The Boys In The Boat: College Rowing Legends

The Boys in the Boat is a 2023 biographical sports drama film directed by George Clooney, based on the University of Washington's rowing team's journey to winning a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The film is based on the 2013 book of the same name by Daniel James Brown, which recounts the struggles and sacrifices made by the rowing team, including Joe Rantz, who attended the university partly funded by his ability to row for the school's crew team.

The University of Washington rowing team's journey to the Olympics

The University of Washington rowing team has a rich history of success, with alumni competing in the Olympics as early as 1936. The team's journey to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and their gold medal win is immortalised in Daniel James Brown's book, "The Boys in the Boat", and its film adaptation.

The book and film centre around Joe Rantz, a member of the 1936 rowing team who endured a challenging upbringing. Rantz's family abandoned him as a teenager, leaving him to fend for himself. Despite these difficulties, Rantz excelled as a rower at the University of Washington, where he and his teammates overcame adversity during the Great Depression to represent the United States at the Olympics.

The University of Washington's rowing team first began in 1901 with support from the local business community. In 1907, Hiram Conibear was hired as the Husky crew coach, and he developed the distinctive "Washington stroke" technique. Conibear's successor, Al Ulbrickson, further refined the team's approach, emphasising a laid-back style for most of the race, followed by a final explosive sprint.

The 1936 varsity men's crew built on this foundation, innovating with a synergy of physics and physiology, system and opportunism, craft and skill. They were also aided by the state-of-the-art training facility and racing shells designed by George Pocock, a master builder who adapted his designs to use red cedar, creating light and strong boats.

The University of Washington's rowing team faced tough competition at the 1936 Olympics, going up against elite schools on the East Coast and the highly favoured British boats from Oxford and Cambridge. However, their gold medal victory in Berlin put the university and the city of Seattle on the map. The team's success also carried broader significance, as it provided a source of positive unity for Americans during the Great Depression and served as a counterpoint to Nazi Germany's propaganda efforts.

Since their inaugural win in 1936, the University of Washington's rowing programme has continued to thrive, with alumni representing various nations at the Olympics and earning medals. The university's rowing teams have become one of the best in the world, attracting top student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Joe Rantz's challenging upbringing and life before joining the team

Joe Rantz had a challenging and traumatic childhood. His mother died when he was three or four, and his father soon remarried. Joe's stepmother treated him abusively, and when he was ten, she exiled him from the family home, not wanting him to live with her biological children and share their limited resources. For over a year, Joe slept in a one-room schoolhouse and foraged for food by fishing, hunting, and working odd jobs.

Eventually, Joe's father insisted that he be allowed to return to the family home, but this was short-lived. When Joe was 15, he returned home from school to find his family packing up to move away. His father and stepmother abandoned him, leaving him to fend for himself. Joe was forced to provide for himself and put himself through school. He finished building a house, learned to play the banjo, and worked weekends driving draft horses. He also continued his education, working hard to make good grades.

Despite these challenges, Joe excelled academically, particularly in science and mathematics, and was involved in various extracurricular activities, including high school sports. It was during gymnastics practice that Joe was spotted by the University of Washington rowing coach, Al Ulbrickson, who was impressed by his strength and height. Joe was invited to try out for the crew team, and although he had no previous rowing experience, he was determined to better himself by going to college. He worked hard to save money and showed up at the boathouse hoping to earn a scholarship.

Joe's challenging upbringing and life before joining the team demonstrate his resilience, determination, and unwavering pursuit of a better life. He overcame abandonment, poverty, and deprivation to pursue an education and excel in sports, ultimately finding a family-like bond with his teammates.

The team's struggle for funding to get to the Olympics

The University of Washington rowing team's journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics was riddled with financial challenges. The team members, including Joe Rantz, came from lower-middle-class families and often struggled to earn their way through school during the Great Depression.

Rantz, who was abandoned by his family as a teenager, relied on soup kitchens for meals and lived in a shelter while attending the university. The other rowers were in a similar financial situation, being the sons of loggers, dairy farmers, and fishermen. For many of them, remaining on the rowing team was a way to stay in school. As long as they were part of the team, the university would offer them part-time jobs.

The Great Depression was a significant factor in the rowers' financial struggles. Their families had a hard time making a living, and the students struggled to secure enough money to continue their education. The university also faced financial challenges, as it had to invest heavily in building the necessary facilities and infrastructure to support the team's journey to the Olympics.

Despite the financial obstacles, the University of Washington rowing team persevered and ultimately achieved a remarkable victory, winning the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Their success brought them national fame and helped put Seattle on the map.

The team's training and Olympic journey in 1936

The University of Washington rowing team's journey to the 1936 Olympics was not an easy one. The team was made up of nine working-class young men, who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers. They overcame tremendous hardships—psychological, physical, and economic—to beat the Ivy League teams of the East Coast and Adolf Hitler's elite German rowers.

The team's training was grueling, with long daily practices, punishing workouts, and countless time trials. The coach, Al Ulbrickson, was a hard man who was not communicative and was referred to as the "Dour Dane" by sportswriters. Ulbrickson fueled months of battle between his rowers, pitting the sophomores against the upperclassmen. This created a toxic environment in the boathouse, with shoving matches and hurt feelings.

However, Ulbrickson ultimately named the sophomores, including Joe Rantz, as the top varsity crew. They went on to win the Pacific Coast Regatta, but Ulbrickson still had doubts and continued to test them relentlessly in practice. Just before the national championship, he reversed his decision and elevated the upperclassmen to the top boat, demoting the sophomores. This caused the sophomores to become demoralized and lose confidence.

Despite these setbacks, the team came together and, with the help of boat builder and advisor George Pocock, developed the "swing" or synchronicity that is essential to a successful rowing team. They went on to win the national championship and secure their spot as the American representatives at the Olympics.

The Olympic race was held on August 14, 1936, in Berlin, Germany. The Americans faced intimidating opponents, including the Germans, who were heavily favored, and the Italians, a group of longshoremen who had been together as a team for over ten years. In addition, the Americans had been mysteriously assigned a poor lane in the windiest part of the racecourse.

The American team got off to a horrible start, thrashing in the water and falling behind the other crews. However, their stroke, Don Hume, suddenly popped his head up and started rowing beautifully, and the boat exploded forward. Within a thousand meters, they had started to move back up on the field. In the end, they won the gold medal, beating Italy and Germany.

The University of Washington rowing team's journey to the 1936 Olympics was one of determination, hard work, and perseverance. They overcame adversity and united as a team to achieve their ultimate goal of Olympic gold.

The role of rowing in 1930s popular culture

The 1936 Olympics in Berlin saw the University of Washington's rowing team win gold in the men's eight category. The team's journey to the Olympics and their win against Italy and Germany inspired the 2013 book and 2024 film "The Boys in the Boat". The book, written by Daniel James Brown, and the film, directed by George Clooney, portray the challenges faced by these young men as they trained for the Olympics and went to school during the Great Depression.

Rowing in its modern form developed in England in the 1700s, and the sport has a rich history and a wide following. It is considered part of the cultural identity of the English-speaking world. In the 1930s, rowing was a popular sport, with millions following the action on the radio. The sport's popularity can be seen in the numerous rowing competitions, called regattas, that took place during this time. The races attracted large crowds and were often wagered on. The oldest surviving race, Doggett's Coat and Badge, was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually.

The 1930s also saw the continuation of the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities, which first took place in 1829. Additionally, the sport gained traction in the United States, with the formation of the first American college rowing club at Yale University in 1843. The Harvard-Yale Regatta is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the US, contested annually since 1852, except during major wars.

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