[00:20:38] Andrew: So this is a big event, obviously. If Hitler and his top brass are gonna show up and watch in person, I think the expectations are that they wanna see a win from their country and they're expecting it. And that's also gonna obviously, I think, rile up the crowd 'cause they're gonna see these important people and understand those expectations are gonna be there. What happens is that the crowd gets crazy, right?
[00:21:06] Matt: Yeah, before the race even begins, they're all chanting ' Deutschland!' extremely loud. So loud. And if you can see the videos on YouTube, they're pretty easy to find. And you can see that the American team is all the way on the end closest to the stadium. So they're the ones that are closest to 75,000 spectators chanting, 'Deutschland, Deutschland!'
[00:21:28] Andrew: So the race gets started. There's six teams. U.S. is on the very end. Things begin. They start rowing. Things don't get off to a super good start for the Americans, essentially. At halfway point. They're in last place. How does that happen?
[00:21:47] I know that they weren't the favorites but, they were a great team. They made it to where they were. Joe Rantz and his boys are known for beating out competition that has much higher expectations for them. And yet, they're in last place at halfway through. What happened?
[00:22:03] Matt: So thinking about where they are next to the chanting crowd, so loud. They actually miss the start of the race. They don't hear it. And so they've already got that setback right away. And they're just playing catch up all the way, basically the whole race, and as you said, halfway through, they're still in last place.
[00:22:25] Andrew: That's crazy. Can you imagine like working so hard for so long to make it to the Olympics. Getting to the Olympics- they go through all the qualifying rounds, they make the finals, they're defying the odds, and then you get to the very most important race you're ever gonna race in your life and it's so loud that you can't hear the flag drop. You can't hear the beginning of the race, and you immediately are way behind. That's tough.
[00:22:56] Matt: It had to be so frustrating. Yeah.
[00:22:58] Andrew: Yeah, but as we know, these guys were gritty and they constantly defied the odds, and they constantly fought back from tough situations. So, they did not give up. What happened from the halfway point?
[00:23:15] Matt: Yeah, so the coxswain, the guy that's sitting up front, yelling at the rest of the team to keep in sync, he realizes that the team can't hear him. Like even the front guy just a couple feet away from him can barely hear him. So what he starts doing, he starts tapping the side of the boat to try to establish a rhythm.
[00:23:33] And that helps. Everyone gets in sync and they're going at a really great pace once they get in sync, and so they slowly start to work their way up the field. About 200 meters to go, they pass Hungary. A hundred meters to go, they pass Switzerland. And even just 50 meters from the finish line, they pass Great Britain.
[00:23:56] Last stand really, they worked their way up the field. They're at least getting bronze up to that point.
[00:24:01] Andrew: Yeah, that is crazy in itself. And that they came back that far. So they're almost there, they're basically podium-level. They've gotten themselves from the very back of the pack to up to the real section of competition. Who is in the lead?
[00:24:19] Matt: Italy is actually in the lead and Germany is right there with them. So that's who they've gotta catch up with. The two teams representing the big fascist countries at the time.
[00:24:32] Andrew: Yes. And America. So a lot on the line, you could say. What happened? What ended up happening at the very end?
[00:24:42] Matt: Yeah. The American team catches up with Italy and Germany. It's really almost a photo finish. They neck and neck, but, after that terrible start and after working their way up the field and catching up with Italy and Germany, they end up beating Italy by 0.6 seconds for the gold. Yeah, that's the big moment, exactly. Americans win gold!
[00:25:05] Andrew: They were in Germany, so nowadays you'd immediately hear the chanting of, 'USA, USA!'
[00:25:11] Matt: They weren't hearing that at the time. So, it was United States- Gold, Italy- Silver, 0.6 seconds behind them, and then Germany was like a full second behind the Americans. So, Nazi Germany ends up getting Bronze.
[00:25:26] Andrew: So, the exact opposite of a crowd chanting USA probably happened. The Germans must have been crushed, the people who were going wild in the stands. And not only the spectators, but Hitler is there as we established. So, how did Hitler react in that moment?
