1 00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: Lawrence Lemieux was one of the best competitive sailors in 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: the world in the nineteen seventies and eighties. He was 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: obsessed with the sport, and really, you'd have to be. 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 2: You got to think of the reasons why people do this, 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: and I think a lot of people might do an 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 2: Olympic campaign just so they can tell everybody they're doing 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 2: an Olympic campaign. 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: Across two decades, he spent every minute of every day 9 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: working to become the best he could be. 10 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 2: Well, my whole goal was just to prove to myself 11 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: how far I could take something, how well I could 12 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 2: do if I really put my mind to it. I've 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 2: got a task to do it. I know I can 14 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: do it if I put my mind to it. 15 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 3: There's no question. 16 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: Back in Lawrence's day, the life of a competitive sailor 17 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: was incredibly hard. There was essentially no money to be made, 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: and traveling across the world required a monk like dedication 19 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: to the sport. 20 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 2: We raise our whole lives and you'd love to get 21 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: accolades for doing well, for winning races. 22 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,119 Speaker 1: For sailors like Lawrence, the Summer Olympics are one of 23 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: the most important competitions of their lives. At the nineteen 24 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: eighty eight Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, Lawrence was 25 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: at the peak of his powers, but during the competition, 26 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: the conditions on the water were atrocious, a dangerous mix 27 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: of intense wind, powerful current, and waves that could disappear 28 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: a boat in seconds. In that environment, Lawrence was faced 29 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: with the decision that would define his life. A fellow 30 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: sailor was in the water, lost from his boat in 31 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: true peril. Lawrence was forced to decide right then and there. 32 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: Does he keep sailing and try to win a medal, 33 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: or does he head off course, lose the race but 34 00:01:53,800 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: potentially save a life. Welcome to very special episodes and 35 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: iHeart original podcast. I'm your host Danish Schwartz, and this 36 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,919 Speaker 1: is Taking on Water. 37 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 4: Welcome back to very special episodes. So glad you're here. 38 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 4: My name is Jason English. I am joined by Danish 39 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 4: Schwartz and Zaren Burnette. 40 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 5: Hello, what up, y'all? 41 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 4: This is the last of our stretch of Olympics episodes. 42 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 4: Have you guys been watching the Winter Games? 43 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: Oh yes, oh yeah, I'm obsessed with our figure skater 44 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: Alissa lou S just unbelievable. She's so joyful it's just 45 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: like it makes me smile to watch her skate. 46 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 6: Yes, she's the coolest person too, like every bit of 47 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 6: her store. Obviously, I'm proud of her being from Oakland, 48 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 6: Butland's just incredible. 49 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 5: Yeah, and I want her hairstyle. 50 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 6: Right, so cool. I even want her like piercing, the 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 6: one that hangs on on her teeth. I was like, 52 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 6: I've never wanted anything like that in my life, and 53 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 6: she makes look so cool. 54 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: Oh, she's so cool. So yes, I am watching the Olympics. 55 00:02:58,440 --> 00:02:58,800 Speaker 1: In short. 56 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 4: My Milan Courtina highlight came a few weeks before the 57 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 4: Games began. We have this partnership with NBC Sports and 58 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 4: their Olympics coverage, so I got to visit Sesame Street 59 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 4: and meet a few of my heroes. But Sesame Street 60 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 4: also has a partnership with NBC. It doesn't make a 61 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 4: ton of sense, but it was great. It was a 62 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 4: great day. Got to meet Elmo Grover, the Count, and 63 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 4: I wish I'd gotten to ask Elmo this, if you 64 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 4: had trained all your life for an event, let's say sailing, 65 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 4: we'll take this out of the Winter Games. We need 66 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 4: to think warm, and you're barreling, perhaps toward a goal 67 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 4: a gold medal and you see someone stranded in the water, 68 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 4: what do you do? Would you go save the person? 69 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 4: Would you keep your eye on the prize? 70 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 5: You gotta save the person? How do you live? How 71 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 5: would you look at that gold medal the rest of 72 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 5: your life? That's how I. 73 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 6: Think completely, And I think also Elmo's nature is Almo 74 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:56,839 Speaker 6: save him? 75 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 5: Yeah? Almo knows always to do the right thing. 76 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 6: Two hundred percent agree. 