Sculling
It seemed only a matter of time before he would try competitive rowing, for regattas were held virtually on his doorstep. In 1871, when he was 16, Hanlan entered his first race, for three-man crews of “fishermen,” who were considered professionals because they were thought to have an occupational advantage over the amateur gentlemen. His boat was unsuccessful. But the amateur rules were changing: increasingly the receipt of money prizes, rather than ascriptive class status, was becoming the criterion of professionalism. Hanlan was accepted into amateur competition in 1873 and here he quickly shone. In his first singles race he won the Championship of Toronto Bay. Then, in 1874, wearing the blue shirt and red headband which became his trademark, he beat the redoubtable Thomas Loudon three times in succession – once for a side bet of $100, a sizeable risk for him – and won the prestigious Dufferin Medal. The following year he took the Ontario championship.
These victories and a growing calendar of rich stake races led a group of Torontonians in 1876 to form a syndicate club to back him as a professional. The club’s first decision was to purchase a sleek English-made shell and equip it with two recent innovations, a sliding seat and swivel oarlocks. Both helped the rower lengthen the stroke, and thereby the pull on the water. The sliding seat was particularly important. Before its introduction, rowers seeking greater reach had to move across the stationary seat on greased chamois pants, an awkward, often painful manœuvre.
Hanlan quickly rewarded the confidence and technological astuteness of his investors. In September 1876 thousands watched the “Boy in Blue” capture the professional singles in the highly publicized Centennial Regatta in Philadelphia. Although many “laughed at his ambition,” according to a contemporary American newspaper, he beat most of North America’s best scullers on a three-mile (5 km) course with a turn in the record time of 21 minutes 9½ seconds, winning a purse of $800 for himself and a bounteous betting harvest for his supporters. Hanlan and his club next set their sights on national championships. These had to be won through the “challenge system,” which governed most 19th-century sports, rather than participate in an annual event called a championship, in which any qualified athlete could compete, reigning champions held their titles until they were defeated in a negotiated one-on-one challenge. Obtaining a challenge was often as difficult as the event itself. Fortunately, Hanlan’s growing celebrity and his solid backing made him financially attractive as an opponent and he was able to get the challenges he wanted without undue delays.
To win the Canadian championship (and stakes of $1,000) in 1877, he beat New Brunswicker Wallace Ross over five miles (8 km) with a turn before 25,000 spectators in Toronto bay. The following year he took the American title from Pittsburgh’s highly regarded Ephraim (Evan) Morris over a five-mile (8 km) course with a turn on the treacherous Allegheny River, an outcome that delighted his supporters, who had bet upwards of $300,000. See also American Sculling Championship. In 1879 he captured the English Sculling Championship, beating William Elliott (rower) by 11 lengths over a three-and-one-half-mile stretch of the Tyne.
Read more about this topic: Ned Hanlan