A San Francisco writer once described Mike Teti as the most misunderstood man in crew racing. “I don’t know how that can be,” laughed the UC Berkeley coach, one of the most winning coaches in the water sport. “But I guess I’m pretty direct. Maybe its because of my opinions.” He will frankly tell you Cal’s season might be a “work in progress” after losing four of his strong oarsmen through graduation. Opposing coaches may be skeptical, however, and regard Teti’s statement as camouflage. “Hopefully, we’ll get there by the end of the year as the additions improve,” he said. “I don’t think we are where we were last year. As my mom would say, ‘Some people need a little more love.’” Cal’s skipper has only positive things to say about the San Diego Crew Classic, where his “rebuilt” featured eight will face eight rivals at Mission Bay on April 2 and 3. “Honestly, it’s just a great event,” he said. “The way they take care of the athletes. Always great weather. We look forward to going there every year. As long as I’m the coach, we’ll come every year.” Crew strength may have swung to the West Coast with Washington, Stanford and his Cal Berkeley team, but he says these things run in cycles, and he expects the eastern colleges to be challenging again. Teti is a 12-time national team member and a three-time Olympian. From 1977 to 1993, he won 24 national titles, a silver medal at the 1979 Pan American Games in the four, and bronze and gold medals in the eight at the world championships. He is a longtime coaching fixture at the national level, serving on the U.S. staff at the World Championships and Olympic Games regularly since 1996. He coached the U.S. men’s eight to nine world championship medals during that time period, including four gold medals in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2005. So he knows the drill. When asked about the number of medals he’s won, he answers: “Who knows? It’s the memories that count. Rowing has been good to me and I’ve met a lot of close friends. I like the associations and camaraderie. There are two medals at home for which he can’t claim. His wife, then Kay Worthington, a world-class rower, won two gold medals in the women’s four and eight at the 1992 Barcelona, Spain Olympic Games.