77 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, I will try to be very honest here. I 78 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 4: think I would definitely try to save the person, but 79 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 4: a part of me would be thinking, like God, how 80 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 4: much are people gonna love me that I saved this person? 81 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 4: And that's even better. So I don't know if I 82 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 4: get the credit for being heroic, but I hear. 83 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 5: It right that amazing. 84 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: Lawrence Lemieu's path to competitive sailing began in the early 85 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties at Wolbman Lake, about an hour's drive from 86 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It's not exactly a sailing hotbed. 87 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: It's unlike other parts of the country along the coasts 88 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: and near Toronto, but for Lawrence and his five competitive 89 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: older brothers, the lake offered an aquatic playground. 90 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 3: I'm the youngest of eight kids. 91 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: My father bought a property out here before I was 92 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 2: even born. Well, I'm seventy years old now, so we 93 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 2: started here a long time ago. Then my dad actually 94 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 2: went around the beach and talked to all his friends 95 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 2: and said, you're going to buy a boat, and well, 96 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 2: my kids don't sail, they're going to learn to sail. 97 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 2: So they ended up buying a fleet of boats. They 98 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 2: were flying Dutchmans at the time, which is used to 99 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 2: be an Olympic class. 100 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: Listen, little brothers learn a lot of great things from 101 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: their older siblings, but sometimes what they learn may be 102 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: too advanced for impressionable little ones, like the times Lawrence 103 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: would climb onto his older brother's chest while he was 104 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: dangling on the edge of the boat. 105 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 2: There's what's called a trapez and it's a wire that 106 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: comes down from the top of the mast and you 107 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 2: hook it into a harness and you stand on the 108 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 2: side of the boat and it creates more writing moment. 109 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 2: The more writing mold that you have, the faster you go. 110 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 2: So my brother would be out on the trapez and 111 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 2: I'd crawl out and. 112 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 3: Sit on his chest. So that was a lot of 113 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 3: fun as a young kid. 114 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: But that level of excitement was not enough for young Lawrence. 115 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: He'd constantly pested his older brothers about taking him out sailing, 116 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: and eventually they had enough. 117 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 2: One day, one of my older brothers said to me, listen, 118 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 2: why don't you take it out? 119 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 3: Well I did. 120 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 2: I jumped into it, took off. I've all by myself. 121 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 2: I think I was five years old, and a little 122 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 2: puff of wind came and I capsized, So I know 123 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 2: exactly what to do. I wasn't afraid or anything, and 124 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,359 Speaker 2: I climbed over the side of the boat and I 125 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 2: was standing on the centerboard trying to write the boat, but. 126 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 3: I didn't have enough waight. 127 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 2: So meanwhile, my mother was freaking out on shore and 128 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 2: she sent my brothers out to rescue me. Well, I 129 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 2: get back to shore and my mom says, you're grounded 130 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:38,640 Speaker 2: for the summer. Well that lasted one day. 131 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 3: There's no way she's going to be able to ground me. 132 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,839 Speaker 1: It was hard for his parents to keep Lawrence off 133 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: the boat, and soon he began to look beyond Lake 134 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: Wabaman to test and grow his abilities on a boat. 135 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 2: I went to the thing called yachts, which in Canada 136 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 2: stood for a youth Olympic training seminar. Up until then, 137 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 2: I'd been sailing two first in both Well. When I 138 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 2: was there, there was a boat called it ok Dinghy, 139 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 2: and I tried it out and I really liked it. 140 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 2: I thought this is great sailing by myself. Because of 141 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 2: course sailing with my brother we just fought all the time. 142 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: That freedom appealed to Lawrence, so he focused his attention 143 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: on one man boats. It's an athletic form of sailing. 144 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: It requires a huge amount of strength and endurance to 145 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: direct a fourteen foot boat while battling wind, waves and 146 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: water over the course of a competition. He gained confidence 147 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: while training with some fellow competitors from California who were 148 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: the best sailors at the time, but his boat was 149 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:46,119 Speaker 1: holding him back. 150 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 7: It's expensive, it's delicate, and then then you go to 151 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 7: topedi puteoking. I don't even know what they cost. Natl 152 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 7: him from one hundred hundred and two pounds. 