The Red Rose Crew : A True Story of Women, Winning, and the Water

Rating:
Summary: The Red Rose Crew
Review: A microcosm of the teeming early 70s with women busting into all the male bastions. Aside from some inaccuracies there were interesting aspects mentioned in the Red Rose Crew that didn't get developed like when the 8 was split into two 4s one consistently outrowed the other. Why? The winning 4 had bigger rowers but was that it? Was one four in sync more than the other?

Uneven coverage of the rowers' points of view. We find out when Carie Graves made contact with God and a rundown of her boyfriends while others in the boat get "also ran" status, an occasional mention of something funny they once said or even though this one was cut from this team she made the 76 Olympic team. That's a lot of agony and determination. The book had to end and everything couldn't be included...

The level of hard work, skill and determination in winning seats in the boat was conveyed. They really did work harder. And then they turned into Moms.

Lively descriptions of England, the race in England and preparation for it. Reading about Harry Parker working with the team convinces one that he is an extraordinary coach so why invoke his credentials about 4 times? Gail Cromwell comes off as cool-headed, strategic and effective--the perfect person for moving the agenda. There is some squeamishness about lesbians which is passed off as how it was in those times. The shirtless Yale action on the Athletic Director was succinctly covered. The Yale action and Gail Pierson's opera date with Sy Cromwell made the newspapers back then so it's fun to read the skinny now.

There is some discussion of East German steroid use.

Very interesting coverage of why Carie Graves was stroke and Anne Warner's coming to understanding of that and why one coxswain was chosen over the others and how a small rower made the team.

One more niggling detail. Until the next year's pending '76 Olympics were mentioned it was hard to figure out exactly which year was being talked about.

The update at the end is considerate since it's easy to get intrigued with the rowers.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: As a twenty something female athlete, it's hard for me to imagine a time when sports weren't as available for girls and women as they are today. I've always been given athletic opportunity and have been fortunate never to feel marginalized because of my unavoidable female status. Boyne's new book, "The Red Rose Crew" tells of a much different time when few women rowed, much less were given serious opportunities to compete. His story, which is really the story of a strong group of women and their male coaches who believed in them, is informative, thoughtful, insightful, honest and well-told. You don't need to be a rowing afficianado to get into this book. Rather, you simply need to be ready for a good story and to be left with feeling like you want go out and pick up an oar, even if you've never been in a boat before.

Boyne's male perspective may, at first, make some (female) readers skeptical about his ability to make sense of an experience that hinges on the main players being female and everyone else--those getting in their way--being male. But Boyne's sensitivity to the experiences of these athletes and his sincere interest and love of the sport helps to create an honest narrative that I think few would be able to recreate, male or female. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to take a break from fiction and who has even a remote interest in the world of amateur sport.

Rating:
Summary: The Red Rose Crew
Review: Being a female rower, especially an older one, has many challenges... and rewards. Something I've learned about from personal experience. They're difficult to communicate with those who aren't involved with the sport (the risk of terminal boredom being very high) but form an incredible bond with those who are. This book, on the experiences of the pioneers of women's rowing in the 70's, tells it like it is, and makes it fascinating. Dan Boyne has recreated the whole experience of these women, and it's an experience that is, fortunately or unfortunately, not so far from the present day. It's an impressive addition to the tiny canon of rowing-lit, and even more importantly to the growing canon of books about women athletes and competitors, and what it takes to be in the game. A riveting read.

Rating:
Summary: The Red Rose Crew
Review: Being a female rower, especially an older one, has many challenges... and rewards. Something I've learned about from personal experience. They're difficult to communicate with those who aren't involved with the sport (the risk of terminal boredom being very high) but form an incredible bond with those who are. This book, on the experiences of the pioneers of women's rowing in the 70's, tells it like it is, and makes it fascinating. Dan Boyne has recreated the whole experience of these women, and it's an experience that is, fortunately or unfortunately, not so far from the present day. It's an impressive addition to the tiny canon of rowing-lit, and even more importantly to the growing canon of books about women athletes and competitors, and what it takes to be in the game. A riveting read.

Rating:
Summary: A Welcome Work, but...
Review: Books on rowing are rare these days so it is good to see a fine account of a boat being made and coming together. All the more so as The Red Rose Crew chronicles the early days of women's rowing.

