07 Dec 2011
Awarded for the love of rowing; Chuter and Postiglione
By Melissa Bray
Receiving the 2006 Distinguished Service to International Rowing award, Chuter was introduced by long-time friend, colleague and mentor, Thor Nilsen. In classic Nilsen frankness he summed up their relationship.
“We have been fighting all of these years,” said Nilsen acknowledging Chuter’s tenacity in pushing her viewpoint. “She gets right down to the bottom of the problems and many of the things I have got the glory for, she has done the work.”
Chuter began her involvement in rowing as a competitor in 1950s England. She faced the world where women in sport were few, women rowed 1000 metres, the World Championships had only just begun for women and it was kept separate from the men.
After retiring as a competitive rower Chuter moved on to become a Physical Education teacher, but was drawn back into the sport as a coach when Great Britain created their first women’s squad. She would later become men’s head coach. Chuter also served on FISAs women’s commission and,most recently, the competitive commission.
Buoyed by her own experiences, Chuter was instrumental in changing the women’s racing distance to 2000 metres, brining in an un-coxed quad for women and pushing for racing fairness at FISA regattas.In praising Chuter for her contribution, FISA President Denis Oswald said, “Sometimes we didn’t always agree with Penny and there’d be a fight, but it was always for the best of the athlete.”Chuter pushed for what she believed was best for the sport, “Because I love rowing and I want it to always move forward.”
Postiglione, looking genuinely surprised on receiving the award and commented in an interview with Franco Morabito after the dinner, “I imagined the award would go to one of the other two (Adrian David, AUS and Tom Terhaar, USA) whom I know well and who both deserved to win.”
Originally from Italy, Postiglione spent nearly 20 years coaching for his country before becoming involved in coaching in a number of countries. Currently he bases himself in Greece.
“The top team has about 30 members plus juniors. Polymeros and Biskitzi (Vaselios and Chrysi) are coastguards, all the others are students. The group comes together periodically at the Federation’s two centres, one at Johannina and the other at Schinias.”
“A good feeling has developed between the team and me. I must say that rather than them adapting to me, it was me who tried to adapt to them, especially keeping in mind their need to study as well.”
Results for Greece since Postiglione joined the team include a World Champion title in 2005 (Polymeros in the lightweight men’s single) and two under 23 silvers. This year Greece took gold and two silvers at the under 23 level and bronze at the World Rowing Championships (lightweight women’s double with Biskitzi and Tsiavou).
Before Greece Postiglione’s coaching highlights include a seven year gold medal winning spree by the Italian lightweight men’s eight (1985 – 1991) and having three boats for Spain qualify for the 2004 Olympics with women’s single sculler, Dominguez Asensio Nuria making the final.
Coaching in a variety of countries (Italy, Spain, Japan and Greece) has handed Postiglione his greatest challenges but also his biggest satisfactions.
“To be able to find the strength and the stimulus necessary to start again from scratch,” has given Postiglione his greatest satisfaction. “It had already happened to me with Spain, now the same has happened with Greece.”
And where to next? “I love rowing and where I find people who love rowing. This is my place. What makes us coaches is that we like doing it for the rowers.”
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