153 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: Mark Chisnall is a sailor and author and a historian 154 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: for the Chisnel points out that in the seventies and eighties, 155 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,679 Speaker 1: as Lawrence is dedicating more and more of his life 156 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: to sailing, the sport itself was still rooted in the past. 157 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 7: I think that the key thing here is that Olympic 158 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 7: sailing was still on amateurs sport, so there was no 159 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 7: money the smaller events. You really were getting along on 160 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 7: the with have an already brag, and I campaigned a 161 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 7: full seventy through the nineteen eighties a couple of times, 162 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 7: and you know, we literally threw the money at it 163 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 7: for six months of sailing, that's all hat, and then 164 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 7: stopped and we stopped comfort through the trials because we 165 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 7: ran out money to buy a new sets. It was 166 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,719 Speaker 7: that kind of existence. So for many people it was 167 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 7: a very very difficult thing to do. So they were 168 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 7: budgeting as much as they could, and you'd sweep out 169 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 7: if you van, you'd see at the car, you see wherever, 170 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 7: you know, you little milk and bread for weeks on end, 171 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 7: because that was the way you could pay for the 172 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 7: stuff to keep going. It was a lot of fun 173 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 7: at the same time, but it was psychologically high. 174 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: So, as is often the case involving stories about high achievers, 175 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: Lawrence got a lucky break. After the nineteen seventy six 176 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: Summer Olympics in Montreal, a twenty one year old Lawrence 177 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: learned he would be able to get his hands on 178 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: one of the boats that was meant for an Olympic sailor. 179 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: That sliver of hope was all Lawrence needed. 180 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 3: I was in college at the time. 181 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 2: In college in Canada is a university, it's a sort 182 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 2: of a technical school. I was studying plastics engineering. I 183 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 2: was in my final exams and I knew all the 184 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 2: material and I had no intention of ever working in 185 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 2: the field. I only took the course because boats are 186 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 2: made of classic So I. 187 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 3: Just bailed and took off. 188 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 2: I jumped in my van and I drove all the 189 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:48,199 Speaker 2: way across the country to Takeston, Ontario. Well, I find 190 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 2: this boat and it's it's not rigged. It wasn't used 191 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 2: at the Olympics. It was the guy who was supposed 192 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 2: to use it didn't show up. So there was a 193 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 2: bag of parts. Nothing was on the boat. And they 194 00:09:57,880 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 2: had originally. 195 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 3: There was fifty mass to choose from. 196 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 2: Everybody in the country had gone through picked through every 197 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 2: single mast out of these fifty, and there was one 198 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 2: mass left. So that was the one that nobody wanted. 199 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 2: So I got a boat with no parts and a 200 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 2: mass that nobody wanted. 201 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: Lawrence then drove sixteen hours to Halifax on the far 202 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: Atlantic coast of Canada to get help rigging up the boat. 203 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: After that, he turned around and drove directly across North 204 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: America to San Francisco, where he showed up just in 205 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,439 Speaker 1: time for the nineteen seventy six US Sailing Competition. 206 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: So I get to San Francisco and I'm still half 207 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 2: rigging the boat because you know, you try a few 208 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 2: systems so they don't work, so you got to redo 209 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 2: them and figure it out. So the first race is 210 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 2: going on, and I'm a bit laked for the start. 211 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 2: Well I'm coming in. I'm laked for the start, and 212 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 2: I'm going to lure it end of the starting where 213 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 2: I round up on I'm on port tack, so I've 214 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 2: got a tack on the starboard before I foul anybody. Well, 215 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,679 Speaker 2: my hiking strap cleat came out and I fell out 216 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 2: of the boat, but my feet were still hooked under 217 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 2: the hiking strap. So I came screaming into the starting 218 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 2: line on port and I fouled everybody. They were so 219 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 2: mad at me, and so we say all the I 220 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 2: think two races that day or something. So I'm in 221 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 2: the shower and I'm kind of embarrassed, and I'm in 222 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 2: one of the stalls, but I can hear all the 223 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 2: old guys in the locker room talking, and they're saying 224 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 2: things like, Yeah, there's some people out there. 225 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:24,359 Speaker 3: They shouldn't even allow. 226 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 2: A race with us, you know, and stuff like that. 227 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 3: So I'm very sheepish. 