ACOG - News - IBM

(25 July 1996; Day 5)

Good Luck Charms do the Job for USA Rowing Pair

Many athletes rely on good luck charms. The USA pair of Missy SCHWEN and Karen KRAFT are no different. The women's coxless pair each wear a pair of kangaroo earrings during the competitions, gold for SCHWEN, silver for KRAFT. And they seem to be working.

"Sitting at the start today we were given the 2-minute warning and I looked over and Karen's left earring was halfway out of her ear," explains SCHWEN. "I had to fix it for her." It was a good thing she did. Possibly thanks to that earring, the crew advanced to the finals on Saturday with their semifinal win.

"It is a relief for us to be in the finals," said SCHWEN. "During the first two races you row at a basic level. You race to progress. We are learning and getting better and now it is time to have fun."

"Every step we have taken on this journey has been right, going in the right direction," added KRAFT. "Racing in the Olympic final is just a natural progression of this process."

The journey has been an interesting one for SCHWEN and KRAFT, who were "thrown" together as alternates in Europe in 1994. The two finished second at the trials and decided to stay together. In an important step in their rowing career, the pair left the women's Chattanooga training site in September of 1995 to train with coach Dick GARRARD in Australia, a coach who specialized in small crews. The move was a good one for the pair, prompting the two to keep good luck charms from Australia, their kangaroo earrings.

SCHWEN and KRAFT are the favorites for the gold in the sweeps pair event. The twosome finished second to their nemesis Australia at the 1995 World Championships and captured first at the Lucerne Regatta in June. Beating the Australians and the French in the finals is the task at hand for the USA pair.

"We are going to stick to the plan and remain in control," said SCHWEN. "We are going to have our best race on Saturday."

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Lynne Bragg.


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The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.