VOLUME 13, NO. 2     NOVEMBER 2000

Floyd and crew do the Charles

Ploss (inset) and, from left, Dixon, Michel, Popinchalk and Usher

F. David Ploss '70, WPI's longtime crew team coach and mentor, is not one to pass up a golden opportunity. Take, for example, back in September 1999, when he was passing the time of day with Rowing Director Larry Noble at the boathouse on Lake Quinsigamond. Out of the blue, Noble said, "Dave, one of our boats isn't going to row in the Head of the Charles Regatta this fall. Do you know of a team that could fill in?"

Almost before Noble finished his sentence, former coxswain "Floyd" Ploss was on the phone to his old crewmates Gregory Dickson '71, Douglas Michel '71, Paul Popinchalk '71 and Donald Usher '71, who had rowed in the 1969 regatta. "Want to row in The Charles again?" he asked. To a man, they did.

Of course, they wouldn't be able to practice together because they lived too far apart. Nonetheless, they were excited to have the opportunity as mature men to go up against college-age teams in such a prestigious event. "Our goal was modest," says Usher. "We didn't want to finish last. We didn't want to embarrass ourselves. But realistically, we had to consider the fact that we hadn't been in a boat together since our 25th WPI Reunion!"

Usher says that when he told his wife, Annie, about his decision to row in The Charles, her heartening response was "Well, don't hurt yourself." Popinchalk says that his wife, Nancy (Wood) Popinchalk '73, reminded him of his "advanced state of maturity" and the importance of doing some training. Thus "encouraged," Usher, Popinchalk and the rest of the crew got together in Boston in late October to take part once again in the granddaddy of all U.S. regattas.

The Head of the Charles Regatta, the world's largest two-day rowing event, was first held in October 1965. Today more than 5,400 athletes from around the world compete in 19 different race events, which are managed by members of the Cambridge Boat Club and hundreds of volunteers. The races begin at the Boston University Boathouse and finish three miles later at Artesani Park, which is between the Northeastern Boathouse and Eliot Bridge. Along the way, the boats have to negotiate a number of tough turns.

Mindful that some 300,000 spectators and a series of tricky maneuvers lay ahead, Dickson, Michel, Popinchalk and Usher stepped into their boat for the first time and shoved off. "The weather was great," says Ploss, who served as unofficial coach for the impromptu team. "A typical fall day. Perfect for rowing." Evidently perfect enough to help the rowers bring their old skills to the fore as they sped along the twisting course. "We met our goal," Usher says of the outcome. "We didn't come in last. Five other boats came in after we did."

What about the future? "We are looking forward to taking a boat out on Lake Quinsigamond during our 30th Reunion in 2001," Usher replies. They might even train. "But not as hard as we did as undergraduates when Floyd was our cox," he says. "Floyd used to make us break the ice on the lake in order to get a head start on spring practice. At the time, his main goal in life was to get us to row so fast our heartbeats would jump to 200 times a minute!"

About the crew...

Gregory Dickson of Midland, Mich., is a process owner with Dow Chemical Company. His WPI crew experience was so positive he continues to maintain an active interest in the sport.

Douglas Michel of Block Island, R.I., is a self-employed building contractor. He was the first coach of the women's crew team, which was started in 1972 by Nancy (Wood) Popinchalk '73, Beth Poulin '73 and former student Sue Dawson.

Paul Popinchalk of West Hartford, Conn., is an energy engineering consultant. His son Seth '98 was captain of the rowing team when he was at WPI.

Donald Usher of Conyers, Ga., recently rejoined Babcock and Wilcox, the company he worked for immediately following graduation. He says, "Crew was a major influence on my personal and professional life."

Dave Ploss of Shrewsbury, Mass., is director of safety and health at Wyman-Gordon Co. A longtime crew supporter, he recently worked with dedicated crew alumni and the Friends of WPI Rowing to help raise the status of crew from a club to a varsity sport.

–Ruth S. Trask