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Carie Graves

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Carie Graves
Graves in 1984
Personal information
Full nameCarie Brand Graves
BornJune 27, 1953 (1953-06-27)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedDecember 19, 2021 (2021-12-20) (aged 68)
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight77 kg (170 lb)
Sport
SportRowing
ClubBoston Rowing Club[1]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Eights
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Montreal Eights
World Rowing Championships
Silver medal – second place 1975 Nottingham Eights

Carie Brand Graves (June 17, 1953 – December 19, 2021) was an American rower and collegiate rowing coach. Competing in the women's eights, she won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics and a bronze in 1976.[2] She was also in the crew that in 1975 won the first national championship won by a University of Wisconsin varsity women's team.

Early life

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Carie Graves was born in Madison, Wisconsin to parents Robert and Dyrele (Derry) Graves. Carie grew up in Wyoming Township near Spring Green, Wisconsin, and she attended River Valley High School. Her paternal grandparents had moved to the Spring Green area in the 1930s from South Dakota so that Ben Graves, her grandfather, could take up a position as the land and farm manager at the renowned Taliesin. Her father, Robert Graves, had rowed for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Derry Graves, who came from a circus family in Baraboo, Wisconsin, was a trained registered nurse. In the late 1960s, she worked as a nurse at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, while Robert farmed.

College

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Graves's first experience with rowing was as a walk-on when she was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the fall of 1973. In the spring of 1975 her team won the women's national championships in Princeton, New Jersey. Her first international success came in 1975 when she won a silver medal in the eight-oared shell at the World Championships, as part of what came to be known as the "Red Rose Crew", coached by Harry Parker.[3]

Nike World Games

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In 1998, Graves and her three sisters competed in team rowing at the Nike World Games under the name Team Four Sisters. One of Graves' sisters is Leslie Graves, founder of the Lucy Burns Institute.[4]

Olympics

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Graves qualified for the 1976 Olympic team in the eight and won an Olympic bronze medal, the first time women's rowing was included in the Olympics.[1] Graves continued to row and train during her tenure as head rowing coach for women at Harvard/Radcliffe, the first female Head Rowing Coach in the United States. She was a member of the 1980 Olympic team, rowing in the eight that won the Lucerne International Regatta over East Germany, but was unable to compete due to the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.[5] Her last Olympic competition was at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California where she won a Gold Medal on the women's eight team.[3]

Other competitions

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In 1981 Graves was the six-oar for the women's eight that finished second at the World Championships in Munich. Also in 1981 she and her teammates raced in a four and won at the Henley Royal Regatta. This was the first time women were allowed to race at Henley.[1]

Coaching

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After earning a Master's from Harvard, Graves went back to coaching in Boston at Northeastern University for 10 years. She then was recruited by the University of Texas, Austin to start their new rowing program in 1998. As coach of the Longhorns, Graves led the team to four consecutive Big 12 Conference championships between 2009 and 2012. She retired from coaching in 2014.[3]

Personal life and death

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Graves died on December 19, 2021, at the age of 68.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Carie Graves". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Moe, Doug. "Losing a legend: Celebrated Olympian and UW–Madison crew star Carie Graves dead at 68". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "In Memoriam: Carie Graves". Texas Sports. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  4. ^ "Sisters doing it for themselves". Associated Press. August 15, 1998. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  5. ^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
  6. ^ "Rowing Legend Carie Graves Has Passed at 68". row2k.com. December 20, 2021. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.