Overall, this is a fine and enjoyable read, but Boyne is in need of an editor. Most of the errors are minor, but aggravating in a book written by someone on rowing about rowing. For example, "Henley Royal Regatta" is "Henley Royal Regatta" not Royal Henley Regatta. "Quadra-scull" is an unfamiliar term. "Quadruple scull" or "quad scull" or "quad" are the common terms. At one point Boyne mixes up boat categries when talking about sweep rowing and sculling.

Alas, these are unfortunate and unnecessary distractions in what is otherwise a fine book about rowing.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Christmas gift for rowers
Review: I just finished reading Boyne's latest book, the Red Rose Crew. It's fantastic. Boyne's lively and engaging style is perfect for this kind of history. Red Rose Crew is both informative and inspiring. I've been rowing for 10 years now, and I've recommended Red Rose Crew to everyone in my rowing club.Boyne's book is sure to motivate rowers of all ages and skill levels. Boyne's account of the 1975 Nationals, his description of that wonderful and anxious feeling all rowers have at the start line, made me hunger for the Spring season. As others have said, Red Rose crew is the best book on rowing since the Amateurs! If you haven't read Boyne's sculling book, it's also a must.

Rating:
Summary: The Tabula Rasa of US Women's Rowing
Review: If Odysseus could have read Daniel J.Boyne's book `The Red Rose Crew" he would have had no reason to be tied to the mast to cox his ear-waxed crew through the Sirenum Scopuli unscathed. The Sirens would have gladly faced their un-timely end with the knowledge that women's rowing had a champion who took the time and effort to chronical a arduous voyage that will be remembered as the break though of woman's competitive rowing in the United States. In a time when story telling has been all but lost as a media to impart history or knowledge, a well-credentialed Daniel Boyne has wove a rich tapestry of facts, protocol, commentary, technical knowledge and colorful antidotes into a narrative that are easily remembered and re-called. Every sport has its legends; Babe Ruth, Billie Jean King, Pele', the utterance of each name conjures a vivid image of the particular athlete's prowess and character. US women's rowing has Ernestine Bayer, Carie Graves, Gail Pierson, and Harry Parker just to mention a few of the people Daniel J.Boyne has profiled as the "Who's Who" of US women's rowing. One of the many pearls of rowing information the author relates is how a good crew has the characteristics of a good baseball team. Rowers spend many hours debating the age-old rower's question of whether power, or technique is more important or why coaches' conduct seat races. Mr. Boyne's account of how the `The Red Rose Crew" was formulated is a wealth of information for any rower or coach looking for the literal and figurative gut wrenching answers. Rowers and coaches who have, or will have to weather the trials and travail of choosing and rowing into the seats of a boat will relate to the myriad of variables and anguish and elation. US Rowing is fortunate that Daniel J.Boyne has taken the time and energy to share his knowledge and insight of where US Women's rowing has been and the inevitable heights that it destined to rise.

John Wall, Ancient Mariner Berkshire County, USA 6/10/01

Rating:
Summary: The Tabula Rasa of US Women's Rowing
Review: If Odysseus could have read Daniel J.Boyne's book 'The Red Rose Crew" he would have had no reason to be tied to the mast to cox his ear-waxed crew through the Sirenum Scopuli unscathed. The Sirens would have gladly faced their un-timely end with the knowledge that women's rowing had a champion who took the time and effort to chronical a arduous voyage that will be remembered as the break though of woman's competitive rowing in the United States. In a time when story telling has been all but lost as a media to impart history or knowledge, a well-credentialed Daniel Boyne has wove a rich tapestry of facts, protocol, commentary, technical knowledge and colorful antidotes into a narrative that are easily remembered and re-called. Every sport has its legends; Babe Ruth, Billie Jean King, Pele', the utterance of each name conjures a vivid image of the particular athlete's prowess and character. US women's rowing has Ernestine Bayer, Carie Graves, Gail Pierson, and Harry Parker just to mention a few of the people Daniel J.Boyne has profiled as the "Who's Who" of US women's rowing. One of the many pearls of rowing information the author relates is how a good crew has the characteristics of a good baseball team. Rowers spend many hours debating the age-old rower's question of whether power, or technique is more important or why coaches' conduct seat races. Mr. Boyne's account of how the 'The Red Rose Crew" was formulated is a wealth of information for any rower or coach looking for the literal and figurative gut wrenching answers. Rowers and coaches who have, or will have to weather the trials and travail of choosing and rowing into the seats of a boat will relate to the myriad of variables and anguish and elation. US Rowing is fortunate that Daniel J.Boyne has taken the time and energy to share his knowledge and insight of where US Women's rowing has been and the inevitable heights that it destined to rise.