228 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 2: I kind of wait till everybody leaves, and i'd get 229 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 2: out and get changed. On the last day of the regatta, 230 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 2: it was really windy and out of forty boats, a 231 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 2: lot of guys capsized and everything else. I think only 232 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 2: thirteen boats finished and I finished twelve. I made it 233 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 2: through it, so I thought, gee, I'd beat a lot 234 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 2: of really good people in this really windy race. 235 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: That confidence boost in San Francisco carried him forward to 236 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 1: the World Championships that year, where Lawrence put his name 237 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: among the world's best by finishing fifth. From then on, 238 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: Lawrence's life completely revolved around sailing. For about a decade, 239 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: Lawrence was part of a traveling circus of elite sailors. 240 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: He was either in his van driving to an event 241 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: or out on the water. 242 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 2: So I had a van while I put a bed 243 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 2: in the back, and I basically lived in my van, 244 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 2: but so. 245 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 3: Did a lot of other guys. 246 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 2: So at regatta's, you know, all the guys who were 247 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 2: living in vans, we'd all be partd that Yauch club 248 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 2: and we had a lot of fun. You know, we'd 249 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 2: go out for dinners together and sit around and chat 250 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 2: and do things. There was times I left home and 251 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 2: didn't come back for a year. It's just lived to sail, really. 252 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:43,559 Speaker 1: Lawrence says. During that time he put four hundred thousand 253 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: miles on two different vans. And as fun as all 254 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: this sounds, driving to coastal cities around the globe, sailing 255 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 1: and socializing, Lawrence did all this because ultimately he wanted 256 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: to compete and win. 257 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 2: We're racing with, you know, sometimes one hundred boats trying 258 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 2: to do all same things for you've got to really 259 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 2: squeeze out a foot here, a foot there. 260 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 3: You know, it's just. 261 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 2: Take your small gains and consolidate them and keep going. 262 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 2: But a lot of sailors try to do it opposite. 263 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 2: They just go for the big game, you know. They 264 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 2: want to roll the dice. So they'll they're sailing way 265 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 2: off the one side of the course and hopefully they 266 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 2: get a wind shift. 267 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 3: We call that bang in a corner. 268 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 2: And with that kind of sailing, you might win a race, 269 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,440 Speaker 2: but you could also come last, so you don't end 270 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 2: up off and winning the whole event. So by sticking 271 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 2: with it and just grinding it out with all the 272 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 2: other guys, that's how you win a series of races. 273 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 2: And it takes a long time to drill that into 274 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 2: your head, you know. 275 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: He became a master at the finer details of sailing, 276 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: noticing the way the flags are flying on spectator boats 277 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: and even taking tips from non human spectators at the races. 278 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 2: Well, my uncle was a pilot in World War Two, 279 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 2: and I was talking to him what Danny said, You 280 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 2: know what, birds always take off into the wind, So 281 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 2: that was in the back of my mind. And I 282 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 2: saw these seagulls take off from the distance, and I 283 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,559 Speaker 2: saw the direction they took off, like, oh, there's a 284 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 2: wind shift there. So I sailed over to where the 285 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 2: seagulls were. Sure enough, I got the wind shift. 286 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: By the mid nineteen eighties, the International Olympic Committee or 287 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: IOC had begun dismantling its strict amateur rules. The IOC 288 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: had an uneven but eventful history in protecting their games 289 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: from professional athletes. Jim Thorpe, maybe the greatest athlete America 290 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: has ever produced, won two gold medals during the nineteen 291 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: twelve Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, but those medals were 292 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: taken away by the IOC after a small newspaper reported 293 00:14:54,600 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: Thorpe accepted money playing semi pro baseball during Cold War though, 294 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union gave its athletes essentially no show jobs 295 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: so they could train full time, leading to accusations of 296 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: faux professionalism from competing countries like the US. Mark Chisnell 297 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: says this move towards professionalism chipped away at the centuries 298 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: old sailing culture, one of self reliance and self regulation. 