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| August 19, 2005
Rowing Champs BY JAN PERRY
Not bad, considering Starr spent her youth as “one of those girls who was hopeless in sports. I was considered so sickly my senior year that I was excused from gym!” The road from hopeless klutz to medal-winner is an inspiring one. The two met and married on the East Coast and moved to San Anselmo in the late ’70s. At that point Ollinger already had a long history in competitive sports, having grown up sailing on the Long Island Sound. When he and Starr married, they sailed competitively, along with his son, in a Daysailer of the Snipe class. Then, a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon inspired Ollinger to become a weekend whitewater guide for an outfit based in El Sobrante. Starr often accompanied him. “It wasn’t until my husband became a whitewater guide in his 50s that I realized I might be athletic. I went along on many of the trips and was usually put in a boat where the guide did not know, at first, that I was related to Bill [because] we have different last names. Several times the guide would ask the passengers to copy my paddling style because it was smooth and steady! Wow! I felt competent and athletic.” Ollinger guided for the rafting outfit until he was about 60, when they suggested he retire. Stung by being told he was too old to do something he loved, he and Starr switched gears and took up noncompetitive biking, something they continue to do today. A few years later a colleague of Starr’s who was a serious rower asked, “Would Bill like to row at Henley?” (A tennis analogy: Henley is the Wimbledon of rowing.) That was in 1995, and the question had a profound effect on their lives. Intrigued, Ollinger began training and eventually rowed competitively for about five or six years in the Masters class (27 years and older; Bill was 64 when he started) with the Marin Rowing Association. “Then they all became younger and bigger than I was,” he says. “I was the oldest and the lightest—two handicaps.” Though muscled and fit, Ollinger is slight and shorter than most competitive rowers, who are “telephone poles” with long arms and legs. Telephone poles have the advantage of weight, with an increased strength ratio. “Bill and I are at a disadvantage,” says Starr. “We’re not powerhouses. We’re strong, competitive rowers.” Meanwhile Starr, who was not yet rowing, attended an introductory session for rowing at MRA’s clubhouse. They taught the motions first on a machine, then a “dock box” (on the water, but stationary), and finally in a boat known as an “8,” with four experienced rowers and four novices. “And I knew,” she says. “I just knew.” She was hooked. They both rowed, he competitively and she recreationally. In 1998, they started sculling together (two people and four oars) in a “double” they purchased. “I love the balance and beauty of sculling,” says Starr. “For me it is a form of ballet. Also, I have to admit that it is wonderful to feel proud of my body as it approaches 70. I feel so competent as I move back and forth on the stroke, pushing away with my strong legs!” At MRA, where about half of the 300 members row competitively, Ollinger and Starr competed mainly in 1,000-meter sprints, held from April through August. Longer courses, known as head races, held from September through November, can be 6,000 meters. Ollinger says both kinds of race are physically draining in their own ways. “Sprints take endurance, but in the longer races, you have to drive yourself. A 6,000-meter course is about 25-30 minutes, full bore.” Everything went fine until 1999, when Starr spent the entire year in treatment for breast cancer. “During chemo and radiation, I rowed up and down Corte Madera Creek in a single at my own pace. When I went past the hospital by Bon Air Bridge, I would lift my baseball hat off to show my bald head and say to the hospital, ‘See, I’m still here!’...Bill and I would sometimes go out in our double with me just going through the motions, he providing the power. People at MRA were so supportive...I think they all wanted to see me ‘beat’ it.” Talk about beating it. In 2001 they competed at the International Masters in Montreal on the Olympic course. “It was insane! We did our best time, our coach Marc [Batchelder] was thrilled—and we came in last. [She beams] That race was fun.” And that’s when Starr began competing, after just “stooging around,” as Ollinger puts it. They train four to six days a week, depending on the season. And they spend time on the erg machine, an indoor machine that simulates outdoor rowing, to build endurance. “The machine all rowers love to hate,” says Ollinger. “It’s very demanding. It improves endurance and strength.” Both of them love to win, but just rising to a challenge is rewarding, too. “I’ll tell you an anecdote about the Head of the Charles [River] in Boston,” says Ollinger. “It’s the national head race of the year. Two years ago I applied to get in and never received a letter saying I got in. We were in Boston anyway, reading the paper, and I see my name in a list of competitors! I go down and they give me a packet. I get a boat and the next morning get on the river—after never being on that river before. Six bridges. A squirrely course. Even beat a few people! I was so excited all day long.” Ollinger describes rowing as “the last amateur sport. You can’t make any money doing this. Yes, it’s highly competitive and there are big egos, but on the whole, it’s very down-to-earth.” In addition to their competitive rowing, Ollinger has coached a novice team at MRA and Starr has been active in encouraging others to row. “We are considered mentors and role models for many of the younger rowers,” says Starr. “I call it the trained flea phenomenon: People are surprised to see people our age performing so well.” To other age 50-plus athletes she says, “Don’t be afraid. I spent too long being afraid...Challenge yourself. It’s never too late.” Photo: Bill Ollinger and Penelope Starr were both over 60 when they took up competitive rowing. Win or lose, they enjoy the challenge. |
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Racecar Driver Highland Games Champ Cyclocross Racer Rock Climber Paintball Player Long-Distance Runner Big League Pitcher Swimming Competitor Rowing Champs |
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A walk through Penelope Starr and Bill Ollinger’s front door brings a visitor into a relaxed, yet artfully decorated living room. It’s not until you’ve been there a while that a collection of winner’s medals, hung discreetly from some cabinetry knobs, catches the eye. There are 16 of them, earned for sculling, a sport the athletes took up 11 years ago. Here’s the kicker: She’s 69 and he’s 74. |
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