The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-05

oMEN UG 1ALIH ANA MsSAA
How the Athl.tes Of tho .Blue,' 49, ~
"Crimasn" Tsain. N#N#sS
Written for THs HELENA INDnrnFDrtr. y SssHs
yyV-fHAT WOULD YOU BOY6RTHINX
il beginning with the 1ifst IN S4gs
oYsxD January you had % eo ~ scAeals
seven times q week? It absence S0f ai6tAS
day for any other reason shan sicknss4S
positively would not be tolsratsd7 A1d ttAs
this beginning Of spring and summer vAeAs2s
ton meant tho beginning simply o. len2ss
hours and harder work? Wonld yo1 800
life mot worth living?
And yet this 10 exactly shs sort Of tAine
TO which each year q SCORE OF younR ef1nsa
tho very men who by reason of shot1
physical strength feel the restraint raots
than ~others-submit. and submit willingly
and gladly. The school thsy attend ~ aha
Rymnasium; 1 heir Rotations ars ksld M
an eieht-oarsd shell, and their hnai s1arn~
nation over . four-mile course m tho
river Thames at New London. Conn, be-
fore a score Of thousand yelling. half from
zied spectators, who line the river banks
follow on the water in steamboats, md ~
the shore by Mains and oEsn cars.
The work IT the athletes In whose handa
nes tne Do0tlNR I0pUSntiOn =! ASsg 4@m#
Harvard begins in earnest immediately
after tho Christmas vacation. though f0x
weeks before the men have been taking
preliminary exercise. There are but et9htg
seats for oarsnen in each boat, but peShep1%E
fifty or sixty candidates. apply Tor shis pesss
The athletes are first taken to the aymMa~
SUM, where their muscles are hardened ~
constant exercise. The wind y improved
by running, care being taken Of courss thae
an~n - - ~ae.t1~ M1rAhaA AaH&aA hAE
atarts. and that he 10 well rubbed and dried
before he resumes his ordinary cost1ynes
On Sundays the discipline 10 relaxed some-
what and the men are required 10 take only
long walks.
vised '~'rivers' in the Rymnasisna Each
university has = large rowing . In whionN
is fixed the boat" The watsr paase6
through troughs whom thu oars begin tNS
work. and 1 current y established 6owine
offered BY tho water TO the oars may net
DO too great, large holes arc cut ~ o. ca4t
blades. NJ
Here the men are tsught Tho rrinasx
seats are fastened, and day aftss dAy IN
weeks the mon are coached" ~ ths eorsR
rect method of using the arms and swina~
ing the body.
About tho middle of February o. shs nyst
of March, out-of-door rowing u bsgun-
not in . shell. bnt in = heavy barge. nv
this time the three-acore candidates have
been reduced to q dozen or fifteen. First.
the men who show slack Of intoraat afe
told they need train no longer. Then ~
those who though willing have n0t the
weight and strength to make them avail
able.
Once on the water tho men begin Win =
very slow stroke. Individually N ~
pairs and BY Fights the mon are taught ~
masters Of the stroke who come from BOs-
ton, Now York, Philadslphia and even Chi
cago. The stroke. 10 disssctsd and each
past of it is explained until the oarsmAn
knows the stroke from A to Y. Brute i0rre
alone oannot make . boat goat lsast NOT
dinned and hammered into the hsada 0e
the men who want to do all the work with
their muscles until thsy forgst that tney
have such a quality az strength.
From the barge the crew steps into the
light, cranky. paper or cedar shell. Then
the trouble begins anew. In their efforts
to keep the shell from rolling, the MON
seem to forget everything they rave ever
learned. Gradually, however, they become
accustomed to their new seats, and then
more delicate points Of the stroke and ~
teach the men uniformity in .heir work.
that the whole eight may row ~ I ainglS
man.
soon az possible. Harvard, particularly
makes this a point, to decide early 3
the oxrsmsn who will represent h~r "a III
Thames. II il an open secret that tho eAsyr
victory of the crimson over the blue last
summer was due in . great measure 70 ~
fact that the eighs oarsmen who won ~
race had Eeen working and rowing Together
since the February preceding. Yaless e1oV.
on the contrary. had mot been de3nitoly
chosen to within y month Of ths RAGS.
There are many names that will hAa0ma
familiar TO the boy who reads rowing news
this year. There is Capt. Bob Cook. thos
father OF Yale's stroke, Who runa nm to NsWt
Haven from Philadelphia - often - poeai-s
BILE to give the crew the benett of kis "a
John Rogers and 6lfrsd Cswlss. also Z !
captains Of the Yale navy, will Be thars "
carry out Cooks instructions. AZ Cara
bridge the most familiar namea will n
those of Charley Adams. Harry Ksyes ma
Captain Perkins, OF last years victostou1
Grew.
Then there arc tho captains Of this years
crews. Few. even of Yale mon. would
recognize, under the name Of John Apcus-
tus hartwell. the athlete who for dve years
on the water az old Josh HArswsli. Cant.
Hartwell entered college In 1856. when ~
was but 10 years old. He has rowsd IL
three victorious crews, those OF '88, 80 and
80, and he played last fall on she foot ball
Princeton and Harvard. Capt. HartwelI II
six feet two inches tall, and weighs l70
pounds.
Captain Kelton, Of Harvard, though MAJ
so well known 70 thu outside world - Cas-
tain Hartwell. IL every ounce an athlete.
and that means a great deal. whom one e0ns
siders his weight of more than 100 pnunda.
PA" kelton, a. he 10 known 10 HafynrI
men. y . scholar a. we'll as an Athlsta ina
whom he 10 graduated this summer NJ I'M
DO very near the head Of his class. thoniE
he has taken his four years college eoaSse
IN three. WALTka g. OOW1s.