..history..
our first couple of years
from the eyes of Chris PerrasFor the first 6 months of the club I stroked the men's four until we found our true stroke and the boat seats were settled. Eddie Montalvo (stroke), Jeff Kemp, myself, and Jeff Lukens (bow). Our coxswain changed from race to race, as did the boat we used in races.
If I remember correctly our first actual race together was the Mardi Gras Regatta in New Orleans in 1987. The four of us (and our coxswain - a girl I remember only as Jen) drove to Mobile, Alabama in Eddie's convertible Volkswagen in a rainstorm with the roof duct-taped shut. A tornado blew through New Orleans in the morning and the regatta went on "as-planned". We couldn't find the boat that had been promised to us, had to scramble to find a replacement boat (a wooden Pocock I think), and made the finals. Where, being coxed by my now wife Kim Kruger, Jeff Lukens jumped a track at the start and we rowed the entire race with 3 rowers (such for us knowing the rules). But the time we had, the way the swing felt in the heats, and the fun we had at the Hootoo Guru concert that night convince us that our goal was Dad Vails.
Our workouts moved to 4-6 days a week on the river and running stadiums when we couldn't row. Up at 4:30am, 30 minutes to the river, row for 1-1.5 hours, commute back to school which took 45 minutes to an hour, class, workout in the afternoon.
Along the way to Dad Vails we "perfected" the "flying Cuban start" (Eddie Montalvo), won the Augusta Regatta, and broke the cardinal rule of never dating the coxswain (Avril Baker). We spent spring break in Miami rowing on Biscayne Bay and I still remember Debbie's or Kim's truck breaking down on the Florida turnpike very late at night and "hotwiring" the accelerator pedal with string tied to the engine. During that time, I think we only canceled one practice for "excessive" partying. The smell of bourbon being sweat from one of the oarsman isn't a pretty smell.
We made the finals at the Dad Vails (30-46 boats, can't remember) and finished 6th as we ran out of gas in our normally strong 3rd 500m piece. In 1988 Jeff Kemp and I decided not to try to cut weight to lightweight and decided to row an open, coxless pair (Debbie's converted double, so it was really a coxless, rudderless pair)! We trained together and at times had some of the best swing I've ever felt. We went to Dad Vails in the pair, qualified for the finals, and finished just short of a medal in 4th place (to our nemesis FIT). Had we had a rudder I have no doubt that we would have finished second or third given we rowed an extra 100-200mm due to our erratic course. I still remember rowing with Jeff back to the boathouse knowing that it was my last row in college and feeling like something was already missing.
I rowed at Harvard Business School from 1991-93, but the feeling was completely different by then. The commute to the boathouse. a mere 2-minute jog across the bridge. Fundraising.? You've got to be kidding.this is HBS. Team.? Whoever was free to row after class.
Writing this has got me thinking and wanting to catch up with some of the best guys I spent time with in college. Thanks Eddie, Jeff K., and Jeff L. Most of all thanks Debbie, for without you I am absolutely convinced there would never have been a GaTech Crew.