Golden Summer

A summer internship in New York City? Working a retail job in his native Buffalo?

No, for senior Steve Coppola, a typical college student summer just wasn't going to cut it. Coppola had a better idea: become a world champion rower at the tender age of 21.

And so it was that on the morning of Sept. 4, Coppola sat in a boat in Gifu, Japan, waiting to begin the biggest race of his life. Alongside him sat seven other rowers, all college graduates. Together, they formed the United States men's heavyweight eight, sent across the globe to compete in the most prestigious event of the 2005 FISA World Championships.

The U.S. boat had won its preliminary heat and now waited to race for the gold on the final day of competition at Nagaragawa International Regatta Course. The American crew got off to a quick start, but Russia stayed close. At 500 meters, the United States led by less than half a second.

As Russia fell back midway through the race, Italy and Germany began to pick up the pace. Despite this push, the United States. kept its small advantage over Italy heading into the final 500 meters.

"[With 700 meters left], I wasn't ready to admit to myself that we were going to win," Coppola said, "but then my teammate behind me said, 'All right, Steve, two minutes left,' and I thought to myself, 'We can do this.' "

With the finish line in sight, the U.S. boat inched away from the rest of the field to cross the line in five minutes, 22.75 seconds — 1.26 seconds in front of Italy.

"I was ready to cry," Coppola said, "when I saw our flag raised and [heard] our national anthem played."

Long road to Japan

Only three months earlier, Coppola didn't know if he was even going to get a chance to compete in the eight in Japan. He had been selected at the end of the spring by the U.S. coaches as one of 16 potential rowers. The coaches' goal was to find the best eight boat and two fours.

Once school ended last spring, Coppola stayed in Princeton to work out at Shea Boathouse, the home of both the Tigers and the national team. After days of side-by-side racing in small boats, the coaches made their decision: the team of four that medaled in Athens would be thrown into the eight along with four other rowers, one of whom was Coppola.

As the team geared up for its final preparations, it moved its headquarters to a slightly quieter boathouse at the Mercer training center before jetting to Japan on Aug. 20. Upon arrival in Japan, the U.S. eight boat certainly was not favored in the race, which was still nearly two weeks away.

"Initially, we were seeded because half of our boat was returning champions," Coppola said. "I don't think anyone really expected us to do well. Italy and Germany had each won a World Cup event, and Canada's boat was filled entirely with people returning from the Athens Olympics."

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Nonetheless, the team continued the training regimen that had been beating the rowers' bodies up to four hours a day for the previous two months in New Jersey — or it tried to continue, at least. Unfortunately, a typhoon was scheduled to make landfall in Gifu, so the teams could not practice in the water for the first few days. Once the typhoon passed harmlessly and the Japanese officials declared the course safe, the rowers got off the ergs and into their boats.

Familiar face

As it turned out, the U.S. crew's hard work paid off. Just over a week later, the U.S. eight found itself shining brightest on the medal dock, the unlikely world champions.

As Coppola walked off the medal dock and into the athletes' rest area in a foreign land, a familiar face was the first to congratulate the newly crowned world champion: Curtis Jordan, Princeton's men's heavyweight coach. Jordan had not traveled to Japan to coach Coppola, as he had for the past three years, but to coach the U.S. lightweight double.

"[Jordan] was very conscious of who was coaching me at all times," Coppola said. "He sort of wanted to step back and let the other coaches take me in the direction that they wanted to."

On that day, Jordan was a spectator — a mentor proudly watching his pupil. And to a tired Coppola, yearning to return to the States after just over two weeks in Japan, Jordan's congratulatory embrace 6,700 miles from home proved to be a fitting end to the experience.

Of course, Coppola doesn't expect his rowing career to end any time soon. With hopes of using this world championship win as a springboard, he plans to continue training in Princeton after graduation with the goal of making the U.S. team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Before Coppola can shift his focus to the Olympics, though, he has one more goal to accomplish in the immediate future.

"I'd like to win a national championship [at Princeton]," Coppola said. "I learned a lot [this summer] about [great rowers'] attitudes about training and racing. You have to have fun, but when it is time to work you go to work, and it's all business."

Combine that valuable lesson with a gold medal as a parting gift, and the conclusion is quite simple: Steve Coppola had the world's coolest summer internship.