Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09

Prom the New York World
The papers Saturday throughout the country
neraied faies great victory over Harvard on
the Thames, and today Yale meu are rejoicing
and singing the praises of their Bob" Cook,
who for the past seven years has failed but once
to prove that his ideas Of rowing contain all The
elements essential to success
And well may they sing. The Harvard osrs-
men showed plainly their physical superiority.
So this made il the more evident that Il was =
a thorough mastery Of the principles Of the
Cook stroke which alone won the day. In Eiev
OF this and the fine record made in the past Il
may prove interesting TO note Q brief descrip-
ton of the stroke
The Cook stroke, 80 known. was the crea-
ton OF Bob" Cook through a special study of
English university rowing, together with an ex.
perience OF five years as oarsman in Q Yale
boat. And put to the test in recent years BY
several successfully winning crews at Yale IL hAs
become of worldwide reputation. In the
spring OF 1873 Mr.. Cook, becoming dissa tisfed
with the American idss Of how 10 handle an oar
made trip to England. and there by diligeni
study and by daily toll in an English shell, with
the best OF coaching. mastered the English idea,
which he subsequently Americsnized to suit the
difterel At conditions OF shell, sweep and oar lock
and, with Q number of changes suggested from
time to time, finally evolved what Il today &C.
cepted with implicit faith the get there" or
winning stroke.
practice, but the different movements which
comprise 1t may be proved by figures 10 be 3uss
the ones to produce the best results. There Il
recorded but one written description Of the
stroke, and this appears in the log book Of the
Yale University crew, by Percy Bolton, sc, and
IL nee aIa IL.
sole personal supervision OF same. We're II 70
be published the standard Of American rowing
would be vastly improved But rs this seems
unlikely, In view of Ysles proverbial closeness
In regard TO such secrets, il then remains for
some one who has thoroughly mastered il in
practice to describe il.
On such q basis, then, the one UNDERLYING
principle OF the "Cook stroke" or indeed OF
crew rowing, consists in the acquisition of the
highest degree of skill-skill being that which
enables one to win-and in its turn, skill de-
pending upon form" which implies an elimi-
nation OF all movements which do not tend
directly or indirectly to propel the boat. But
form not only embraces the adoption of correct
movements, but the science Of application of
power 80 regulated that certain muscles are
resting while Others are doing their allotted
work. and vice versa, as. for example, the strsin
OF the heive should be followed by a Taxation
OF the muscles chiefly concerned. The grip of
the oar in like manner must be relaxed at a
certain stage.
One of the most difficult points TO master in
acquiring good form is the transferring of
weight from one set of muscles to another-at
the same time-so to blend the changes that a
continuous stroke is the result. That is TO say.
the finish OF the stroke should be SO blended
with the recover that no hitch or stop Is appa-
rent The catch, in like manner, should be 80
blended with the heaye that one continuous
movement only is noticeable
The path which the blade takes as the direct
result OF u continuous stroke is aptly illustrated
by body working in an elipfically vertical
plane, IN tra-distinction TO one working In q
rectangular one, where there would be stops or
bitches at the angles
OF course the blade should 20 into the water
nearly perpendicular to the surface. This ID
seif-evideEt. But experience goes a step fur
ther and teaches US that the beyel OF the blade
should incline slightly aft the perpendicular.
A crew, then, having good form would pre-
sent the picture of wcII-regulated machine.
the different parts Of which worked in perfect
unison. That is TO ray, the crew would
row as one man, all catching at precisely ths
same time, carrying the stroke through aud
recovering together. And. to sum up, 1t is this
pulling together, or unison of power, which
constitutes the keystone of crew rowing and Il
absolutely necessary to speed and success.
The stroke may be studied under tvo heads
the stroke proper and the recover. The stroke
proper begins at full reach" as