299 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 7: Now the amateur thing brought with it. The other kind 300 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 7: of big cultural thing from seriling in that period was 301 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 7: the self reliance issue, because that also came from you know, 302 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 7: bracing the Oltsa's say, you were on your own, something 303 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 7: happened out there, you were on your own. The only 304 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 7: other people you could expect help from world the other Edtans, 305 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 7: And so that was another cultural thing that was really 306 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 7: important with insight, this self reliance and this self regulation. 307 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: This shifts away from amateurism accelerated when a cable channel 308 00:15:54,520 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: from Connecticut was looking for some exciting but inexpensive sports program. 309 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 7: Now, the real thing that changed it in my head 310 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 7: was the nineteen eighty seven America's Cup for in a 311 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 7: little known pable channel called ESPN when looking for something to. 312 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: Cover, Chisnell says, the nineteen eighty seven America's Cup was 313 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 1: loaded with drama. Just four years earlier, the New York 314 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: Yacht Club lost the Cup for the first time since 315 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: before the Civil War. Executives at ESPN saw an opportunity 316 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: to grab rights to the race that would be held 317 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 1: in the pristine waters off the western coast of Australia. 318 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 7: Freemantle happened to be the Vende where there was strong wind, 319 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 7: that was blue water, bright blue skies. They took some 320 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 7: money down there, the helicopters in the air, theyt cameras 321 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 7: on boat, and they completely changed the game commercially to 322 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 7: the sport because they made it a spectator sport in 323 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 7: the way nobody had ever done it. 324 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: The coverage of the competition was so spectacular that it 325 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: caught the attention of a certain late night talk show 326 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 1: host who wrote a telegram to ESPN saying quote, I 327 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: think you've really got something with this TV yacht racing. 328 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: It could be bigger than wrestling. Keep up the good work, 329 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: all my best David Letterman. Chisnel says, this realization from 330 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: the eighty seven America's Cup that money could be made 331 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: in sailing meant the eighty eight Summer Games in Seoul 332 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: would be the last of its kind for the sport 333 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: of sailing. 334 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 7: You take all of that, you arrive at eighty eight, 335 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 7: and I think the reason of what Learns did got 336 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 7: so much attention was it. 337 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 2: Felt like the last hurrah, a bive one age. 338 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 7: You know, everybody knew this period of sailing this year, 339 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 7: this self reliance, self regulation was just done. You know, 340 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 7: we had umpires on water, not on lafter this, we 341 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 7: already had plany of rest of votes, and it just 342 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 7: felt like, oh, this is a moment, this is an 343 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:53,119 Speaker 7: inflection point. No one's going to do this again. 344 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: That inflection point, that moment that Chisnell referenced, would occur 345 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: on the violent waters off the coast of South Korea 346 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: during the nineteen eighty eight Olympics. It was a moment 347 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 1: that forced Lawrence to make a decision, a decision that 348 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: would define his life. The South Korean city of Busan, 349 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: the location of the sailing competitions for the nineteen eighty 350 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: eight Summer Games, sits on the southeastern point of the 351 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: country's peninsula. There's about one hundred miles of water between 352 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: Busan and mainland Japan. Now. A year prior, Lawrence Lemieux 353 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: and his fellow sailors got a preview of the course 354 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:49,159 Speaker 1: during a trial run. The conditions were essentially the opposite 355 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,160 Speaker 1: of what they'd face during the Olympics. 356 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:53,920 Speaker 3: In nineteen eighty seven. There was no win. 357 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 2: There was times when he'd be one hundred yards from 358 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 2: the windward mark and you couldn't get around it because 359 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 2: the current was so straw you were just basically standing still. 360 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 2: So we all kind of expected that ada it was 361 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:06,919 Speaker 2: going to be light winds at the Olympics. 362 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 3: In eighty eight. 363 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 2: While we get there, it isn't light. It's blown like crazy. 364 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 1: On the second to last day of competition at the 365 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:21,679 Speaker 1: eighty eight Summer Games, the conditions off Busan were a nightmare. 366 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: The wind speed approached forty miles per hour, which turned 367 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: the water into a swirling seesaw. Eight foot waves picked 368 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: up and dropped the boat down violently. Those conditions made 369 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: even the start of the race incredibly difficult, with each 370 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: boat attempting to hold its spot while being knocked around 371 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: by the weather and the water. 