There are some restrictions, however. The Grinkos are living in an apartment overlooking the Savannah River and the coach has taken advantage of its lofty view. He has a habit of using a pair of field glasses to check on sculling techniques from 13 floors up. In the former Soviet Union and elsewhere in Europe, rowers get acclimated to sculling at an early age. Not so in this country, where sweep teams dominate the rowing scene.
Scullers use two oars, sweep oarsmen pull just one.
Grinko hopes to start a junior sculling school in the area. Another problem in the United States, the coach points out, is the sport's public perception. It could get a popularity boost similar to the one gymnastics experienced after the highly publicized success of the Soviet Union's Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympics. It hinges upon the success of America's crews vs. international competition in future international regattas, including the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Producing world-class scullers is Grinko's No. 1 challenge.