On Christmas Day, Seattle will see itself on the large display when “The Boys within the Boat” opens in theaters. It’s the movie adaptation of Daniel James Brown’s bestseller in regards to the collective effort that led 9 boys and the Seattle group to attain its golden dream on the 1936 Summer season Olympics.
George Clooney’s film in regards to the College of Washington crew staff supplies not only a proud story about our previous, however an vital message for our future. It’s a message in regards to the position of group that we should always heed as we glance towards 2024.
The 9 boys who discovered their swing on the frigid waters of Lake Washington have been all sons of the Nice Despair. Most have been poor and neglected. All have been inexperienced. However they shared a hidden energy and tenacity that earned them a coveted spot on the Husky crew staff.
Seattle on the time was an formidable work in progress interrupted by hardship and wrestle. As you watch the film, take note of the scene with the Smith Tower, on the time the tallest constructing on the West Coast, seen within the distance from Hooverville, a shantytown on the tidal flats close to our waterfront.
And spot how, regardless of adversity, our group got here collectively.
When the crew first dropped their oars into Lake Washington, nobody anticipated a victory on the U.S. Olympic Trials. Their overcome extra skilled and higher financed East Coast crews didn’t assure a visit to Berlin for the 1936 Summer season Olympics. The staff confronted a big monetary hurdle: They wanted to boost $5,000 (equal to $110,000 immediately) to pay their method. An unattainable quantity, particularly in an financial downturn, with simply days to tug it collectively.
That’s when The Seattle Occasions sounded the alarm and our group rallied. College youngsters contributed nickels and dimes. Native companies stepped up. Volunteers knocked on doorways and requested for donations. And very quickly, the staff had what it took to symbolize the nation.
With out this extraordinary group effort, there would have been no guide to jot down or film to make.
The technology of Seattleites that despatched our staff to Olympic glory continued to construct on this spirit. Boeing and its workers designed and constructed the planes that helped win World Struggle II. Native enterprise leaders designed a Area Needle that grew to become the centerpiece of the 1962 World’s Honest and a long-lasting icon for Seattle’s position on this planet. And two floating bridges throughout Lake Washington made it attainable for a automobile to maneuver throughout a deep stretch of water sooner than an Olympic crew staff.
Ambition met creativeness, and folks got here collectively to construct a greater future.
The group of our personal time has adopted in these footsteps. Over the past decade, we changed the world’s longest floating bridge, tore down a harmful viaduct on Alaskan Method and burrowed a colossal tunnel to make method for a 20-acre public park. Every mission has been each grand and troublesome, however just like the light-rail system that in the end will cross Lake Washington, they’re including to the crown jewels of our area.
As we watch the inspiring successes in “The Boys within the Boat,” let’s once more name on this group spirit.
Our technology can construct new civic treasures. A park that may redefine our waterfront. Excessive-speed rail that may assist unfold progress and join us with Vancouver and Portland. And airport capability that may assist pace our journey past.
And to this listing, we’ll add the shell home on the Montlake Minimize that was the unique residence for the 1936 crew staff. Microsoft and Problem Seattle have joined others as main donors to renovate the construction and create a brand new centerpiece on the College of Washington.
A spot the place college students, residents and vacationers can study from the lasting story in regards to the boys and their boat. A spot the place teams in our group can meet, discover inspiration and chart their very own formidable future.
The yr forward presents many alternatives to seek out our stride. As a area, we’ve spent the previous two years climbing out of a pandemic, and its lingering results have taken a toll. Now’s the time for extra work to reinvigorate and reinvest in downtown Seattle, tackle homelessness and public security collectively, and proceed our pursuit of inexpensive housing and expanded training.
The spirit of the 1936 crew staff is a legacy of a staff’s success. It supplies inspiration for what people and a group can accomplish when it pulls collectively.
It’s our boat now. Let’s take advantage of it.
