New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-03
LESSONS or THE BOATRACE.

The result Of the boat-racc at Ncw-London
proves once more that strength, endurance,
forttude and devotion, essential Is they are 10
success. are not sufficient. The Yale oarsmen
slipped away from their powerful rivals at the
start and won with ease because they had mas
tered the art of rowing. The Harvard men
worked hard and cOurageOusly, but all their
force and vitality and determination were
wasted because they had not learned to row
The same lesson has been taught TO both col
leecs over and over again. The record OF the
last six races seems to show that 1t has been
pretty thoroughly learned at Yale though there
is no proof that it may not be occasionally for
gotten hereafter, as il was last year.
II is to the interest of Craftsmanship and Of
all who love to watch these beautiful aquatic
contests that tho superiority OF certain style
of rowing should be acknowledged. That the
so-called Cook stroke is the scientific stroke
and must win against any other when the rest
of the conditions are the same has been demon
strated at New-London in seventeen successive
races. The Yale crews that have lost have
not rowed the Cook stroke. Some of them have
deliberately discarded it, and some have tried
in vain 10 acquire it in perfection, but it has
never once been discrcditcd. Last year lIar
ward adopted it, and dsastrousy defeated a
Yale crew that had not succeeded in mastering
il. This year the Harvard oarsmen thought
they knew better. and on Friday they frittcred
away their superb powers in hopeless struggle
to overtaSe their lighter and weaker antago-
nists, who had learned the difficult and deli
cate art from its chief master and exponent
and applied it with exquisite precision. 1t is
much 70 be desired that the same stroke, and,
because it is the true one, the Cook stroke,
should be adopted By all the college boat clubs
whose representatives compete upon the
Thames Tho quality of the crews would then
determine the result year after year, as it does
with Oxford and Cambridge. There would 10
fewer surprises, fewer professions" and con-
sequcntly Tower hearbreaking disappointments
for the gallant young gentlemen who sacrifice
so much in such fine spirit Of devotion.
One reason why tho Cook stroke has not been
more generally adopted, and why it has some
times seemed to fail, is that it is not easily
mastered. To vindicate its superiority it must
be perfectly rowcd. An imitation is worthless.
That was the trouble with Yale last year, as
we have said The Ncw-IIaven crew meant to
row it, but before they had travorsed one-haf
of the distance they were showing to the be-
wildered spectators all tho strokes that were
ever rowed except the one which they had
been trying to learn But this is not valid
objection, for if no counter opinions and cross
purposes prevailed against the plain teaching
of experience there would always be sufli-
cient reserve OF knowledge and skill in the col
legcs to draw upon for tho building Mp OF n
satisfactory eight
! There is another truth to which it some
times seems as if college captains and trainers
gave too little consideration, and that is the
real character OF the work intrusted to them
Rowing is a delicate art and the mastery OF
| it is rare and difficult. Some persons can learn
to play the violin, but the vast majority can
not. SO it is with rowing. and " main strength