Born into rowing - Stan Pocock

A chance meeting with Pocock two months before he died offered me the opportunity to interview Pocock at his retirement home in Seattle, United States. The town his immigrant father and uncle – George and Dick – had established Pocock Racing Shells over 100 years ago.

Aged 91, Pocock met me in a meeting room, right on time, alone and ready to talk. He walked in slightly hunched but even at his age, Pocock’s tallness was obvious and he had that certain ‘build’ you’d expect in a rower. His presence was calm and confident and he spoke clearly and eloquently as he told me his story – A story that he must have told many, many times. A story that is recorded in Pocock’s autobiography. This is Pocock’s story.

“George and Dick Pocock (my father and his brother) immigrated from England in 1911 and settled in Vancouver, BC (Canada). They thought they’d get rich and go back (to England) and race in the Doggett’s Coat and Badge.

“They got odd jobs because they had no boat orders. One job George got was in a woodworking shop. One day he was using an electric saw and cut off two fingers and he thought that he wouldn’t be able to row again. The brothers did build a single and George kept exercising and sculling. One day he was spotted while sculling and he was asked if he’d build a boat for the Vancouver Rowing Club. 

“So George and Dick built three singles; One for themselves and two for the Rowing Club. They got paid $100 each. They were all built by hand. After that they began to get a few orders.

“One day UW came to Vancouver to race. (UW) coach Hiram Conibear had heard about the Pococks and he asked them to come to Seattle and build boats for UW. Ultimately they did come to Seattle. Conibear had promised them an order of 12 boats.

“George was then approached by Mr Boeing who was setting up a business in making airplanes and he was proposing to build a float plane. Boeing needed someone to build the floats. Mr Boeing came to the UW rowing shop and was impressed by the work. He offered George a job.

“George wanted to join the draft (for World War I), but because he didn’t have two fingers he was deferred. Dick was deferred too because he was too tall (195cm tall) and no uniform fit.

“The new rowing coach at UW asked George if he would build boats again for UW. So George left Boeing as he really wanted to build boats. He was back in the boat house with no heat, no electricity and it was snowing.  George was sure he’d made the mistake of his life by leaving Boeing.

“Then UW started winning rowing Pocock boats and then everyone wanted a Pocock boat. George got very busy.

“My Dad met my Mom, Francis and they married in 1922. I was born in 1923.

“I was born into rowing. In the birth announcement in the newspaper it said, ‘the proud parents hope that his baby will grow big and strong and row for the University of Washington crew.’

“Dad made me a boat when I was 12. A wherry. He never taught me how to scull. His philosophy was that you should try everything and see what you take to naturally. I did take to it naturally. I was a pretty tall kid, so it was a full-sized boat and I really liked it. By the time I got out of high school I was sure the was what my life would be – a boat builder.

“Before university I rowed for fun. There were no rowing clubs in Seattle, I’d just go out by myself. My dad finally let me go out in a racing single. I remember falling in the water and I didn’t know how to get back in the boat so I took the boat to shore. He didn’t tell me off.

“I rowed for two years at UW.” Then World War II, came and with it the draft.

“I got into the Navy, fortunately because they had a training programme to create a group of young men that could possibly serve as officers. I had to take an exam. I passed and was then sent back to UW for the training programme. One of the people in charge of the Navy programme convinced the commandant at UW to have a crew (rowing) programme. We needed physical training as part of the programme, so crew fitted.

“We had a couple of races but nothing serious as there was virtually no rowing going on during this time (World War II).

“I then coached the UW freshmen and I also coached lightweight rowing. The head coach, Al Ulbrickson had asked if I’d coach lightweights when I graduated. I said ‘no’ because I thought coaches were gods. But I talked to my dad and he said, ‘give it a try.’

“I coached the freshmen for five years and then quit because I thought I was going to be a boat builder, because that’s what I’d been learning about.

“I did keep coaching, helping a crew prepare for the 1959 Pan Am Games and then the 1960 Olympic Games. Then I focused on boat building, but kept on coaching. I couldn’t help it.

“I still kept rowing for two reasons; 1. To let crews see me sculling, to see the technique. 2. To know how it felt physically when sculling because then I could tell crews what it felt like. Seeing is not the same as feeling. You have to feel it.

“As a coach I worked on developing great confidence that I was a good teacher and they (the athletes) would go into any race with confidence. I always insisted before a race that a crew should row very hard to get the blood pumping.”

After Stan Pocock retired from boat building, there was no family member to carry on the business. Pocock Racing Shells is now run by Bill Titus. “I told Bill to put his own name on (the boats). But he said ‘no, I owe so much to your father and to you that I’ll never take it off.’ I’m very proud that the name is there. Bill’s son, John has stepped in now. I think it will succeed.”

“To me rowing was a sport the way it ought to be. A friend once said to me, ‘in rowing no-one’s trying to break your leg.'”

Melissa Bray