John Wall, Ancient Mariner Berkshire County, USA 6/10/01

Rating:
Summary: Good -- could be better
Review: Make no mistake: this is a good book. The story of the first women's national team rowing camp is worth reading, especially in a time when rowing is playing larger role in women's sports. If you're a rower, or if you're interested in the history of women's sports, you'll find something here. I am both. However, I do not think this book is deftly written. You can find better writing about rowing in the essays on various rowing web pages.

If you like David Halberstam's writing style, you'll like this book. At times, the structure and Boyne's writing is so similar to Halberstam's in "The Amateurs" that I wondered if Boyne was trying to parody him. I do not like Halberstam's writing. I find it overwrought, full of hyperbole and excessive, misplaced detail. Boyne's is no different. He is clearly trying to write a book about Great Women (and Men) Doing Great Things in the Face of Adversity. Perhaps this is the essence of competition. But for me, at least, rowing is both more nuanced and more simple than that.

Until recently, there have been very few non-technical books about rowing. A reader could tell which were written by competitive rowers and which weren't. Rowers knew what they were writing about. Boyne has been coaching and rowing for years, and he recently wrote a very good book on rowing technique that managed to side-step contentious issues of rowing style. I was surprised, therefore, to find him saying things that weren't wrong, but weren't quite accurate, either. For example, he insists on referring to sculling boats as "sculls". This is common, but strictly speaking is not correct. "Sculls" are the oars for these boats, not the boats themselves. The boat is a "shell". It would be like referring to a car as "wheels" (which people do), and then insisting on saying "I got into my wheels to drive to the store". Typically, rowers refer to sculling boats by the number of people they hold. A "single" holds one rower, "double" two, etc. (In a deliciously literary inaccuracy, eight-person sculling boats are sometimes called "octopedes" rather than "octuples".) Rowers call a four-person sculling boat a "quad", which I have always understood to mean "quadruple", as in "quadruple sculling boat" or "quadruple shell". Boyne refers to these as "quadrasculls", a term I have never heard. These examples are minor, but if you're going to use jargon, use the right jargon.

His inaccuracies aren't limited to row-speak. In what appears to be an effort to sound learned, he occasionally subtly misuses terms. (Note to aspiring authors: "nonplussed" does not mean "unimpressed".) While many good authors do this for literary effect, my impression is that Boyne is trying too hard to speechify. This tendency lends to the overall amateurish (in both senses) and heavy-handedness of the book.

Again, this is a great story, and in the ever-churning controversy over Title IX, one that is still germane. I recommend the book. But I was disappointed in the telling of the story.

Rating:
Summary: When Harry met...the Red Rose Crew
Review: Team rowing is an activity that tests individual limits in a group setting like no other sport. Unfortunately for the public vision of rowing, the same need for uniformity of action that drives a championship boat, and the relative linearity of the contest, combine to preclude the heroics of the team rower from being displayed, understood or enjoyed in as entertaining a manner as the feats of athletes in other sports. As a result, rowing, the first modern sport and the best known team sport in America in the midst of the 19th century, is today largely marginalized in the public eye, and those who move the long boats are rarely seen on the great stage of public sport.

Dan Boyne has rendered a tremendous service to rowing and to sport history by taking a subject that attracts so little attention on today's popular entertainment menu, and writing an enthralling tale of achievement that brings honor to the author and his subject.

The eight is the capital boat of the sport, and the challenge for Harry Parker's nascent U.S. women's team was daunting - to compete against European squads with greater depth, experience, organization and support, while at the same time creating its own place within an often hostile and unconvinced US rowing community. Boyne moves deftly betwen the stories of the parts and the whole, bringing focus to selected individuals and putting others into context to complete the picture. He chronicles the progress of the team as pages fall inexorably from the season's calendar, building his pace and pressure with each decision that establishes the crew's makeup. At the end, the story surges down the course to its dramatic and satisfying finish, and Dan Boyne has produced a tremendous saga well told, and an invaluable contribution to the too small corpus of rowing history. More, please!