The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-02
THE COLLEGE OARSMEN.
foday's Race Between Cornell, Co.
lumbia and Pennsylvania.
RECORD BREAK1Ne PREDICTED.
1t Is Believed That Better Time VIII
be Made Than In Last Weeks Race
Between Cornell, Yale and Harvard.
Three Styles of Stroke.

be Made Than In Last Weeks Race
Between Cornell, Yale and Harvard.
Three Styles of Stroke.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, July 2.-The Sec
ond varsity race over the Hudson
river four mile course of the crews
from Columbia, Pennsylvania and Cor
nell will take place, tideSand water per-
mitting, this afternoon between the
hours of 6 and 1880 o'clock. It is Of
as great Importance as the race won
from Yale and Harvard last week by
Cornell, because the successful crew
rows In 1t, and its defeat or the smash
ing of the time records made in that
race will mean the raising of the SER
ious question as to whether Columbia
and Pennsylvania should not be ad-
mitted to future contests in which Yale
and Harvard take part with Cornell.
The best information here leads to the
belief that Cornell will not be defeated,
but 1t Is also said upon like good au-
'thority that her crew will have to row
as they never rowed before, and that
with any kind of favorable conditions
the records of last week will be cut
under. This Is the opinion openly ex-
pressed by Coach Cowles, of Columbia,
and concurred in by the rest.
The conditions for the last two days
have been remarkably good at the hour
set for the race, and the indications are
that they will be repeated today. In
the drawing for positions yesterday
afternoon Cornell had her usual good
,,1r tci
where the ebb tide flows strongest.
This Is the third consecutive time that
Cornell has drawn the outside position.
Columbia drew the shore and Pennsyl-
vania drew the sandwich, or middle
place. It is asserted, and with some de-
gree of truth, that the position that
Cornell has held in the last two races.
and will hold this evening, gives her
considerable advantage over the other
crews, the tide assisting her. In
small measure to overcome this ad-
vantage, the stakeboats were moved
further out in the stream Wednesday,
and may be today il the length of the
course will permit
The officials of today's contest are:
Referee, Harris R. Reynolds, of Pough-
keepsie. Judges on referees boat: Cor
nell, Benjamin Ide Wheeler; Pennsyl-
vania, James Bond; Columbia, Guy
Richards. Timekeepers: Cornell,
Charles s. Francis; Pennsylvania,
Joseph NJ Mitcheson; Columbia,
Charles H. Mapes. Judges at the finish
Cornell F. G. Schofield; Pennsylvania,
Charles s. Potts, M. D.; Columbia,
Harold H. Oddie
The crews of Columbia, Pennsyl-
vania and Cornell are all rowing very
fast. Perhaps the most notable i'm
provement has been made at Columbia,
where the disheartening experience of
last year had made 1t almost impos-
sible to get UP enthusiasm. There Is
plenty of it there now, and Mr.. Cowles'
remarkable work has had great effect.
Pennsylvania is rowing the fastest
looking boat on the river and the
longest stroke. Columbia is rowing the
fastest stroke, and Cornell the neatest,
prettiest and slowest.
There has been lengthy discussions
in the newspapers over the principle of
the strokes used by each Of the crews,
and the experts here have attempted
to give descriptions of the strokes.
Last night the three coaches gave for
the first time brief descriptions of their
stroke.
Mr.. Cowles' stroke, rowed by Colum-
bia:
THE forward reach is with straight
arm and back, the back in perfectly
natural position. The catch is quick
and Is followed Immediately by hard,
..I, ,f cit 70
of the body going back little beyond
perpendicular with hands finishing cil
the same level on which they were
when the blade entered the water at
the beginning of the stroke. The re-
covery is a slight drop of the hands
into the Lap, sufficient to clear the
blade of water, then a quick shoot of
the hands followed by a slow forward
movement of the body and the slides
together until body and slides are in
the same position as at the beginning
Of the stroke. The length of the slide
varies from 16 to IS inches"
Mr. Wards stroke, rowed by Penn
sylvania
1--WE are rowing the longest stroke on
the river, averaging "a and going to
36 on spurts of ten. then going back to
81, The men are reaching further than
any other crew, although they do not
move their bodies SO much as the
others, but use the full length of the
slide, 22 inches. This can be seen by
watching the angle Of the oars, and not
the bodies. The leg drive is also the
greatest of all the crews here. The for
ward reach finds the legs well drawn
up to the armoits, the back almost
perpendicular and the arms at full
stretch. The catch is easy, the blade
being slightly inclined as it strikes the
water When the blade is fully in the
force of the legs, slide and back Is ap-
piled with all the energy possible. The
blade slides out of water easily, and
the recovery is almost instantaneous,
yet not checking the boat"
Coach Courtney's Cornell stroke:
"a long reach forward, followed by
a vicious lunge with the blades that
places them quickly, firmly into the
water, before the application Of the
power, which begins instantly The
slide goes back under the Strengthening
of the legs, and the body gradually
assumes an upright position, then
backward tilt the elbows bending from
the straight arm at the commencement
of the stroke until they are at the side
at its conclusion. The shoulders
through this movement are well set,
and do not round. AT the conclusion
of the body and arm movements, which
are coincident, there comes quick,
increased application Of power, almost
a jerk, and the downward motion Of
the wrists which lift the blades and
form the beginning Of the swift recov-
cry. Thus there is no checking Of the
speed of the boat, and every instant
of the blades submersion is utilized"
The Weather.
For eastern Pennsylvania, New Jer.