Dancing in her boat – a tribute to Joan Lind-Van Blom

From Long Beach, California, Van Blom was a two-time Olympic rowing medallist, a multiple national champion, a champion of women’s rowing and an ardent masters rower. Outside of rowing Van Blom served for 35 years as a physical education teacher.

Van Blom discovered rowing in the 1970s and was a member of the United States rowing team for three consecutive Olympic Games including the 1976 Olympics in Montreal –  the first to include female rowing boat classes. In Montreal Van Blom won silver in the women’s single sculls. She missed the 1980 Games in Moscow due to the United States boycott and continued on to the 1984 Games in Los Angeles where she won silver in the women’s coxed quadruple sculls.  

In Montreal, Van Blom crossed the line just 65/100 of a second behind Christine Hahn-Scheiblich of the German Democratic Republic to claim her first Olympic silver.

Anita DeFrantz, former FISA Vice-President, IOC member and a 1976 Olympic bronze medallist in the United States women’s eight, describes how Van Blom recently contacted Scheiblich: “Joan had reached out to the gold medallist from the 1976 Olympic Games. Christine’s email response was received and translated just as Joan passed away. The message from Christine was that on the day of the Olympic Regatta, Joan had helped her row the best race of her life. Although it was forbidden then, the two had exchanged racing shirts and had possession of those shirts many years later.”

Award-winning filmmaker Jean Strauss is finalising the production of a documentary about Van Blom, scheduled for distribution in 2016, the 40th anniversary of Van Blom’s triumph in Montreal.

“I began sculling in 1976, a few short weeks after Joan won the silver medal in Montreal,” says Strauss. “Suffice it to say, she was my idol for my entire rowing career. I had the great privilege of being her training partner in 1980, the boycott year. This didn’t mean I was her equal. More like the rabbit (our coach would start me out ahead of Joan, and then she would blast past me…).”

When asked what she most admired about Van Blom, Strauss replies: “Her courage. Her courage on that start line in Montreal. Her courage in everything in life. And her grace. Her grace toward others. Her grace during disappointment (like the boycott).”

Courage and grace – these two qualities are also remembered by DeFrantz: “I describe Joan Lind-Van Blom much like a quiet storm. On land, she was always ready to help others, but she did not say much. Her work on the water spoke volumes. Every rower understands the immense courage it takes to compete in the single sculls. Joan approached this challenge with great joy. Her sculling was both elegant and graceful. The beauty of her racing was built from the deep commitment to doing the extraordinary work it took to be a world class sculler.”

Coach Tom McKibbon, who Van Blom attributes to being the reason she got involved in rowing, commemorated her: “She loved to dance in her boat on the water. She loved life off the water as well. She brought everything to the table. She was universally loved for her graciousness, her skill, her willingness, her commitment and her extraordinary humility.”

McKibbon recalls Van Blom’s rowing style with absolute clarity: “She made the entry part of the recovery and not the drive, allowing the boat to come up under her. Not forcing a strong sit-up motion, she plunged the bow deeper onto the water and opened her hands during the release, relaxing the grip to allow a seamless progression toward the entry again. She just had to close her grip and not depend on her wrists to rotate the blades during the entry.”

In recent years, Van Blom confirmed her ongoing form by demonstrating her prowess on the indoor rowing machine. In 2004, she set world indoor rowing record for lightweight women in the 50-54 age category at 7:22.6. Four years later in 2008, she set another world record in the 55-59 age category at 7:30.6 for lightweight women. Both still stand today.

Despite her ongoing battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme, Van Blom raced at last year’s Head of the Charles Regatta in the senior women’s eight and won gold. This year, she was present again in spirit on Boston’s Charles River, with several crews, including members of the 1980 Olympic rowing team, racing in her honour. They all wore pink shirts with “For Joan” printed on their backs.

In 2014, Van Blom was the recipient of the 2014 USRowing Ernestine Bayer Award, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to women’s rowing.

On her website, Strauss explains the reasons that led her to produce a documentary about Van Blom: “(She)is an extraordinary athlete, the very first woman ever to earn an Olympic medal for the United States in rowing. For the last four decades, she has been an amazing ambassador for the sport, for both men and women. Setting the bar for all who would follow, Joan’s story underscores how far women can excel when given a chance to compete.”

On 17 October, a celebration of Van Blom’s life was held at The Pete Archer Rowing Center, in Long Beach, California, with more than 500 people in attendance. Van Blom is survived by her husband John, also an Olympic rower, and their son John Jr.