​The Yale Men's Varsity Heavyweight and Lightweight Crews retained their number 1 spots in the USRowing Coaches Poll for week five, as did the Stanford Women's Lightweight Crew.  The top ten in each category are:

The USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Polls for week six have been released and the University of California, Barry University and Bates College retained the top spots in the Women's Team Rankings for Divisions I, II and III, respectively. Rounding out the top spots in each division are:

Division I 
   1.  University of California (Last week 1)
   2.  Brown University (2)
   3.  Ohio State University (3)
   4.  University of Virginia (4)
   5.  University of Washington (7)
   6.  Stanford University (5)
   7.  Yale University (6)
   8.  University of Texas (8)
   9.  Princeton University (9)
 10.  University of Michigan ((10)

Division II
   1.  Barry University (1)
   2.  University of Central Oklahoma (3)
   3.  Western Washington University (2)
   4.  Florida Institute of Technology (4)
   5.  Mercyhurst University (5)
   6.  Nova Southeastern University (6)
   7.  University of California, San Diego (8)
   8.  Humboldt State University (7)

Division III
   1.  Bates College (1)
   2.  Williams College (2)
   3.  Wellesley College (3)
   4.  Wesleyan University (4)
   5.  Ithaca College (6)
   6.  Trinity College (5)
   7.  Tufts University (7)
   8.  Colby College (9)
   9.  Worcester Polytechnic Institute (10)
​        University of Rochester (NR)

Taking the lead from Oprah, Andrew Luck, QB for the Indianapolis Colts, has launched an online book club, featuring selections for both 'Veterans' (adults) and 'Rookies' (children). The club will feature online discussion groups and Q&A forums. Books will be selected on an irregular schedule to fit into Luck's training and game schedule. The first Veteran's selection is none other than The Boys in the Boat , ​by Daniel James Brown.

​Good choice.

PBS's American Experience has announced that ​"The Boys of '36," a one-hour documentary based on the best-selling book, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, will premier on PBS on Tuesday, August 2, at 9:00 p.m., ET. 

The documentary will feature interviews with the book's author Daniel James Brown, historians and the surviving children of the 1936 University of Washington crew. The premier of the documentary coincides with the opening of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the 80th anniversary of the historic U.S. victory.

In celebration of the extraordinary accomplishments of the '36 American team, we've created the 'Spirit of '36' commemorative sweatshirt and tee. Elegant and understated in US Navy Blue on gray - it's quickly become our top seller. Grab yours while supplies last!

For the fourth straight week, the Yale University Heavyweight Eight maintained the top spot in the USRowing Coaches' Poll of the men's collegiate varsity eights. They are joined at number 1 in the lightweight category by the Yale Lightweight Eight; and on the women's side, Stanford University Lightweight Women's Eight holds the number one position. The top ten in each category are presented below.

Men's Varsity Eight
   1.  Yale University
   2.  University of Washington
   3.  Princeton University
   4.  University of California
   5.  Harvard University
   6.  Brown University
   7.  Boston University
   8.  Northeastern University
   9.  Cornell University
 10.  Dartmouth College

Lightweight Men's Varsity Eight
   1.  Yale University
   2.  Columbia University
         Princeton University
   4.  Cornell University
   5.  Harvard University
   6.  United States Naval Academy
   7.  University of Pennsylvania
   8.  University of Delaware
   9.  Dartmouth College
  10.  Georgetown University

Lightweight Women's Varsity Eight
   1.  Stanford University
   2.  Boston University
   3.  University of Wisconsin
   4.  Harvard-Radcliffe University
   5.  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
   6.  Princeton University
   7.  University of Tulsa
   8.  Georgetown University
   9.  Villanova University
  10. Bucknell University

The US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll for week 5 of the season has been released with the University of California Varsity Women's Eight claiming first place in Division I; Barry University for Division II; and Bates College in Division III. The following is a list of the top schools in each division.

Division I
   1.  University of California
   2.  Brown University
   3.  The Ohio State University
   4.  University of Virginia
   5.  Stanford University
   6.  Yale University
   7.  University of Washington
   8.  University of Texas
   9.  Princeton University
  10. University of Michigan

Division II
   1.  Barry University
   2.  Western Washington University
   3.  University of Central Oklahoma
   4.  Florida Institute of Technology
   5.  Mercyhurst University  
   6.  Nova Southeastern University
   7.  Humboldt State University
   8.  University of California San Diego

Division III
   1.  Bates College
   2.  Williams College
   3.  Wellesley College
   4.  Wesleyan University
   5.  Trinity College
   6.  Ithaca College
   7.  Tufts University
   8.  Rochester Institute of Technology
   9.  Colby College
 10.  Worcester Polytechnic Institute


   

​Before there was The Boys in the Boat, there was The Wonder Crew, the story of the 1930 Navy varsity eight that came out of nowhere and surprised the rowing world by defeating the storied Leander Boat Club of Great Britain, to win gold at the 1930 Olympics in Antwerp.  

This is the story of the Navy eight and their coach, Dick Glendon, who arrived at the Naval Academy in 1904, with the mission to remake the Navy crew into a national and international powerhouse. In doing so, Glendon revolutionized the sport. Upon his arrival at the Naval Academy, Glendon emphasized physical training on shore, acquiring American-made boats, and started looking for the perfect crew.  Glendon was an innovator. He designed a shell with a flatter hull to make the shells ride higher on the water and developed a regimen of off-water drills and conditioning exercises, all the while focusing on developing a uniquely American style of rowing.

Prior to his arrival at the Naval Academy, American intercollegiate rowing was, to a great extent, dominated by the crews fielded by the Ivy League. Gordon's mission was to break the Ivy League monopoly, and by 1920 had done just that, culminating in the role of the consummate underdog as it rowed against Great Britain for Olympic gold.  Underlying Gordon's quest for naval superiority, both literally and figuratively, was the chance to row against the world's standard - the Leander Boat Club, fielding a crew from the Royal Navy. The Naval Academy, represented the United States at the 1920 Olympic games, defeating Great Britain and the Royal Navy in winning the gold medal.

We have acquired several new copies of The Wonder Crew, and very lucky to also acquire a signed first edition! They are now available on the Rower's Bookshelf.

We have all heard the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words," and, it seems more often than not, the saying appears to hold true.* In The Rowing Life category of Musings, I hope to showcase pictures that speak for themselves, without the need for any comment. Although any comment regarding the first entry would appear to be superfluous, I must say that the name on the shell below is one of the best that I have seen in years. It exemplifies the lighter side of the sport. 

​​If you have any pictures from your rowing life that you would like to share, feel free to add them yourself in the comments of any Rowing Life post, or send them to us at contact@scullgear.com.

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​* Results based on a very scientific, completely non-random, non-scientific sample of six family members and friends, with a margin of error of +/- 100%.