There was a time when people walking into a baseball stadium would hear vendors yelling, "Ya can't tell the players without a score card."
It's unlikely that anyone who heard that would think for a second that it could apply to rowing. Especially not in the internet age. But in the case of the Green family from Rhode Island and their extended family, that would certainly be the case, particularly when it came to this weekend's Head of the Charles Regatta.
Before the weekend was over, seven members of the family, spanning three generations, rowed the three-mile course, most in singles, two in eights, and they all took turns standing on the banks and bridges cheering each other on.
Sunday morning most of the family assembled in Boston was on the Elliot Bridge to watch the youngest of the clan entered to race, 17-year-old Dylan, row in the youth single.
Not on the bridge was Dylan's dad, Allen, a former US Olympian, and the guy that got the whole thing going (sort of, but more on that in a minute). Allan was on a bike riding down the course watching the race and yelling encouragement.
Now to the story of who got the family going. Break out the scorecard here:
According to Allan's dad, 82-year-old Dick, it began when his wife Barbara came home one afternoon when Allan was a teenager, spending a summer day on the couch in their Barrington, Rhode Island home.
Not one to let an idle boy remain idle, she informed her son to go down to the Narraganset Boat Club, where she had signed him up for the youth crew program.
But for Allan to row at Narraganset, his parents had to join as well. "We had to join the boat club in order for him to row," Dick said. "So, we joined. And then we thought, what the heck, since we're members of the boat club, we might as well learn how to row."
And they did.
Allan was followed into the sport by brother Ken, and the entire family became hooked on the sport. Both Allan and Ken did stints on various national teams, and then met and married national team rowers and started families.
Allan's family lives in Minnesota and rows for a small club there near Minneapolis named the 612endurance Racing. Brother Ken and his family live in Massachusetts, and row at Cambridge Boat Club. Dick and Barbara continue to row for Narraganset.
Once a year, a bunch of them put in entries and meet in Boston.
"We all put in entries and whoever gets in, gets in," said Dick.
For the record, Dick and Barbara, 79, a seven time Charles winner, rowed the senior veterans single Saturday.
"It's great fun, and we absolutely all love the sport."
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10/22/2019 9:00:49 AM