Name: Tom Sullivan, Jr.
Hometown: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Current town: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Major(s): Philosophy
Year by year boatings: 1992 Freshman Light 8; Varsity Light 8 1993-1995
FOHCMR: Let’s talk first about the major news, the announcement of the '95 lightweight boat in to the Hall of Fame. When did you hear about it? How long has the program been trying to get that boat into the Hall of Fame?
Tom: Over the years, I have heard that there were efforts to increase the number of rowers considered for the Hall of Fame. Compared to other sports, the numbers of rowers eligible for the HOF has been very small from what I understand. We have an outstanding rowing tradition and have had some excellent rowers that also deserve this recognition. My boatmates and I are happy to be recognized for our achievements, but I think we also view this as a recognition of the success of the program of which we were just a small part. It’s a great thing for the program, and I hope other rowers will receive the recognition they are due.
Did you ever feel singled out at HC rowing for your dad? Was he tougher on you? Did your teammates think you got special treatment?
Although people obviously knew I was his son, I never really felt singled out or that I received special treatment. He did threaten to take me out of the boat once when I banged my oar after a bad piece. Other than that, it all felt pretty normal. Perhaps it is because I grew up with HC crew and HC athletics, generally. As a kid, I spent most of my weekends around the campus. I would often go with my dad to practice or races, then I would have a hockey game at the HC rink, and then we would watch a football game or something later that same day. As a kid, I spent a lot of time around the HC Athletics facilities. I really admired the HC athletes, and especially the rowers on my dad’s teams like Bud Ermillio, Bill Henrikus, Mark Holowesko, Mike O’Neill, Bill Manning, Martha Strom, just to name a few. These and other rowers tolerated me and let me hang around the boathouse with them. Being around the team, actually seeing them trying to manage their school work, watching them practice and compete significantly impressed me. Personally, I had very high expectations for our performance because I thought that is what it meant to be part of the program based on what I had witnessed growing up around it.
How much do you stay in contact with your teammates from the 1995 boat?
Unfortunately, not as much as I would like. Even for those of us nearby to one another, it is hard to get together regularly with the time demands of kids, jobs, etc. But, there isn’t a day that goes by where I do not think of my HC rowing experiences. We had a very special group of people on the team -- an extremely committed and competitive group of people, who had very high standards.
Does this hold a special significance, especially with the loss of boatmate Matthew Burke?
Yes, definitely. Matt was an incredibly unique and interesting guy. He had very high standards. I loved being in the boat with him, and I know that this would mean a lot to him. He loved to compete. His loss is still very hard to comprehend. His death has reinforced for me just how special our team was during that time.
Where do you work right now? What are your responsibilities? How did you find the job?
I am an attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, which is a large national law firm. We handle every kind of legal issue. I am a litigator and work mostly on commercial and product liability matters, including class actions and other large-scale litigation in a variety of industries, but mostly in the life sciences.
Why did you decide to move to Philadelphia after HC? Where else have you lived?
I came to go to UPenn to do a J.D./Ph.D in Philosophy. I picked Penn because I knew I could at least continue rowing in some way. I initially did not expect to row more than recreationally. Between hockey and rowing at HC, I had gone to a practice, race, or game basically every day for four years. I went to school in England for a year after college and, although I went on some “outings” with the team there occasionally, I didn’t really get involved with the team. But, I had started to miss competing, and after returning from England, I got back to it, had some success, and I just kept going.
What was your experience like at the elite level rowing in Philadelphia? What clubs were you a part of? What were some of the highlights of your time a rower? What was the best boat you ever raced in?
Rowing in Philadelphia and being part of the Boathouse Row community is great. I’ve rowed only out of Undine Barge Club, but have made some great friends at other Philadelphia clubs and throughout the country. I have a lot of awesome rowing memories. I’ll never forget being at the start at my first World Championships—it was so quiet waiting for the buzzer and the intensity of the racing was awesome. I was fortunate to compete with a lot of good athletes in the club and national team system and won a lot of races, but my favorite races and victories are the ones from HC. No question. I can barely remember now what classes I took, but I have a vivid recollection of almost every stroke from certain races.
As a lawyer, do you have any spare time? If so, what do you do with it now?
My job is very demanding and keeps me very busy. I spend most of my free time now with my kids and watching and coaching them in their sports, which I love. Their schedules are crazy, but they all seem to really enjoy playing sports.
What skills, beliefs, and practices have you applied from HC (whether from in the classroom or on the water) to your life down in Philadelphia?
Without question, I rely on my HC athletic experiences in hockey and rowing every day. Commitment, tenacity and toughness – far more than technique or erg scores- were the strength of our boat and those attributes are what has made so many people from those teams successful today. Matt Burke is a great example. He saved and improved hundreds of lives, under fire, on the battlefield, using the latest surgical techniques. I think those attributes were – and still are- the defining characteristics of our boat and are the things I really believe in.
Favorite Sull story? (It can be embarrassing too!)
Ever since I would go out for practices with him (probably as young as 5 or 6, maybe younger), it struck me that he has enjoyed a unique relationship with launches and engines. I spent a lot of “quality time” with him in broken down launches learning new vocabulary words in the middle of Lake Quinsigamond. When I was on the team, I avoided putting the engine on the launch at all costs. I think all of my teammates thought I was lazy or unhelpful (or perhaps viewed it as special treatment!). The real answer is that I knew, through years of experience, that there is no upside to putting the engine on the launch. There’s only downside risk. There was no way I was coming near the engine because, sooner or later, I knew it would break down, or end up at the bottom of the Lake with my dad in the launch. My reluctance to put the engine on the launch was really an act of self-preservation.
Nicely done, Tom. Couldn't have said it better myself. Except the truth is he moved to Philly because he knew he wanted his children to grow up and say "wooder".
ReplyDelete