Moving Forward

Steve Virgen

There was something different about the Orange Coast College boathouse

on Lido Channel early Thursday.

When dawn broke, Dave Grant rearranged magnetic nameplates on his

team’s board. He removed names of crew members who are no longer with the

program. But there was one such name that remained. Brian Sweet. His

nameplate will always stay on the OCC crew’s board.

The Pirates held their first day of practice for the fall season

Thursday, the first day of training without Sweet, their teammate who

died after collapsing during a workout Aug. 16 at OCC’s LeBard Stadium.

Sweet’s initial autopsy proved inconclusive and results of further

tests to determine the cause of death are expected next week.

At Thursday’s practice, the mood was light. There was some laughter

and a few smiles.

Sweet’s friends agreed they dealt with the loss of their late teammate

Saturday at a memorial service at the boathouse. Yet, pain was still

present Thursday as 78 people came with hopes of joining the OCC men’s

crew program.

For some, this was their first experience with a racing shell and

rowing. For others, it was the first time they would practice without

Sweet.

“I don’t know if I can talk about it anymore,” Grant said as his eyes

began to water. He took a deep breath and sighed. “He was a wonderful

guy. I’m very fond of him. I’ve known his family for 30 years. He was a

good athlete and a cheerful guy. He always had a smile. It’s been a long

two weeks. We’ll miss him.”

Grant made no mention of Sweet throughout the team’s practice. He said

Saturday’s service was enough. He described the memorial service as

touching and said more than 500 people attended.

Grant was among those who spoke at the service. He used to race with

Sweet’s grandfather, Dick Sweet, and has known the family ever since.

“I said that we would leave his [name] there,” Grant said, while

staring at the board. “I said that we would remember him that way. His

[name] will always be on the board, and that means he’s always here. I

didn’t say anything about him today because everybody knows it. Like they

said about the underground in Denmark during the war: Most of what is

being said is not being said. The people who didn’t know [Brian], it

would have no effect on them if I mentioned him. But for the people who

knew Brian, I think Saturday was the right way to end that. . . . He’s

here.”

To the Pirates, Brian Sweet remains at the OCC boathouse. It’s the

reason, they were able to smile at Thursday’s practice. The memory of

Sweet was the reason they joked with one another.

Chris Pope was his usual self. Though he misses one of his best

friends, Pope was rather cheerful at the training session. But, he

admitted, there was something, actually someone, missing.

Pope found Sweet after he collapsed as the two were training together,

running up and down the stadium steps.

“It’s not the same without him,” Pope said. “I was thinking about him

today, while we were sitting here this morning. His [name] is up there.

But there’s something missing. He was in my boat last year. You usually

want your whole boat to come back. It really feels like something is

missing.”

Grant moved practice along quickly. He introduced the racing shells to

the new athletes. He spoke of his love for rowing.

“In terms of teamwork, there’s probably not any sport which is more

geared toward the importance of working together,” Grant told the crowd.

“There’s some valuable lessons which come from how important it is to

work together. And you’ll see that as you get further and further into

rowing.”

When the Pirates made their way to the water, that’s when more

memories of Sweet unfolded. For coxswain Kristal Maw, Sweet will always

be a happy memory. She laughed when asked what she would remember most of

Sweet.

“Him and Pope were such goofballs together,” Maw said. Walking down to

the dock today, I thought about him.

He would’ve been on varsity this year. We had the memorial service

here, so you couldn’t help but think about him.”

For the next two weeks, the Pirates will practice five days a week,

beginning at 6 a.m. Grant said he enjoys the early morning practice

because that’s when the water is calm and there is no traffic.

Grant made Thursday’s practice light to accommodate orientation for

the newcomers. As practices continue, some will drop the idea of being a

part of the OCC crew program. But for those who were on the team last

year, this season seems destined to be something special with Sweet’s

nameplate on the wall of the boathouse.

Just before practice ended, Grant gave his athletes parting words.

“You’ve all done very well today,” Grant said, speaking through the

megaphone as his team rowed into the docks. “Every day we’re going to

learn something new. Tomorrow we’ll start again and on time.”

* STEVE VIRGEN covers sports. He can be reached at (949) 764-4325 or

by e-mail at steve.virgen@latimes.com.