Crackers gets the Pink Palace call-up

Published online Thursday 10th November 2005

A word of explanation:
"This is a weird one. Late this Tuesday I get a call from the Daily Telegraph (for whom I'm the rowing correspondent), saying James Cracknell, who writes first-person features for them, is about to do the Fours' Head. Will I talk to him and do a piece for Thursday's newspaper on it? Of course, no problem. I talk to James, who is half-excited, half-nervous at the idea of jumping back into a boat so suddenly for a big race, when the last time he held a sweep oar was rowing from the River and Rowing Museum to Leander Club before parties and bus tours to celebrate the Athens Olympic win.
Anyway, I start drafting the piece, and leave messages for Jurgen Grobler and Mark Banks to ask them which boat James will be in, as he doesn't even know. I finish it up, and send it to the paper, then get a call from Banksy to answer my questions, in which it emerges James may not be needed after all. As all rowers know, these things often fluctuate right up until the morning of the race. I call the desk to make some minor changes to clarify.
This morning, I discover that not only did my early draft and final version of the piece get confused at the Telegraph, but that the corrections about the fact that it may after all not happen, were missed in the online version at least.

So, here is Cracknell set for surprise comeback (in today's Daily Telegraph). There are quite a few bits the sub added, though a lot of it is mine. Yes, I know it isn't the Atlantic Yachting race - that's his bit.

And below, the intended final version of my piece, with some more of James' quotes, which it turns out they didn't receive.

The trouble is that despite a year away from rowing, the double Olympic gold medallist has not yet formally retired. He is also about to row the Atlantic with TV presenter Ben Fogle, so despite only a few sculling outings since the Athens final, he is definitely fair game. Hence the 'phone-call from British chief coach Jurgen Grobler. "He left me a message - 'I need your help, call me'", explained Cracknell. "I knew what he was up to so I left it until as late as possible, and I was right. It was the Fours' Head."

There's something about rowers which makes it hard for them to turn down such requests, but it will be no easy ride. Cracknell's talents may be needed in either the top quad (setting off first in the race) or one of Leander's elite fours. He probably won't find out which until the day of the race, and they're only going for a brief warm-up outing on Saturday morning. Using such a superstar sub stops the coaches having to reshuffle all the crews to cope with illness, but it puts a pressure on Cracknell not to give in half way. "I'm quite fit, but I've done no lactate (high intensity) work, and I can't afford to blow up", he said. Grobler was his usual reassuring self, commenting "don't worry, the stream will take you."

Cracknell has not been in a sweep-oar racing boat since the post-Athens celebrations. An indefatigable sportsman, he is hardly out of shape: he came 7th in the competitive men's 30-34 age-group at the London Triathlon this summer, and followed that up by breaking the record for hand-paddling a surfboard across the Channel in September. Then he announced his plan to partner Fogle in the latest Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race, which sets off from La Gomera on November 26th. If he races the Fours' Head scratch it will be a good warm-up for that, since he and Fogle have not yet had time to practise together in their ocean-going shell, and leave for the Canaries in just over a week. The Atlantic race has postponed questions of whether or not he will return to Olympic rowing, though perhaps a taste of the sport will encourage him.

"It is very flattering to be asked", said Cracknell yesterday, "although I did have tickets for the England-Australia match later. I'm still going, I may just have to do the race first."

Rachel Quarrell

Good luck Leander, whoever decides to race (or not). RQ."