About the George Pocock Rowing Foundation
The George Pocock Rowing Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serves as a community resource for the support and advancement of the sport of rowing in the Northwest.
Established in 1984 as a tribute to the late world-renowned shell-builder George Y. Pocock, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation is active in objectively promoting an awareness of rowing in the Northwest through the development of new rowing programs, providing rowing opportunities for at risk children and adults in the community, and sponsoring men and women training for the U.S. National Rowing Team.
Governed by a Board of Directors drawn from the community of rowers, the Foundation is a unifying force as well as a forum for new ideas.
Location
We are located at Seattle's Pocock Rowing Center
3320 Fuhrman Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98102
Who was George Pocock?
Born in England in 1891, George Pocock learned the art of boat-building from his father, the boat-builder at Eton College. He began sculling at the age of 12, and won his first race at 15. In 1910, he won the London Bridge-to-Chelsea race, a grueling four-and-one-half mile event open only to professional watermen – a race his brother Dick had won the year before.
In 1911, George and Dick Pocock relocated to British Columbia, where, after a series of odd jobs, they were commissioned to build two single shells for the Vancouver Rowing Club. Word of their skills spread quickly. In 1912, Hiram Conibear, coach of the rowing team at the University of Washington, persuaded the two brothers to move to Seattle, to build boats for the UW crew. By 1913 they had made Seattle their home.
Soon their shells were making the Pocock name famous by winning races, and by the early 1920s orders were coming in from all of the major colleges where rowing was practiced. Although Dick had moved on, George continued to operate the business, and frequently acted as an unofficial assistant coach and advisor to the UW crew. In 1936, the UW eight won Olympic gold in Berlin in a Pocock shell. When American crews in Pocock boats won again in 1948 and 1952, boat-builders the world over began copying his designs and techniques. Yet he remained modest about his contributions, saying that “there are no fast boats, only fast crews.”
George Pocock was an early proponent of high school rowing programs, and kept his prices low so that high schools could afford his boats. Although plastics and composites began replacing wood in the 1960s, the Pocock boats remained the “gold standard.” By 1970, George had handed off most of the boat-building operation to his son Stan, although he maintained an active interest. At his death in Seattle in 1976, it could fairly be said that no other person had had a greater influence on American rowing.
In 1999, the Seattle Times prepared a list of the top 100 figures in Seattle sports during the Twentieth Century. George Pocock was number thirteen. Below is an excerpt from the Seattle Times article:
His influence turned Seattle into a center for rowing, and as UW rowers became coaches elsewhere, his shells – and his philosophy – spread…Through his leadership, rowing has become the sport for all ages as a singular or group activity. The blending of rowing and life – in his words: “Harmony, balance, rhythm. There you have it. That’s what life is all about.”
|
