft of the ASUW Shell House. It weighed about 300 pounds (136 kilos) was 62 ft
(18.9 M) long and the hull was two feet (0.61 M) wide. The nine-man crew (eight
rowers and the coxswain) were all working class boys who, during the depression,
had to work hard to stay at the University. Their coach was Al Ulbrickson, a
former UW crew member himself.
Note: Hitler, who watched the
Olympic race, was furious with the result and huffed out of the bleachers when
the Gold Medal winner was anounced.
#The_Boys_in_the_Boat
#Husky_Clipper #University_of Washington #crew #racing #Blender #Cycles