372 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 2: It was so windy and the wind in the current 373 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 2: had going opposite directions. The waves are really steep, to 374 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 2: the point where if you sailed into one, your boat 375 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 2: got completely filled with waters. 376 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: Lawrence says that all the sailors competing that day had 377 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,679 Speaker 1: to muster every ounce of strength to battle the wind 378 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: and constantly dump water out of their boats. 379 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 2: If we have a bailing bucket, and there's times and 380 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 2: the races, you'd have to stop and just start bailing 381 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 2: the water out because if you got hit by one 382 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 2: of these waves, the boat filled up in many ways. 383 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 7: I'm kind of surprised they were out there in thirty 384 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 7: five months. It wouldn't be these days. 385 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: Our sailing historian friend Mark Chisnell explains how those conditions 386 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: would impact sailors over the course of a competition. 387 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 7: And it's dark, you know, you get it tired very quickly, 388 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 7: especially because since stakes a cue and said, as you 389 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 7: get tired, your concentration goes, your physical reaction time goes, 390 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 7: and so you get into this vicious cycle. Yeah, one capsize, 391 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 7: you get back in the boat tired because you have 392 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,440 Speaker 7: to pull it up right, got to get it going again. 393 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:49,919 Speaker 7: And then that slows you down a little bit. If 394 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 7: you go in the second time, what if it gets 395 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 7: worse than if you go in the third time. You know, 396 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 7: by now you get really tired and you're starting to 397 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 7: get in trouble. And if you go in the fourth 398 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 7: and fifth time, world, that's when you start to need help. 399 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: But Lawrence was prepared to battle the elements. All those 400 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: years sailing, starting from the very beginning being the little 401 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: brother trying to keep up with his big brothers on 402 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: Wabaman Lake to training with the world's best was paying 403 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: off in that moment. The third of the way through 404 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: the race, Lawrence was in second place, but as he 405 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: turned his boat to go upwind, he saw something about 406 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,359 Speaker 1: one hundred yards away that you never want to see 407 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:30,400 Speaker 1: in rough waters. 408 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 2: We had just finished the first triangle, and that's when 409 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:38,120 Speaker 2: I noticed this four seventy that had started ten minutes 410 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 2: ahead of us. They had capsized and a two person boat, 411 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 2: but there was only one guy on the boat. He 412 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 2: had his upside down and he was just sitting there 413 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 2: holding onto the centerboard. So I knew something was wrong 414 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 2: because there should bet two guys there. 415 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 1: Lawrence was sharing the course that day with another race, 416 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: the two man sailing competition. The capsized boat was from 417 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: the Singapore Sailing team, floating miles off the coast of Busson. 418 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,239 Speaker 1: With each pole of the current and each push of 419 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,880 Speaker 1: the waves, the boat drifted further away from safety. 420 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 2: And they were basically had been drifting and they were washed, 421 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 2: basically washed off the racecourse to a point where nobody 422 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 2: might ever find them because they weren't in sort of 423 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 2: the race area. 424 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: This is the critical moment for Lawrence. He could have 425 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: continued racing, as he says some of his fellow competitors 426 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,840 Speaker 1: chose to do. It was possible that the capsized crew 427 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: from Singapore was fine. They were world class sailors like himself, 428 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 1: trained to survive in life threatening conditions, but the only 429 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,639 Speaker 1: way to know for sure was to sail off course 430 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: and effectively give up the race to get a good 431 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:03,119 Speaker 1: look for himself, and Lawrence says the number one rule 432 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: of sailing is if you see someone in trouble, you help. 433 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 2: I just happened to see the crew member that was missing. 434 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 2: He was floating in the water and it's just kind 435 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 2: of a little black head floating. 436 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 3: In the water. 437 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 2: And he got all these waves, and when he was 438 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 2: going to be lost at seeing nobody would find him. 439 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 3: But I happened to see him. 440 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: It's really a miracle that he spotted the missing sailor 441 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:28,679 Speaker 1: at all, considering the conditions. Lawrence describes the racecourse that 442 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:33,679 Speaker 1: day having huge orange booies floating around, which looked like 443 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: they disappeared when they fell to the bottom of a wave. 444 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: The booys were a much larger target to spot than 445 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: the head of an overboard sailor. 