The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-11
EIGHT-OARED CREW
AGITATION FOR ONE AT MINNIE
sofa UNIVERSITY IS AGAIN
RESUMED.
SHELL Is OFFERED GRATIS.
FRIENDS OF ROWING PROMISE TO
PRESENT A BOAT TO THE
ASSOCIATION.
THREE STAR OARS ENROLLED.
Simpson, of Yale, BjOrnstad and
BoHIand Are All Attending the
gu" This Year. ID
SHELL is OFFERED GRATIS.
THREE STAR OARS ENROLLED.

The agitation for an eight-oared
crew at the university is being re-
sumed A prominent alumnus, who is
taking an interest in his alma mater,
is backing up the boys, and has ad-
dressed the following letter to the
chairman of the athletic committee:
To Chairman of Athletic Committee
The beginning of new college year Wouiu
seem to be a most appropriate time TO al
rect the attention of this university and ITS
students to a great and long felt need IN
our university athletics. On the FOOTBALL
field we have had several of the best teams
the West has ever seen. We have turned
out athletic teams which have won prizes
in competition with the best men from all
good base ball teams, which have doubtless
not succeeded as they should principally by
reason of lack of support The most popular
college athletic sport, and the one which,
during the past few years, has grown most
in the public estimation, has never peen
taken up here.
Rowing has been agitated once or twice in
the university before, but it has never been
seriously taken hold Of 1t appears to the
writer that there is no athletic move that
could be taken by the students OF this uni
versity which would bring in better results
than the adoption Of rowing as one OF our
regular athletic sports.
The interest of the college in the fall cen
tiers upon football. And so long as Cnere
continues no proper organization of base ball
among Western colleges, we have no dis
tinctive spring sport.
Our sister University of Wisconsin, which
in the Western college world is our acknoWl-
edge rival, holding towards us much the
same relation as Harvard does to Yale, has
gained more brilliant notoriety among Amer
lean colleges and before the public general
ly through her crews than by any other
branch of athletic sports.
college athletic circles, and the same, in an
athletic sense cannot be said of u.s. There
would then seem to be an opportunity which
we cannot afford to let pass of taking up
bOating-meeting our acknowledged rival in
the spring as well as in the fall, and making
something which has not existed before,
Western college rowing.
We are adVantageouSly situated 1Of InlS
purpose in many ways. There are old estab-
lished boat clubs in Minneapolis, whose mem
bers would give US all the assistance and
encouragement possible. We have in Lake
Calhoun beautiful sheet of water to prac-
tice on.
The writer is Informed that friends of uni
versity athletics in the two cities will, If
the sport is seriously taken up, purchase an
eight-oared shell with which to commence
work.
services of Mr.. John Kennedy, the well
known coach of the Minnesota Boat club, who
has turned out of small club of seventy
Wisconsin at Minnetonka.
In instruction on rowing we would then be
at a great advantage We are besides not
entirely without some well developed row
ing material. Enrolled in the university are
simpson and Bjornstad, of the law school,
the former of whom was bow in the eight
which went from Yale to the Henley re-
gatta year ago, and the latter has pulled two
years in the Minnesota eight, as has also
Bohland, of the medical school.
With proper interest and enthusiasm, an
effort on the part of the athletic men, and
the support of the university, We could
doubtless turn out next spring a crew which
would place rowing upon the same plane
here as it stands today at the University
of Wisconsin. We are now the largest uni
versity in the Northwest. We have SIS good,
if not better. material than Cornell. We can
get the services of as good man as Court
ney. and there is no reason why We should
not in few years be known as the leading
boating college, we are the leading foot
ball college of the Northwest.
Let the proper men take hold, give it a
start and the university will make it a sue