New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-29
LIE ENGLISH STROKE.
HOW IT Is REGARDED AT YALE.

ROBERT J. COOKS EXPERIENCE-AMATEUR VERSUS
PROFESSIONAL
The supremacy of what is generally known
the English stroke be now Acknowledged, BY
amateur oarsmen At least. Yale, the college which
the first to introduce H. the first TO fall from grace
when Harvard and other colleges made up their minds
that IL the only by whicS 20 win For
two years Yale has been fast stroke taught at
the hands 1t is said Of Mike" Davis, bot this year
it has repented dismissed Nr. Davis and adopted tine
English stroke with enthusiasm.
At the last monthly meeting or the Yale Alumni at Del
m0nco's broadshoudered, handsome man, who looked
something under tairty, STOOD at Chauneey NJ Depew's
left hand and told the alumni all he knew about the Eng
fish strske He Robert J. Cook, of'76 formerly cap
tain of the Yale boat. lie said:
There seems general interchange of ideas the
subject OF college athletics going on Just now and the
eoneges seem eqt~lIy Uyiced as tse pGss
PORT seems TO be whether the under
athletics in their fashion. As far my experience
the students learn nothing from any Faculty In
self Is In 1872 whez we came in az sprngheld last OF
six Something, it evident, was Notwithstanding
better than then had. The idea struck THAT Har
ward had beaten bu Oxford had beaten Harvard and
that therefore the best thing could do was TO go 70 OK
ford and learn bow they did H. ~ was decded that
should 60 was received in London by g. W. smaLey,
o. 53, who, though not rowing na1 himself, TOOK great
the London Rowing Club, and very was in boat
making my first experiment was soon tod
sriy didn't hoia my back properly; eidnt place
my feet properly didn't hnish property; In fact,
/ wrong from the top OF my head 70 my
toes. Then was shown how 10 remedy all this. was
properly adjusted In TIE boat and felt the change In hs
hour, and at the end Of bad the eOnviet0s
that the ext would he by Yale. Then 1 went
opportunity Afforded me OF observing the faults OF begin
ners and how they were remeded Then went to Oxford
and repeated the experience. SO : home well
charged with the English system and found my hardest
task in gaining converts At Yae There no boats no
bOat-house aud no funds. But fastened old yawI in
the used that 10 teach my with Theerew
ef73 wo ed hard but it only three or our days De-
fore the ts struck the Of the systsm
We were laughed at by the press and rtdeuled by
the Othsr colleges Our stroke was called the
daT OF reckoning came. Each man felt
though h were CHARGED With dynamite and after the
the through the faster and with fewer strokes
than any boat on the river.
Captain Cook then discussed the question Of profes
soua trainers regards boating. and declared unhes
atngy against them. He then traced the gradual intro
ducton Of the English stroke among the other colleges
and the nvarabe attending s practice and the
inval1able failure attendant on its disuse He read
long extract from TRIBUNE article OF April 1867, and
paid high compliment to the wgter, MIR. 5naey. Part
Of the article follows:
the business OF pulling races has been seduiJusiy
RTca }B coe rssftas date rom the cTGe race
pulled in 1882 IN New-Hampshire and that 10 serious
training tin many years after Is IL reasonable TO sup
pose have done much in ten years a. the ENGLISH
system . Some day all this viii be changed.
While IL L. not changed ought not 70 dream OF
matching ourselves against men who have exhausted
every resource in bringing their art 70 perfection.
One OF the alumni well-knOwn ss having az active In
terest in the college athletics, said recently:
look upon the adoption OF the En- gsh stroke in
direct vote OF the undergraduates favor OF amateur
against professional coaching The sooner Jhe proIes
sIonal is got rid o. In college sports the better The
stroke known the English stroke ia the only
ranted by coEmon sense Harvard has very strong
crew this year. otherwise think Yale would have very
rupd 81 ANYHOW L
win than 1t would be If our boys rowing their Old
stroke.