PDS graduate in U.S. boat at Olympics
By: Justin Feil
Having grown up in Princeton, home for one of three national training centers, it would have seem almost natural for Michael Ferry to be interested in rowing.
"It was pretty funny," the 26-year-old said. "I used to drive over the bridges and I’d see the rowers. My father rowed in high school in Philadelphia, too, but I never did. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe I didn’t start rowing earlier. I even used to mow the lawn for a family that hosted rowers and they always said I should row."
Instead, Ferry, who was a lanky 6-foot-5 then, stayed busy with football and lacrosse while attending Princeton Day School. It was an injury in the preseason of his senior year of Panther football that led him to rowing, which he began while a freshman at Bates College.
"I broke my knee," he said. "That was one of the reasons I looked at rowing. The doctor advised me not to do anything violent. It sounded kind of appealing, and it was a good way to stay in shape. It sounded like something I’d want to do."
Now carrying a solidified 215 pounds on that tall frame, Ferry leaves Sunday for Sydney, Australia, where he will represent the United States in the double sculls with partner Henry Nuzum (two rowers with two oars apiece) when the 2000 Olympic Games begin Sept. 15. Double sculls heat racing begins Sept. 17, and though his parents will be on hand to watch, few others in the area would know of Ferry’s status as a national team member.
"I don’t know think anybody at PDS knows about it," Ferry said. "I don’t know if they would believe it. I was a late bloomer athletically."
And Ferry has blossomed in a short time. He rowed all four years at Bates in a sport that only got varsity status after he graduated in 1997. Just because it had club status didn’t make it any less intense.
"We still trained year-round and competed in races in the fall and spring," Ferry said. "It was basically like a varsity sport. We had a coach and it was a really dedicated group of kids. We trained very hard.
"I never imagined that I’d go on after (graduating from Bates). After graduation, I thought I’d try it for the summer. I got a job offer when I moved to Augusta to train, and it just worked out that I kept rowing. It’s pretty much been my main occupation."
Ferry finished first in both the eight and the four at the 1997 FISA International Regatta, finished 12th in the quadruple sculls at the 1999 FISA World Championships and was a spare on the 1998 U.S. National Team. Two weeks before the Olympic Rowing Trials that were held in June on the Cooper River in Camden, Ferry paired up with Nuzum, a Harvard graduate.
"It feels better now just because we’ve had the time together," said Ferry. The two have been living out of suitcases for almost half the year – training in Augusta, Ga., Philadelphia, in Europe, in Arizona and then at their current ARCO training location in San Diego. Three-a-day workouts ended last week for the two rowers, and they will further taper while increasing intensity shortly after arriving in Sydney as they look to peak just in time for the Olympic races.
"Since we’ve gotten back to the States, we’ve really focused on better technique and trying to make every stroke good. Some of the changes are starting to feel like the norm. In the smaller boats, it’s more technique-intensive. Little mistakes can slow you down more. But the trick is to get the technique down and be able to crank on it."
Still, Ferry understands that he and Nuzum will be underdogs. They’ve raced the other boats that will be there and feel they’ll be much improved by Sydney.
"Right now we’re focusing on getting into the ‘A’ final which will have six boats," Ferry said. "The ‘A’ final will give us a shot at a medal. It will be tough. There won’t be any surprises. The same boats that were the top six at the Lucerne Cup (an international championship event) – Slovania, Germany, Norway, France and Hungary – will be there.
"All the boats in the finals of worlds last year, most have been together for the whole quadrennial. But we have a lot of enthusiasm and think we have more room to improve than them. Those guys have to hold on to what they have. I think it’s easier to be the underdog. We don’t even feel that much pressure because people aren’t treating us seriously."
Win or lose, it’s something special just to be a part of the U.S. National Team, particularly in an Olympic year.
"Every year is different," Ferry noted. "You make the national team one year and then it’s open again to everyone the next year. It’s really exciting being on this year’s team. It’s been so focused on Sydney. I haven’t thought too much about what I’ll do after that. It’s definitely been really fun so far."
Ferry is a national team rower on a boat headed to the Olympic Games. With his Princeton roots, even he can’t believe it took him so long to get into the sport. But with what he’s accomplished so far and where he’ll be in a month, the Princeton resident is glad he finally did get into rowing, a sport he was surrounded by growing up.