446 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 3: I pulled out of the race and I sailed over again. 447 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 2: It's still pretty drastic conditions, and I sailed by and 448 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 2: I kind of grabbed him by the back of his 449 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,640 Speaker 2: life jacket and flung him up into my boat. 450 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 3: The problem is my boat's a single handed vote. 451 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,760 Speaker 2: It's not made for two people. So I'm thinking, well, 452 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:02,720 Speaker 2: now what do I do? So I thought, well, the 453 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:04,399 Speaker 2: best thing I can do is take him back to 454 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 2: his capside boat where his skipper was. 455 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 3: Put him on the boat. 456 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,360 Speaker 1: Now, with the added weight from the rescued sailor, Lawrence 457 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: muscled his boat through the eight foot tall waves and 458 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: forty mile per hour winds. More and more water kept 459 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: pouring into his own boat. Lawrence went from a life 460 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: saving to a life threatening condition, but he combined his 461 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: unnatural level of determination, his focus, his years of experience 462 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,199 Speaker 1: to get all the way back to the capsized Singapore 463 00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: sailing boat. Once he got there, he realized that he'd 464 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: have to go on another mission. 465 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,199 Speaker 2: I managed to sail back with this guy in my 466 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 2: boat to his boat put him on the boat. 467 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 3: It turned out part of their problem was they lost 468 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 3: their rudder. 469 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 2: So I thought, well, if I can find their rudder, 470 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 2: then they might be able to write their boat and 471 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 2: keep going. 472 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 3: Even though the guy that I pulled out of the 473 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 3: water he had hurt his back a bit and the 474 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 3: skipper was bleeding. 475 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 2: But whatever, you should still that could probably sail back in. 476 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 2: So I started sailing up wind again to try to find. 477 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 3: Their rudder, and lo and behold, I found it well. 478 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,160 Speaker 2: So then I put it in the eyeboat, sailed back, 479 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 2: and I was just about to give them their rudder 480 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 2: back when my coach showed up. My coach knew that 481 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 2: I was doing well in the race because he's watching 482 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 2: through binoculars and whatnot, and all of a sudden, I 483 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 2: don't know where to be seen. So that's why he 484 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 2: was kind of looking for me. So when he found me, 485 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 2: he saw me rescuing this boat. So I gave him 486 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,119 Speaker 2: the rudder and he took over the rescue and I 487 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 2: just took off and continued racing. 488 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,640 Speaker 1: Eventually, a Korean Navy boat came by to pick up 489 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 1: the sailors from Singapore. Even with Lawrence's life saving diversion, 490 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: he still finished twenty first out of thirty two in 491 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: the race. Now, in nineteen eighty eight, we didn't talk 492 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: about stories going viral, but effectively word of Lawrence's life 493 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 1: saving rescue went viral. 494 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 2: I'm walking down to the boat park the next day 495 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 2: and there's all these containers around because everybody ships their 496 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:19,159 Speaker 2: boats and container my crooks. He's looking for me, and 497 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 2: he comes running around the corner goes, where have you been. 498 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 1: Lawrence's dramatic rescue on the rough waters of Bussan became 499 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: a huge story globally, especially so in his home country 500 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: of Canada. 501 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 3: I thought, oh my god, what happened? 502 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 2: Did they start race early or something? And he goes, 503 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 2: don't know come. So I walk around the corner and 504 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 2: there must have been one hundred journalists. They're all standing 505 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 2: around the camera as the interviews, like what is going 506 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 2: on here? 507 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:48,480 Speaker 3: It was pretty overwhelming. 508 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: Lawrence's focus heading into the nineteen eighty eight Olympics was 509 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: to win a medal, and while he didn't win a gold, silver, 510 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: or bronze, he ended up an even rarer honor. The 511 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: International Olympic Committee or IOC, has a special award called 512 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: the Pierre de Kubertine Medal. It was named after the 513 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 1: founder of the modern Olympics, given only to those athletes 514 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: who value sportsmanship above all else. The medal has only 515 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,959 Speaker 1: been given out a couple dozen times over the olympics 516 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: one hundred and thirty year history. The IOC decided Lawrence 517 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: was worthy of the honor and presented him with the 518 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: medal for his life saving act. In a way, his 519 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: decision to give up on his goal of medaling at 520 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 1: the Olympics has brought him a higher level of recognition 521 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: than most Olympic athletes ever reach. 