Rude at Olympics

The Guy from Rude is fraught. Deeming shattered his dreams by the Rowing Sport for the 1964 Summer Olympics at Tokyo, he retreats into a summer job. That, however, is curtailed by the death of his beloved grandfather, his once and only greatest fan of his Alpine Skiing and Heavyweight Rowing talents. Having let Grampy down, and feeling otherwise remiss, he pitches his chance as a Downhill specialist for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Its last shaky formation for the Innsbruck Winter Olympics is much nearer impending anyway.

Knowing the U.S. Organizing Committee is at a dearth of Downhill guys, and that he leads the list of long chance, even last-chance, contenders, the Rude Guy’s summer turns into a brief foray to make his talent felt. Felt he is, too, as a conceited loner who won’t truck the nefarious rules of the sports media ilks. They’re taking control of all Olympic promotion. They also think he’s a flash in the pan. But the few core organizers know they have to take a best and last chance in the Rude Guy. They allow his conditioning advantages by intense Heavyweight Rowing to become his outstanding prep for the trials in Alpine Skiing.

He excels. He’s assured as the U.S. Downhill Specialist—Super Omnes all rivals, of whom there are none. To the chagrin of the sports media types and Regressive Grown-up underlings at gross subversion of his amateur status, the Guy positions himself a champion of the Olympic Oath and Rude’s strictest champion of its Amateur Code. He soon delights the top organizers of Alpine Skiing both stateside and worldwide. He enters meets to prove his top speed and comes away with a chance to become an All-Rounder in all the Olympic Alpine events. That carries him through Canada, then Italy, and finally to Innsbruck as a top Downhill racer and top placer in the Grand Slalom. Alas and Zounds! He finds nigh full melt-off of snow, amidst other panic-inducing developments at Innsbruck. No snow and much else has the sports media types desperate to rebuke disaster. They move to cheat the Rude Guy out of all his best chances.

Can the Rude Guy triumph over all the tribulations imposed? It seems the Wizard of Odds is fully against his loner endeavors!

Cheess Whiz!

The Rude Guy, now a hero abroad, returns in undeserved ignominy to the College, despite his win over the archenemies of amateur athletes and other violators of the Olympic Oath. He’s just in time to make the College’s Varsity Crew, for a long spring’s contention as the elite crew over all US8s by the colleges. Predestined to win the Gold Medal at Tokyo, what were once his least chances turn into best chance again to have an Olympic Eight bring back the glory of a gold medal!

Our revised edition of 2015’s Rude at Rowing: 1964’s US8s is here in barely revised reprise. Wow! What a great book deal! Be warned, however: The Wizard of Odds has to turn up yet again!

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