The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic Gold Medal

This interesting, but very narrow and highly dated, book follows several post-college rowers as they attempt to qualify for the 1984 US Olympic team and possibly medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. Details of rowing are necessarily part of the author's story, but the psychology, pressures, and interactions among the rowers and coaches are of far more interest to the author.At least at the time of this book, the early 1980s, rowing remained an elitist sport conducted at elite Eastern schools like Harvard and Yale with some West coast schools also participating. As is made clear throughout the book, rowing is very difficult, requiring fitness levels at or above other sports with long hours of lonely training. Rowers come to rowing differently: some are rejects from other sports, but many are following in family traditions. But it is also a sport that has virtually no public appeal. Rewards for any rowing success primarily come from within which increases internal pressures immensely.Because the rowing community is so small, the smallest details involving rowers, performance, coaching techniques, etc are immediately known throughout the community. The pressures to conform, as well as to excel, are immense. Even so, there are different ways of looking at rowing. A main point of contention is the relative importance of good rowing technique compared to more emphasis on power and endurance. Both types of rowers are represented in the book.The selection to the US rowing team was a somewhat nebulous process with the results from the selection camp being subject to overturning at a later training camp. It is in this selection process where the emotions of the rowers are ratcheted up considerably. The author and the rowers examine the racing strategies and strengths of the rivals in past events and attempt to project those details into performance at the trials. The intensity is over the top as every run seems like a life and death occurrence. And there are surprises. Some thought to be almost automatic selections do not make the team. On the other hand, an almost complete outsider forces his way onto the team. The lead-up to the Olympics is so dramatic that the performance at the Games seems almost anticlimactic. In some sense, the author wears one down with the constant tension. Joy is in short supply in this interpretation of rowing.It's hard to say what can be gained from this book thirty years after its writing. The names are forgotten. While not an emphasis of the author, the book is a story of privileged kids, who knowing their futures are secure have the liberty to indulge in practically obsessive-compulsive behavior over an activity. In fact, two of the principals were on their way to medical residencies after the Olympic. It is also a story of the difficulty of cracking rowing's inner circle beyond the difficulties of actually rowing. The book abruptly ends. The reader is asked to be engaged emotionally with these individuals, but the curtain summarily drops. And one is left to wonder if the book remains representative of rowing today.

Rowing has never been one of the most popular sports, and to be honest, I had never thought twice about it. In this book, the author tells us of the struggle of 4 young men to win a place in the Olympics in 1984. Their situations are different; for example for one of them, this is his last chance, after losing hiss opportunity when there was a boycott to the Games and he could not go. The four of them will compete to win the place as the single sculler, and this battle will be fierce among them. In this book, we learn of the terrible training sessions they have to endure, the crippling pain they feel during races, always feeling they will never do it. This sport is so demanding that those who pursue it must really feel deep love for it and be willing to sacrifice their personal and social life. This book was an eye-opener. I would have never imagined everything involved in this sport. It is always interesting to learn something new, and the author managed to convey it in this extraordinary book through these amazing athletes. A true story.

Interesting story, but really does just focus on one team. Some good background information, but does not mention many other top performers during this time period.

"The Amateurs" was meant in many ways to be like "Chariots of Fire," that great movie about British Olympians. What made "Chariots of Fire" great was its nuance, that athletes could be driven by entirely selfish motives and that ultimately they could be unlikable. America's foremost hagiographer David Halberstam will have no nuance in his book: rowers are the finest specimen of "amateurs," those who pursue their passion without concern for monetary rewards. In this book, which is only 221 pages but feels like over a thousand, David Halberstam portraits the young men of America's 1984 Olympic rowing team. There are those who came from solid Eastern aristocratic backgrounds, families who are part of the American establishment and who have been attending Yale and Harvard for generations. Then there are those who fell into rowing because of the circumstances of their life. Because Halberstam is a Harvard graduate and an established member of the American Establishment, the former are his focus."The Amateurs" is in many ways a snapshot of the American aristocracy. These are men whose families have the tremendous wealth and resource to support whatever silly endeavor they feel particularly invested in. The family does not lack money, but it needs glory to further justify their place at the top and as bragging rights among their friends. I don't think there's anything noble about these men -- they're just lucky and fortunate to born into circumstances that permit them to do whatever they like, for as long as they like.

A well written account of young men in quest of a Olympic medal in the 1984 Olympics. The challenge that they faced was to beat out the others seeking to represent the USA in rowing single sculls. While the winner of the competition fails to medal in Olympic finals (he comes in 4th), one of the others ends up with a gold medal in the two-man boats. An intriguing story of the trials and tribulations of these men as they struggle with both physical and mental anguish in their pursuit.A more recent book on rowing, The Boys in the Boat, written about the Washington 8 man-crew heading to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, has both the drama of the rowing but also several other parallel sub plots. It is a well written and compelling story whether you are interested in the sport of rowing or just like great books.

Despite being a household of sporting enthusiasts, we never finished this book. It's very American and all rather back slapping and expects you to be interested in people because of who they are rather than by telling you something interesting about them. Off to the charity shop in the next collection I think.

Great book. Note: As of June 2014, The reviews linked from Amazon.com to the kindle edition are for another of his books, The Powers That Be, which is about the American press. See the paperback listing of The Amateurs for the correct reviews of The Amateurs.

good

I preferred Brad Lewis's autobio "Assault on Lake Casitas" due to its writing style and deeply personal voice. But in terms of showing a less biased view of events, this is a good book. The raw politics among the young men of the 1984 U.S. Men's Olympic sculling team makes for interesting reading, and The Amateurs provides an even treatment of each athlete and his background, although I didn't feel quite immersed in the story or inspired as I have been by other books on competitive rowing.

To start I respect all sports both team and individual. This book gave me a great insight to the under publicized sport of 'rowing' and how demanding on the body and the mind it truly is. Very well written combining published and behind the scenes facts. Describing the commitment required and decisions made and lives touched. A real good read that will have the reader come away with a real dose of respect for the sport, buy.../