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Originally Posted by Ralph3.
Having just read the book for a second time I found that the film strayed quite a bit from the actual story. Joe Rantz started rowing at UW in 1933 not 1936, the JV boat didn't go straight to the Olympics in one season, Mr Rantz didn't live in a abandoned car in Hooverville etc, etc.
The actual story is so remarkable, the movie doesn't do it justice. If you liked the movie, you will love the book.
George Pocok is quite interresting in his own right, there is a great book about his life also.
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Thanks for letting me know how good the book is, just ordered. I knew the movie couldn't be true to life. Having coached, it would be impossible for a novice boat to win nearly any race let alone go to the Olympics.
That said, my women's open 4 did go to Poughkeepsie one year which is a division 1 and 2 race. Brandeis Crew was an unfunded club sport division 3 three school, coaches did so for free. The 4 only had 2 "open" women, the other two were lightweights. In fact both of them were mistakenly told to go to the coxswain meeting before the race.
Like the Boys in the Boat, they raced their hearts out, and rowed beautifully, and took 13th nationally in an old Vespoli. One of the proudest moments in my life.
I loved coaching women, they are all about technique and learning how to row. Men just want to pull hard.
We still had 1960s wooden Pococks for novice crew when I left. Beautiful but extremely heavy boats compared to the modern glass and carbon fiber boats of the 80s. I can't imagine what boat technology is like today.