World Rowing e-Magazine, Summer 2006

Solo together:
the men’s single
Solo à plusieurs:
le skiff masculin

The audio to Co Rentmeester’s documentary, The Perfect Stroke, profiling Dutch single sculling, does not use rousing music or wordy dialogue or busy jumps from scene to scene. The music is simple, a lone piano, almost solemn.

There is something serious about being a single sculler. This decision to go solo is made with much due consideration.

Rentmeester’s audio explains, “Single scullers are a special breed, masochists, stubborn, against the establishment.”

Certainly Germany’s Marcel Hacker had to fight to earn his independence from the standard procedure of the German Federation. New Zealander Mahe Drysdale pushed against his country’s selectors to get out of rowing in the men’s four and get into the single.

Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic had to beat the Czechs’ greatest single sculler Vaclav Chalupa to earn his right to go solo. Similarly, Great Britain’s Alan Campbell had to prove himself at his country’s trials. Norway’s Olaf Tufte and Sweden’s Lassi Karonen had little choice, coming from nations with few elite rowers.

Tufte’s arrival as a single sculler came out of circumstances. When

his Olympic silver medal partner retired after the 2000 Olympics, Tufte was alone at the top of the Norwegian rowing hierarchy. A single was the only option. Still, Tufte loves the team aspect of the sport.

“In the single you still need to be part of the team. You need someone around, the coach, manager or general secretary, someone to push you through hard days. It’s hard to be good without a team,” says Tufte.

Coming from opposite sides of the world didn’t stop Drysdale and Campbell from training together. For the last two winters they have rowed out of the same British club. They have raced a double together and at times shared the same coach.

“We tend to kill each other on the water and in the gym and then be the best of friends off the water,” says Campbell who, during the season, trains with the British men’s team under the programme of head coach Juergen Grobler.

Current Olympic Champion Tufte goes on training camps together with this year’s Holland Beker winner, Lassi Karonen.

“We’re a good family now, much better than a few years ago,” says Tufte.

La bande son du documentaire de Co Rentmeester : The Perfect Stroke, (le parfait coup de rame) faisant le portait du skiff néerlandais ne fait pas appel à de la musique suggestive, à des dialogues bavards ou à une savante succession de scènes. La musique est simple, un piano solo, presque solennelle.