[00:25:46] Matt: It sounds like up to that point Hitler had made a point to congratulate winners. But he did not congratulate the US men's rowing team. So he was probably feeling some sort of way at that moment.
[00:25:59] Andrew: Bitter. And we're okay with that.
[00:26:04] Matt: And we're okay with that.
[00:26:05] Andrew: We like that. So, Hitler does not congratulate the Americans, but they earned the gold. Absolutely crazy to think about the fact that on that boat was Joe Rantz, the little kid who grew up taking care of himself the rural parts of western Washington state, basically raising himself and putting himself through school, getting himself into college, becoming an elite athlete, making it to the highest level of competition, and winning gold. And winning at the highest stage.
[00:26:43] Matt: And sticking it to Hitler, to put a little icing on that cake.
[00:26:47] Andrew: And everybody liked that. Exactly. So he is done it all basically, and he is only a young man at this point in his life. What happens to Joe Rantz after this is all over?
[00:26:58] Matt: He lives a full life. It's a happily ever after. I don't want to paint too much of a fairytale on it. I'm sure he had, again, a full life with ups and downs, but he does graduate from UW with a degree in chemical engineering. He gets a job at Boeing. He marries his high school sweetheart.
[00:27:14] They have five kids. And I believe, actually, I think one of the rowers died somewhat early, but I believe, all the other rowers also lived pretty long lives, and they would get together every so often.
[00:27:29] Andrew: Joe Rantz is really one of those guys that just seems to have it all. It's like he's an elite athlete. So smart, like chemical engineering. That's insane. And yet he totally earned it. Gosh, he went through a lot of struggle in his life to to grow up essentially without parents, in a rural place. It's just absolutely insane. For him to end up like he did is so impressive and inspiring really. And that's why it made a great book and a great movie, I'm sure.
[00:27:59] Really awesome story. Obviously about more than just Joe Rantz, the Olympics in general. And we really only tell this story on our tour because Joe grew up in the area right next to Olympic National Park. But then it's funny that we're talking about this because the story's about the Olympics. So I'm wondering, why is Olympic National Park even called Olympic? Does it have anything to do with the Olympics?
[00:28:28] Matt: Yeah, that's funny. At one point we even thought about doing more of an Olympic theme for that tour, I don't know if you remember that. We thought maybe this is a little silly, but we kept a couple Olympic themes there.
[00:28:38] Yeah. But yeah, the Olympic Mountains are called that. Actually the first Olympics were located there. I don't know if you know that. It's a little known. In fact, I'm just kidding.
[00:28:46] They are named the Olympic Mountains because one of the first European explorers he named the tallest mountain in the range Mount Olympus because he thought it was a place that looked like it was for the gods.
[00:28:58] Andrew: That's right.
[00:28:59] Matt: And so that is how they get the name Olympic Mountains. But you're right, it is just like a coincidence that this is the Olympic National Park, and we were also talking about an Olympic story, even though they don't really have anything to do with one another.
[00:29:13] Andrew: Just a fun, serendipitous connection that we storytellers can get excited about. And also fun fact, Olympic National Park reached National Park status officially- it had been gone through other stages before- but officially it became National Park in 1938, which is really only two years after these Olympics. So, funny, big things were happening that side of the map as well too, in terms of the park.
[00:29:41] Matt: Everyone's coming into their own in the 1930s: Joe Rantz, Olympic National Park.
[00:29:46] Andrew: Exactly.
[00:29:47] Matt: Someone else, I don't know.
[00:29:50] Andrew: Matt it's been fun chatting about this story with you. Thanks for joining me for this conversation about Joe Rantz in the 1936 Olympics. And, for anybody out there who's interested in learning more, you could check out our website, shakaguide.com. You could check out our Olympic National Park tour if you're gonna be in that area anytime soon.
[00:30:12] There's lots of other fantastic stories in that tour about other local heroes and people who defied the odds in other ways. Thanks for joining us for this conversation, and we'll see you next time.
[00:30:25] Matt: See everybody.