The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-20
COLLEGE BOAT RACE.
CONTEST BETWEEN YALE. HAIR
WARD AND CORNELL.
Captain Cooks Newly Adopted style
of Rowing Not Fancied in Some
Quarters-The Contest VIII Not Rs
One Of American Versus English
strokes After Aii-Advantages OF
the Hudson Course.

In the history OF American intercollegi-
ate athletics there never has vet taken
place a beat race which in q general way
has been so deserving OF interest as the
triangular meeting Of the crews Of ysais
Harvard and Cornell which is 20 take
place on June Is on the Hudson river of
the city Of Poaghkeepsie The course is
10 be four miles and the race Will prob
ably he rowed in the middle OF the after
noon down stream. with vie tide
Perhaps the most interesting feature of
the coming race will be the stroke shat
each crew is being schooled in 20 row.
says the New YORK Commercial Advertiser.
II was thought a; first that each boat
would be propelled by a different stroke.
For years the stroke rowSd by the crew
wearing the blue OF Yale has beer what
is known as ''the Cook stroke" It won
go often against the Harvard men that il
seemed to be almost perfect stroke. But
the old stroke of Yale has gone. IL was
last used when Yale beat Harvard on the
Thames in 1895.
Since then Robert j. Cook. who has
coached Yale SO many years, has taken
crew abroad and brought back new ideas
and methods. So has Charles Courtney
who is coaching Cornefs crew He went
abroad. saw his crew defeated. thought
he saw what caused their defeat in addi-
ton TO poor condition, and he. too. like
Cook, is now follower OF the English
stroke. Harvard has the real article 70
produce the real English stroke in her
imported coach, r. G. Lehman. who has
trained crews for years on the Thames
in England. and who. perhaps. knows the
stroke and its history and development
better than his American rivals.
No Context Of Strokes.
So there will be no contest showing the
Of he aArt4a
English manner of rowing and it is a
pity. too. But whether the English
stroke is adapted TO the great. broad and,
at times. hillowy Hudson is question not
yet settled.
The last time the colors of Harvard were
seen against those of Yale and of Cornell
the Cambridge crew were in each case
beaten.
Yale's crew is now at Gales Ferry. near
New London, Conn. on the Thames river
where the men are practicing daily under
the close and watchful eyes of Coach
Cook. They will not take up their quar-
ters at Poughkeepsie until within a week
of the race. Harvard Is even now at
Poughkeepsie. where her crew are also
at practice and Coruelfs ten men. head
ed by Courtney will reach the Hudson in
a few days. Not until then will anyt hing
like a comparative line be had on the diff
ferent crews
Before Robert j. Cook went abroad
years ago to study the art of propelling
boat as it was practiced in England the
American stroke was something of n slow
catch long swing motion, with sudden
jerk at the oar Just before taking II ont
of the water. II was In effect much like
the present stroke used in the navy by
the crew of the captains gig. II Is
rather taking stroke when well done but
unseientific. Capt. Cook studied the Eng
lish stroke. long. steady. regular pull
sweeping and strong, and returned to
America, and the result was the Cook
stroke" 1t was phenomenaliy success
full. and was really a combination %
American and English methods. but moro
attractive to the eye than the British
stroke. in which the oarsmen sat less
erect and did not keep their elbows quite