Evening star., 1896-12-12
COLLEGIATE ROWING
Prospects Of Resuming the Yale
Harvard Race.
CHANCES OF A FIVE-CREV CONTEST
Experiments With English Oars
and Stroke.
CURRENT SPORTING NOTES

boat race between Yale and Harvard
next year is not certain as the re-estab-
fshment of friendly relations between the
students of those institutions would indi-
cate Yale Is opposed to entering the four
crew race at Poughkeepsie and Harvard
is disinclined to row two races. The GRIM
son crew will. Of course, row Cornell, for
Il two years agreement was made to do so.
Yale wants to row the New London
course. the scene of the many victories of
the blue, while Harvard Is naturally op-
posed to rowing at Poughkeepsie and also
at New London. A member of the Har-
ward athletic committee says:
1T seems very probable at present that
triple race will be rowed by Harvard,
Yale and Cornell. 1t Is improbable that
Yale will enter the present arrangement
of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Cornell and
Harvard, and the alternative is a dual
race with Harvard. Whether Harvard can
row two races will depend on Mr. Leh-
mann's decision
To race at New London the Harvard
crew would have to row on two courses
at short intervals. Although the differ
ence in the courses is not extreme. vet
the crew would have some difficulty in be-
coming accustomed to both.
If 1t would be found impracticabie, Yale
will probably give way, and in addition to
at Poughkeepsie
Rowing Affairs at Yale are still some
what in state of expectancy. Mr.. Cook
said that while it is practically settled
that Yale and Harvard will come together
on the water next year none of the i'm
portant details have yet been arranged.
The progress of the relations between
Harvard and Yale is being closely watched
by the University of Pennsylvania.
Ii is generally felt that no matter what
terms are agreed upon between the two
colleges there will be a four-cornered race
at Poughkeepse next year. with Harvard,
Cornell, Columbia and Pennsylvania as
contestants.
Harvard has a friendly feeling for the
Quakers. and 1t is not thought at Pennsyl-
vania there is much danger of the Phila-
deiphians being dropped by the Cambridge
oarsmen.
Pennsylvania supporters will be pleased
to have the Yale crew enter, and If an
invitation will insure their acceptance
there will be little delay in sending one.
The Pennsylvania crew will start row.
ing in the tank within a few weeks and
Coach Ellis Ward has some first-class ma
terial to work on. His series Of class races
has brought out a large number of new
men. and these, with members of the old
crew. will, give him an abundance of ma
terial from which to select his men.
Cornell men are deeply interested in the
arrangement of races the coming year.
The navy management Is in favor of
race similar to the successful event of last
July.
With her double victory of last year Cor
nell is no longer desirous of challenging
Yale to a race. but if Yale should desire
admission to any race in which Cornell
is contestant the Ithaca boys will be too
Sportsmanlike to raise an objection.
AS President Schurman said: "All Cor
nell asks is fair field and no favor"
Walter B. Peet, Columbia's famous row.
ing coach. will probably have control of
the Columbia's crew next spring. Columbia.
the winner of the 80 race at Poughkeepsie,
and the only college in this country that
has ever won a boat race abroad, will be
glad to have Yale enter the PouShkeepsie
race. -.
Whether or not Yale and Harvard meet
in a boat race much interest will center in
the contests in which they will take part
next season Both have adopted English
methods in rowing to some extent, and
there will be curiosity as to their effect.
The experiment is bred of disappointment.
Harvard had an exceptionally fine eight
last year, and its defeat by Cornell was a
severe blow. The feeling spread that If,
with such crew, defeat came the cause
was the system of rowing Used, and not
he crew. ThereuDon it was decided to Sc
cure English coach and adopt English
methods. Lehman, the English ra.srnan,
was secured, and he has been coaching
Harvards men. Introducing more body
swing and shorter slide. Narrower and
longer oars have been adopted but the
men sill sit In q line over the center as i'm
amer icti Dod'9. ~ teSt was recently made
at Cambridge of the progress made under
Coach Lehmann's instruction, and, although
he is said to have been highly pleased. the
result cannot be said to indicate much In
a race of mile and seven-eightns one crew
defeated the other about a length. OF
course. this was ascribed to the effect of
the English stroke, but it might as well IL.
ascribed 10 the physique of the winners
Bob Cook of Yale watched the race be-
tween the two Harvard crews in company
with Mr.. Lehman, and was given every
opportunity to see the first results of the
English coaching.
Mr.. Cook believes that his stroke and the
broad American oars defeated Yale at
Henley and is lengthening the Yale stroke
in consequence.
Mr.. Peet, the Columbia coach. does not
regard the defeat OF Cornell and Yale by
English crews as conclusive proof of the
superiority of English rowing methods. He
remembers that Columbias four at Henley