No crabs for medal eight

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 60

No crabs for medal eight

From TIM DUNBAR at Lake Karapiro

e New Zealand’s Munich t Olympic gold medallist eight s had service they never enjoyed during their active rowing days when they got 7 together again during the 1 rest day of the world charn- ' pionships at Lake Karapiro c yesterday. ’ Members of the famous 1 1972 crew, twice winners of the New Zealand “Sports- > man of the Year” award, came from all parts of the • country for yesterday’s row! • and, of course, to watch the ' championship finals over the 1 week-end. i The only defector was the : bowman, Gary Robertson, • who was unable to make the ! trip up from Oamaru. Tom Reid, coach of the New Zeai land coxless four and a former international himself, I filled in capably. , After a 1000 m or so . “burst” down the buoyed course — with rowing the coxswain, Simon Dickie, described as “neat and tidy” —- . the eight pulled into the bank in front of the new water sports centre. ; Demands were made for : liquid refreshment and nine cans (bearing the image of that eight) were brought out on a tray and dispensed to the crew members, who were wearing black singlets again. “It’s a good job rowing isi a recreation,” said Athol Earl, the powerful Avon man in the No. 3 seat. “I wouldn’t want to do it for a living.” Next to him in the No. 2p seat was his former clubmate, Trevor Coker, who 1 recently returned from a ti o-year teaching stint at Shrewsbury College. Coker, now aged 29, went to Eng-!, land from Montreal, where!' he won a bronze medal with! 1 the 1976 eight. It “There’s nothing like it.; It’s a good feeling,” said! Coker as he reflected onL yesterday’s row. Dickie was the centre of I ( controversy two years ago 11 when he returned, over-1 i weight, from the rowing wil- s derness to cox the Montreal!

eight. It appears, though,; that a second return from retirement for Moscow, in 1980 is not a possibility for the double Olympic gold' medallist. “Absolutely not,” said! Dickie, a four operator at I Taupo with a reportedly! thriving business. “Business; takes up too much of my| time.” ne admitted, thougn,j that the old urge to steer a| crew had been sparked off! i again by the reunion. “Sure, I’d love io be sit- < ting in the back of a boat but you can only be there so < long and I think I was there ; long enough.” i Dickie, aged 27, claimed that “to some extent” the <

eight could still lay claim to being the best in the world. “The basic speed that the boat had is still there. They could get it going pretty quickly again without 100 much trouble at all.” Of that 1972 crew — Tony Hurt, Wybo Veldman, Dick Joyce, John Hunter, Lindsay

, i Wilson, Earl, Coker and i j Robertson — Hurt and Wili son were the only ones row- ' ing actively last season. I;Both won “Red Coats” at :the nationals in March. Tomorrow at 3.55 p.m. the 11978 eight, stroked by a redJheaded Hamilton youngster, Mark James, will try to reIpeat those deeds of six (years ago. | No New Zealand eight (competed in the world; I championships at Amsterdam last year and in the previous years — at Lucerne (1974), Nottingham (1975) and Montreal — bronze medals were the crews’ lot. I This time going one better!

I up to a silver is a definite ■ possibility for Harry Mahon’s crew. Most supporters — seemingly more pesl simistic when an inter-| national event is held on; their own doorstep — are I talking, at best, in terms of! a second place. East Germany has already; recorded smin 40s in train- i ing on this course and i should win but New Zea-! Hand, short on competition is improving with every race and must have at least a 35 per cent chance of winning. . Bulgaria and West Germany will be the other crews to , watch, with Australia more ( than useful, too.