It was a long shot, but Al Ulbrickson, the head rowing coach at the University of Washington, was aiming at the 1936 Olympics. After years of defeat, he was determined to see his boys win the gold. And with that goal in mind, it was Ulbrickson's job to find the perfect crew.
For many of the boys who ultimately rowed in Ulbrickson's famous boat, the Olympics were a dream they never dared dream. These were boys from poor upbringings; boys from small logging towns around Puget Sound. Times were rough for most Americans during the 1930s, but particularly for young men such as these -- young men whose only choice was to work at hard labor to be able to pay for school.
But once they started tasting victory, they, too, dreamed as did Ulbrickson. And so they rowed their hearts out. Hours upon hours and days upon days in weather so cold icicles clung to their oars, these boys rowed. Over time, their crew came to rely completely on each other. They were the boys in the boat. And together, they could obtain their wildest dreams -- and Ulbrickson's.
***This book was amazing. It is not one I would have picked up on my own. But as it was a selection for the Book Club I joined this year, I read it. And I am so glad I did! I could not put it down. Reading about the harsh circumstances of the United States in the 1930s as well as some of the individual stories of the boys in the boat, along with the interweaving of the preparations of Nazi Germany, my eyes were opened and my heart touched. I learned a great deal. And the most amazing thing is the endurance of the human spirit -- the determination to continue on. A wonderful read I would recommend to anyone.
