The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-04
Blues Prospects Are Now
Much Brighter.
This Is Due to Bob Cooks
Careful Coaching.
Ellis Athletes Expected TO Make a
Front Mark at Henley.


ent year began Yale's prospect for sue
cessful boating season looked dark. The
unpleasant break with Harvard arising out
of the football game of '9l deprived Yale
of her old time contest upon the water.
There were several directions IN which
the management would turn for q race.
Many wanted to challenge Cornell, but
the majority of the graduates were op-
posed to this. Then the question OF
whether or no application should be
made to enter the great four-cornered race
with Pennsylvania, Harvard, Columbia
and. Cornell was agitated. his proposl-
lion was met with approval by the uni
versity as a whole, and by the crew men
also, but the traditional policy OF the
navy'was opposed 10 this and as tradition
al policy with Yale counts good deal
this. plan was finally dropped.
Meanwhile Robert j. Cook and several
of the prominent graduates were maxi
ing private inquiries as to Yales'
chances OF getting a match with the win
ner of the Oxford Cambridge race. This
has been the goal of every Yale oarsman's
ambition for years--to test over a four
mile course the stroke, which has won so
many victories in American waters, with
that OF the English style, from which
Mr.. Cook has evolved that stroke with
WHICH MS nHIlC 10 .AuNF1CtS NtI6
made officially to Oxford and Cam bridge,
but the Englishmen did not seem very
anxious to have a meeting and the differ
ence in the seasons created difficulties that
were insurmountable. Yale could not
get in condition as early as March, nor
could the Englisbman keep in training
two weeks after the Henley regatta, in
which the members of both crews will
~De contestants, so the hope of four mile
race had to be Abandoned. Every outside
force was brought to bear to have Yale
then enter the big four race end a race
with Columbia was even talked of, when
to the surprise of everyone. even TO those
closely connected with boating at Yale,
the management announced thnt there
was good possibility of entering the
Royal Henley regatta. This announcement
was made before there were any definite
arrangements, because the work of the
crew candidates had become somewhat
Indifferent with no definite object of their
labors in view.
Bob Cook, who is at the head OF Yales'
rowing Interests RAe-aifeets every
thing in this branch OF the athletics,
took entire charge of the Henley matter,
and as soon as there appeared to be a
strong possibility of Yale's entering the
regatta, MIR. Cook assumed entire charge
of the men.
The training has been going on along
tue sdfUe the last
ten years. except that the severity OF
the work was lightened in accordance
with the recent policy OF reducing as
much as possible the drudgery and strain
of athletic training. There was the re-
gular run of from three to seven miles,
the Is minutes of hard gymnastic work,
and finally, the row in the tank which
usually lasted from 20 to 45 minutes.
This monotonous work was kept up, rain
or shine, snow or sleet, from the 11tb Of
January until the middle OF March when
the crew went to the harbor for regular
work.
AS soon as Mr.. Cook took charge he
ordered a slight change in the tank work.
In former years the crew had been gradu-
ally and slowly trained up to row "a to
36 stroke for four miles, and the tank
work for this style of a race was too slow
for a short race such as Henley. Mr.. Cook
made the candidates row as high as 81
strokes to the minute in the tank by not
burying the blade so deeply, and such a
thing had never been heard of. Immedi-
ately there was hue and cry raised that
there would be a radical change in the
long tried end satisfactory Cook stroke,
ana few graduates even went so far as
TO protest against this proposed change.
But there was no radical change made,
nor was there any dissension among the
graduate advisors, as several reports have
stated.
The result OF the startling innovation
In the training was simply to quicken
the men up. AS endurance was not to
play an important part in this seasons
work, no time was wasted in this line.
The men were not worked so long as
usual, but they were required TO be on
their toes-to use bit of sporting par
lance--all the time they were working.
The material for an eight was never bet
ter. Thirty-hve lusty candidates, all OF
whom bad had seasons work at least
Oh their freshmen crews, started In, and
20 were retained until the Easter recess.
The official axe again fell on the heads OF
four more aspirants for n seat in the boat.
Nc further reduction was made until the
middle OF May, when the services of three
more men were dispensed with, thus the
present squad was left OF the 30 who
started in two months ago.
No Yale crew has ever had such an
amount of skilled cosohing spent upon
them in this length OF time. Such men
as John Rogers, Sherwood Ii. Ives, DR..
Percy Bolton, Fred A. johnson, George
A. Adee, Al Cowles, Richard Armstrong
and many lesser lights have assisted Cap
tain Treadway once or twice n week