|
|
4.0étoiles sur 5
Lessons beneath the politics of sport, Déc 5 2001
I am puzzled that this book seems to have been taken out of circulation sometime in the last two years. It is now impossible to find it in any bookstore, and virtually impossible to find a new copy for sale anywhere online. I feel fortunate that I had bought my copy before the publishers froze their presses. Perhaps, it is deemed too sensitive in the Boat Race world to merit further propagation.The book is written from the viewpoint of the Oxford Boat Club coach, Dan Topolski, who's had to deal with the tumultuous mutiny staged by the American rowers on his crew. His only ally was the club president, Donald MacDonald. The book paints the Americans as villains and prima donnas who could neither adapt to nor accept the harsh training practices and traditions of the Oxford Boat Club. Obviously, this book is highly partisan in its viewpoint, and has the agenda of attributing blame and responsibility for the mutiny amongst the American rowers, most of whom are still living and active in the rowing world. Beneath the politics and the purpose of the book, however, it is still a worthwhile read. Topolski and his co-writer Robinson, do not write with a light trivial style. Topolski takes his statements seriously, substantiating them with systematic arguments that appeal by turns to logic, common sense, and the rugged traditions of elite rowing. He explains the psychology of rowing, of pain, of excellence, of teamwork, of self-sacrifice, with a passion and detailed understanding that can be quite exhilarating to read. When I was still active as a rower, I liked to underline key phrases in his book which I found to be extraordinarily motivating. Unlike "Assault on Lake Casitas" which is a macho book about a macho rower overcoming the odds, the prose of "True Blue" is very deliberate, very British, slightly ironic, sometimes moralistic, shorn of excessive testosterone, but always impactful. The Topolski-Robinson team is quite a remarkable marriage of sports wisdom/passion and writing sophistication. I am sorry that the book is now almost extinct. I have a feeling that the American rowers indicted in the story may have rallied against it -- it is obviously biased but it is also quite convincing, making a devastating case against the American oarsmen. I do not know if the dispute is settled with any consensus in the rowing world, or whether the rowing world is still divided about whether the Americans were the cause of the unhappiness and scandal in the Blue boat. Apart from the political ramifications of the book and the agenda it advances, I have plenty of praise for its insights into the spirit of sport and rowing.
|
