Cougar Crew in Turkey

Journey to Istanbul

In 1988, Cougar Crew traveled to the University Sports Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, and rowed on the Bosphorus Strait.

Press clippings from Turkish newspapers showing the men's lightweight crew, as well as the women's lightweight four.

  • Clipping 1

  • Clipping 2

  • Clipping 3

Dave Arnold: The rowing was the least important part of the entire trip. It was mostly exhibitionistic, especially for the women, who were told not to embarrass their Turkish female competitors, who clearly had not rowed for long. The men raced a 500 meter sprint, which was longer than 500 meters, and a 3000 meter race, which was shorter than 3000 meters, and we lost both of them to the boat from Bogazici University, which we later found out was stacked with ringers from the Turkish National Team. But we were racing on the historic Golden Horn, so it’s wasn’t about winning as much as it was about the experience.

Race Day Recollections

Kent McCleary shares his memory of how race day went down, along with the surprising revelation of who made up the team's competition.

From Dave: After rowing, we were free to enter other events in the University Sports Festival in which we were participating (Sporbayrami ’88!). I ran the 3000 meters on an irregular dirt track that required us to run something like twenty laps. I won the race, tracking down and passing some dude in track spikes who had probably been smoking a cigarette before the start. He had gone out at sub-five-minute per mile pace and by the time I passed him on the last lap he was probably running ten-minute miles. But a win is a win, and I still have my certificate of victory, signed by the Head Rector, General Secretary, and the President of the Sports Board (Sport Kurulu Baskani) of Bogazici University.

3k meter race certificate, belonging to Dave Arnold

Practice on the Bosphorus

Kent McCleary recalls training on the Bosphorus and his role in dousing the rest of his boat!

The cover for the program pamphlet of the Boazici University Sports Festival, 1988.

Photos from Dave Arnold's return visit to Istanbul in the Fall of 1988, where he made use of the connections he'd made during the race.

  • Dave meets again with the guides for WSU: Zeynep Ulner, Hakan Gürocak, Okay Egdirici, Defne Koror, Dave Arnold (Man on stairs, uncredited)

  • Dave Arnold and Coach Recep Akici

  • Bogazici University rowing training room (Note the bench pulls on left!)

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