522 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 2: Well, my whole goal was just to prove to myself 523 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 2: how far I could take something, how well I could 524 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 2: do if I really put my mind to it, so 525 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,920 Speaker 2: it didn't really matter that quite. I just wanted to 526 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:00,919 Speaker 2: do the best I could, learn as much as I 527 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 2: could and prove to myself what I could do. And 528 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 2: certainly that's coming handy in life in general, that I've 529 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 2: got a task to do it, I know I can 530 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 2: do it if I put my mind to it. 531 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: There's no question that competitive mentality, that drive to push 532 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 1: himself to his limits. It may not have led to 533 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: a place on the Olympic podium, but it certainly led 534 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,160 Speaker 1: to a place among Olympic legends. 535 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 4: All right, very special character. The obvious answer Lawrence Lemieux. 536 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 5: I mean it's Lawrence. 537 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:37,479 Speaker 6: Yeah, it has to be Laurence. 538 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 5: It's like, honestly, would feel rude to say else. Is 539 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 5: a very special character. 540 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 4: Thank you for spending all this time talking to us. 541 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 4: We're going to give it to Dave Letterman, though, I'm sorry, 542 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 4: gotta be him. Zaren, did you spend any time casting 543 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 4: this one? 544 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 6: I did. Actually I thought about it two ways. I'm 545 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 6: very excited because The Night Agent is back on Netflix. 546 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 6: I thought about the star of that one, Gabriel Basso. 547 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 6: I thought he would be good. But then I also 548 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 6: thought about it and I felt bad. Because I've cast 549 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 6: him before as Callum Turner, who's possibly the next James Bond. 550 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,960 Speaker 6: I thought he has just that classic leading man charisma 551 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 6: and he could hold a movie by himself, because most 552 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 6: of this movie, I imagine, would be him, you know, 553 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 6: in the sea and then trying to save people and 554 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 6: grabbing the rudder and so forth. So I thought he 555 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 6: could also be it. So either one of those, Calum 556 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 6: Turner or Gabriel Basso. 557 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: Callum Turner has a great face, and he's dating Dualipa. Right, 558 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 1: I'm married to Alipa. I think they're still dating. Yeah, 559 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: I don't think they've been fed yet. 560 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. 561 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 6: But by the way, I'm not a parent, but both 562 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:35,719 Speaker 6: of you are. Can you imagine allowing your five year 563 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 6: old child to go out sailing alone? 564 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 5: No, no, short answer, absolutely nuts. 565 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 4: I didn't think so, and then punishing him by grounding him. 566 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 4: But he was back out there a couple of days later. 567 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 4: I love that the grounding the last for one day. 568 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 4: I was surprised this hasn't been a movie before. Some 569 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 4: of these we get to the end and then realize, like, oh, 570 00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 4: in nineteen eighty seven it was a film. But this 571 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 4: I couldn't find any evidence that they've done it. That 572 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 4: can be his next act is getting this to the 573 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 4: big screen. 574 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 6: I think the guy Danny Boyle who did one hundred 575 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 6: and twenty seven hours, I think he could do a 576 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,760 Speaker 6: heck of a good job with this, like Man against 577 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 6: the cea kind of story. 578 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 5: Yeah, old Man in the Sea, Yes, exactly. 579 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 4: And if we can incorporate the Sesame Street characters somehow. 580 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:23,080 Speaker 6: Flashbacks, they're giving him the motivation to be his best 581 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 6: self and he's just remembering sitting there watching Sesame Street 582 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 6: as a kid. 583 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 4: Very Special Episodes is made by some very special people. 584 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 4: The show is hosted by Danish Schwartz, Zaren Burnett, and 585 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:40,280 Speaker 4: Jason English. Our senior producer is Josh Fisher. Today's episode 586 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 4: was written by Mike Smeltz, editing and sound design by 587 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:46,560 Speaker 4: Jonathan Washington, mixing and mastering by Josh Fisher. 588 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 8: Original music by Elise McCoy, Show logo by Lucy Kntania, 589 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 8: Social clips by Yarberry. Media executive producer is Jason English. 590 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 8: If you want to email the show, you can hit 591 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 8: us up at Very Special Episodes at gmail dot com. 592 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 8: We're gonna do another mailbag episode this spring, so you 593 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 8: can start Getting those questions in now very special episodes 594 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,280 Speaker 8: is a production of iHeart podcasts.