Raymond: Modest Olympic Medalist

Only after talking about his rowing background for almost 15 minutes does Peter Raymond, first year men's lightweight crew coach, reveal that he's rowed in the Olympics twice (in 1968 and 1972) and won a silver medal.

He had not forgotten his past feats. But with a natural confidence, he has no need to loudly trumpet his claims to fame. And as he talks, you begin to wonder how much of a claim to fame he regards his silver medal. To him, achievement is only noteworthy if it reflects hard work and dedication. The experience of participation, not the moment of victory, is precious to Raymond.

Raymond did not go to the 1976 Olympics. He watched them on television from an Indian reservation where he and his wife were involved with a medical program. Or at least he watched as much of them as he could stomach.

T.V. Critic

"Appailing" is the word he uses to describe the coverage of the Montreal games. He says ABC had "the emphasis on the wrong kinds of things. It was all surface. You never got to know much about the athletes, you never got to know anything about any of the sports. They missed a great opportunity to get the American public to participate. They weren't encouraging that at all, but rather trying to make bureaus out of people."

After graduating from Princeton in 1968 where the heavyweight eight never finished better than third in the IRAs, Raymond made his first Olympic appearance in Mexico City as part of an American coxless four, which finished fifth.

Raymond moved up to the American eight for the Munich games. That group, dominated by Crimson rowers and coached by Harvard's living legend coach, taciturn Harry Parker, came home with a silver medal.

Naval Strokes

Raymond might be considered lucky to have been rowing at all in 1972. After his graduation from Princeton, he had gone into naval aviation before considering that "since the Vietnam war was really going then" he might be safer in another part of the navy. Appropriately, even if only through what he terms "unbelievable luck," Raymond found himself coaching the Naval Academy freshman heavyweights in 1970 and 1971. His term over, he escaped from the Navy.

He first came to Harvard for the 1974-75 school year, during which he coached the freshman lights. After two years with the Radcliffe heavies, whom he guided to one third-and one second-place Eastern sprint finish, Raymond moved away from Harvard rowing for a year.

Now he's back. He moves into a spot that John Higginson, last year's coach, did not always find easy. Higginson had problems determining last year's top eight and communicating with at least some of his rowers.

Perhaps it's too early to tell, but don't expect Peter Raymond to have the same problems. He has an easy manner and a quick, good-natured, if sometimes sarcastic, wit He respects his rowers, attributing the success of past Harvard crews to the fact that Harvard students are "special people." He says, "They come to Harvard with definite goals."

Those special people and Peter Raymond should be a pretty powerful combination. You see, Peter Raymond is pretty special himself.