The Rudderless Pair

In 1967, Lyle Gatley was challenged by a friend: if he could survive two months’ rigorous training, he bet, Gatley could become an Olympic contender in the sport of rowing. At six foot five, he perhaps had the right stature, but was nonetheless a complete novice when it came to the sport.Nevertheless, he accepted his friend’s dare and joined the University of British Columbia’s rowing program.

Gatley not only managed to survive these first two months but—astonishingly—very quickly did go on to become an Olympic contender for men’s pair rowing. Alongside his rowing shell partner, Jack Ulinder, an even more recent newcomer to the sport than himself, Gatley would earn a spot at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, rising above all those in their UBC cohort on the strength of less than a year’s worth of training.

In this compelling and inspiring memoir, Gatley chronicles his and Ullinder’s meteoric rise to the Olympic stage, retelling the story of his recruitment into the sport and his evolution from amateur to accomplished oarsman. He candidly recounts the challenge of being a novice in highstakes competition with those with years’ worth of experience, detailing the intensive training it demanded of him. Emphasizing the value of hard work, hope, and resolve in the face of unlikely odds, his story is sure to inspire athletes with Olympic aspirations—and anyone else who harbours dreams that feel beyond their reach.