..history..

personal experiences
by Jim Wilson

I joined GT Crew in fall 1990, when Jim Cooper was coach. Jim had this lightening bolt tattoo on the inside of his forearm - presumably from his surfing days. A real character. He was the one who taught me my first stroke and my permanence in 2 Seat. He'd pile us all into the Eddie Montalvo -the God-knows-how-old wooden eight ("floating leg-press"). The Montalvo was named after a GT Crew member who rowed in the first men's fours and stroked the National Team Lightweight 8+. I think Eddie was a Cuban guy who could take that last power ten/twenty in a race at a rate of 50. They did pretty well at Vails. Even in the Montalvo, Miguel Maldonado still needed a power sander to grind down his quads so he could clear his hands on the recovery. 

Jim Melchiors rowed in six seat. Jimmy and I bickered in the boat a lot. He seemed to be able to channel the Force through his mind to the point of being able to tell that the set for the entire eight was screwed up beyond belief due to my personal hand levels in 2 Seat. One day he mouthed off about the set while Cooper was circling the boat in his launch, and I got so mad I tried to climb over 3 Seat to beat his ass. It was pretty funny to look back on, and we became fast friends later. great memory. Always wondered what ever happened to that guy. 

Norm Vickers came to us from 'Doook' Crew the following year. He was a terrific coach- he brought solidarity, team spirit, technique and capability, and just plain fun. He was a wiry guy who loved rowing singles. never forget at one party some of my boatmates thought it'd be fun to try and de-pant him in front of everyone. Well, five guys (including Betz) were unable to do it, and he picked up Dave Penn by his ankle-with one hand-and held him above the linoleum floor. Yeow. Norm was a great guy, and we missed him terribly when he left. 

Norm's novices (Betz, Woodard, Doss, Flowers, etc.) infused the crew with new life. We wound up renting out one of the townhouses across the street from the crew house, which became a big time party house. A beautiful house that we wasted no time in trashing.  

I loved GT Crew, and it definitely changed my life. I think it was actually the reason I was able to get myself together enough to go to med school. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't see the water rush by the boat, hear the oars roll in the oar locks, and feel the power of the boat. Crew stimulated a lot of creative energy.

. In the end, it was about my friends and the awesome people I met while rowing. When I left Georgia Tech and returned to Cincinnati, I tried to get back into the experience with Xavier Crew and with my high school program, Cincinnati Country Day Crew (yes, the same school mentioned by name in the movie "Traffic"- for which they are now being sued). But, it just wasn't the same. It was about your friends. I hope you're having the same terrific experience.