?A lifetime dream realized? is how Peter Cipollone, the coxswain for the men?s eight team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, describes the historic victory that ended a 40-year Olympic medal drought for the United States men?s rowing team.
Cipollone, who retired in 2004 after 10 years on the national team, was recently elected chairman of the board for USA Rowing. As chairman, he plans to lead discussions and make decisions to ensure that the United States program is properly constructed and financed so that athletes who choose to dedicate their lives to rowing have every opportunity to be successful.
In a recent interview, Cipollone spoke about strategies to expand rowing in America, including an initiative called America Rows, which focuses on young people in communities that have not traditionally been served by rowing. It exposes young people to rowing while teaching teamwork and discipline, and provides collegiate opportunities and scholarships.
After their 2000 Olympic collapse, when they were the prohibitive favorite, the men came into Athens feeling good but were ?at best a dark horse,? Cipollone said. They were confident with their fast times at home but had not done much international racing that year.
?We were having fun, and it?s something you can?t underestimate when you?re at the Olympics,? Cipollone said. ?If everybody is loose and relaxed and having a good time, that has a profound effect on your ability to perform on race day.?
Having shattered the world record by almost three seconds in the preliminary race leading up to the final, Cipollone said: ?If you had asked me to write the story of how it goes, it went better than anything I would ever dared write or dream of. We got away from everybody so early and so quickly that it became the dream race. And when that boat crossed the finish line first, it felt like the greatest thing that?s ever happened.?
Source: http://feeds1.nytimes.com/~r/nyt/rss/Sports/~3/78G4d6T9nKQ/
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