The Wonder Crew: The Untold Story of a Coach, Navy Rowing, and Olympic Immortality [Hardcover]

Susan Saint Sing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2008

THE WONDER CREW is the fascinating story of how the salty coach of the Annapolis crew team, Coach Richard Glendon, seized the sport of rowing first from the Ivy League schools and then the imposing British with a new style both uniquely American and very much his own. He took a group of young midshipmen with humble origins and dominated a sport once the domain of the privileged.

After stunning the Ivy Leagues in race after race, the US Naval Academy team won a shot at the Olympics. Their task was nearly impossible: for hundreds of years, the British Navy ruled the world and their supremacy of the seas naturally made them dominant in the sport of rowing. With the hopes of a nation, Navy went into the heart of Europe and in thrilling fashion defeated the heavily favored Brits to win the gold medal in 1920. With Glendon's new American style, the US won Gold for forty straight years, the longest winning streak in any single sport in Olympic history.

Rich in history, with brave characters, American ingenuity, and dramatic training and competition, THE WONDER CREW is the first comprehensive account of the 1920 Olympic Navy crew team and their inspirational coach who forged the dramatic story of their quest for Olympic gold.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you don’t know what happened during the 1920 Olympics on a Belgian canal—or even if you do—let The Wonder Crew transport you there.  Susan Saint Sing will guide you expertly on a true journey from imitation to innovation, from individuality into teamwork, from war toward peace.” —Dorothy Ours, author of MAN ‘O WAR: A Legend Like Lightning

"Olympic rowing has a long and illustrious history.  THE WONDER CREW is the intriguing story of the 1920 Olympic Games and a battle between the Royal Navy of the British Empire and the US Navy contested through the sport of rowing. Come down to the dock and watch as this great regatta unfolds!" —Anita DeFrantz, member of the International Olympic Committee and first African American woman to win a medal in rowing

"This is a rare, good book for it succeeds in its appeal to those who love competitive, athletic history that is well written.  The victory of the Wonder Crew is arguably the greatest 'upset' of the early twentieth century.  The story is tantalizing - it's a darn good read." —Prof. John Lucas, Olympic Historian

"A wonderful historical account of the great 1920 US Olympic Eight. How appropriate that this Naval Academy Crew started the longest winning streak in Olympic History. Our 2008 Men's Eight will read this book on the way to Beijing." —Mike Teti, 2008 US Olympic Rowing Coach

“You don’t have to love rowing—or even know anything about it—to be captivated by this amazing account of Navy’s 1920 crew.  Like Chariots of Fire, Miracle on Ice and Seabiscuit, The Wonder Crew has all the ingredients of a great sports story—courage, commitment, and the triumph of underdogs who believed in themselves.”—Knight Kiplinger, editor in chief, The Kiplinger Letter.

About the Author

SUSAN SAINT SING, has both competed in and coached rowing at the college and national level, and is an authority on rowing history.  She was a member of the 1993 US World Rowing Team and lives in Stuart, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312367031
• ISBN-13: 978-0312367039
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Olympic Games

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For hard core rowing historians only, January 4, 2009

By 

L. B. Lavery "uncultured hack" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wonder Crew: The Untold Story of a Coach, Navy Rowing, and Olympic Immortality (Hardcover)

I'm a bit of a rowing geek, so I enjoyed this book. The background on rowing at the start of the 20th century, and the tradition of Navy crew and the Glendon family, inform anyone interested in the history of US rowing. The facts are quite well researched and interesting.

The writing disappointed me. Ms. Saint Sing tries too hard to make nearly every subtopic epic and amazing. Her language is often superlative without any real support in context or description for the superlatives. It's a good story, but I prefer rowing narrative that is more understated and lets the reader come up with his or her own emotions and conclusions.

For some examples of that kind of narrative, David Halberstam's The Amateurs is widely acclaimed and my favorite rowing book. Dan Boyne's historical works, including The Red Rose Crew and Kelly: A Father, A Son, An American Quest, are very fine works as well. Boyne conveys subtle points of rowing culture as well as broader points of social history without the grand overstatement of Saint Sing.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Wonder Crew," Great Read, December 23, 2008

By 

Michael Sipkoski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wonder Crew: The Untold Story of a Coach, Navy Rowing, and Olympic Immortality (Hardcover)

The Wonder Crew magnificently covers the story of the coach and crew of the US Navy Academy in the early 20th century, their commitment to perfection in the art of rowing, and their pursuit of excellence in the 1920 Olympics where they upset the old order. The book is masterful and the story affirms how coaches, teachers, mentors often have an impact far beyond their immediate sphere.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a MUST!, July 25, 2008

By 

Louis J. Bodo (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wonder Crew: The Untold Story of a Coach, Navy Rowing, and Olympic Immortality (Hardcover)

The Wonder Crew is simply put--a great read. It is well written, historically interesting, and brings together politics, sports, WWI and WWII. The Golden Age of Sports is at its best in Saint Sing's masterfully written book. Rowers will love it and anyone just looking for something new and different will like it too!