The Poet Mike Spracklen

Today on FISA’s web site is an interview with famous coach Mike Spracklen, who at 74 is still going strong. Spracklen once coached Sir Steve Redgrave and they are both from Marlow, a town just a few miles from Henley-on-Thames. Spracklen is at the World Championships as the coach for the Canadian men’s eight. In 1992 and 2008, his Canadian eights became Olympic Champions. In these crews’ honour, Spracklen compose two poems, as not only has he great rowing coach skills, he also shines as a versifier. To read the FISA article, click here.

Here are the two poems, read by Spracklen himself:

Brilliant, are they not?