The Village Voice: Features: Sex in the First Person: Girl From the North Country by Peter Gambaccini That summer, we took up residence in a house on the left bank of the Connecticut River, on whose placid waters the U.S. Men's Olympic rowing team was training. Each morning at 7, Christl and I would wake to the coxswain's call�"Stroke! Stroke!"�approaching from downriver. Each morning, we obeyed that command.