Olympic gold medalist Bill Becklean (left) and Bowdoinham Library Director Kate Cutko at an event about literature and the sport of rowing. Maria Skillings / The Times Record
Members of Bowdoinham’s Loose Ladies Book Club said they enjoyed their June reading material, “Boys in the Boat,” so much that they teamed up with the Bowdoinham Public Library and the Bowdoinham Rowing club to host an Olympic gold medalist to regal them with stories of the sport.
Bill Becklean, 86, won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, as the coxswain of his rowing crew. He said his career in rowing began in high school and he was later recruited by the Yale rowing team.
The coxswain of the boat is responsible for steering, “barking orders at the crew” and keeping track of their pace. Becklean joked it was his “loud mouth” that got him the job.
He became emotional talking about his rowing journey as he recounted the lifelong friendships, high points, low points and everything in between. Decades after winning the gold, Becklean continues to pass on his rowing skills to younger generations. For the past 15 years, he has been coaching high school rowing in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Becklean said. “Rowing changes the lives of these boys. It makes them stronger.”
The New York Times best-seller “Boys in the Boat,” written by Daniel James Brown, tells the true story of the American rowing team that won gold at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany.
Bill Becklean shares the ins and outs of rowing and the emotional journey that led to winning the Olympic gold medal. Maria Skillings / The Times Record
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