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.
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