The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-11
.arsn1Gn of the
Colleges
AND WHAT THEY SAY
Varsity Races VIII Proba-
blyBe Held atPoughkeepsie

everybody is asking, and that nobody
is answering. The matter has been dis
cussed in Cornell rowing circles, and
the athletic council may have already
outlined and adopted a policy But if
so, it has been done very quietly. At
ter looking the situation over carefully
and studying the different relations one
must inevitably come to the conclu-
sion that if Cornell rows Yale and Har
ward, Pennsylvania and Columbia,
again this year. she will row them over
the same course, though possibly in
| two different races. Last years at
tempt on the part of Cornell to row
two races over two different courses,
resulted in such a failure that such
policy will never it is safe to say, be
| followed again at Ithaca
| 1t is but natural that CornelPs first
| efforts should be to persuade Harvard
and Yale to enter the open regatta
with Penn and Columbia. In justice
! to Cornell it should said that she can
! advance some good arguments to show
! why Harvard and Yale should not
compel her to row two races, after she
| has done so twice. Nevertheless, con-
| sidering Cornelrs obligations to the
two New England institutions it is
! reasonab BILE to believe that the Itha-
cans would consent to row two races,
| in case Yale and Harvard insisted-one
an exclusion race, with Yale and Har-
ward; the other an open regatta, with
| Columbia, Pennsylvania, and any
other crews that might wish to enter.
In fact, this remains about the only
! thing for Cornell to do.
The question of where the races are
to be rowed next year is one of equal
! interest. The failure on the part of the
| New London management last year to
pull off the races within two days after
they were scheduled the lack of ac-
Communications for the crowd; the
roughness of the course; the inability
| of the crews to find water smooth
enough for practice and the neon
Venient location of the quarters, all APP
pear as strong arguments against the
| New London course.
Then, too, it is generally conceded
| that the course, as laid out last year
| for a triangular four-mile race, is not
fair on account of the variance in the
currents, and the many crooks and
| turns. Saratoga course is little more
satisfactory and no one would expect
| to have Yale and Harvard consent to
go there, when they both objected to
travelling so far as POughkeepsie.
| Thus it is that lovers of rowing may
expect to see next seasons races at
| Poughkeepse which undoubtedly pre-
sents the smallest number of disad-
vantages, is accessible by railroad and
water, affords accommodations for any
sized crowd and is less likely to be
rough. In the past, the course has
| been satisfactory, with the single eX-
ception that the navigation of the river
| has not been well controlled on account
of Door management. With this objec-
! tior eliminated, the Hudson river
! course is the nearest approach to the
ideal that has yet been found. In case
| Harvard and Yale refuse the conces-
sions that Cornell will ask, a race be-
| tween them and the Ithacans seems now
as out of the question.
Coach Ward of the Pennsylvania
crew is greatly encouraged over the
abundance of good material he has
been trying for the varsity boat. An
even half hundred candidates are now
in daily practice upon the rowing ma
chimes there. The material for the
| freshman crew is, as in foot ball any
thing but encouraging. Only seven
freshies have thus far turned out.
Storrow and ANDY" O'Dea are now
| duly ensconced as at the head Of Har-
varo'S rowing des;inies for next sea-
son. They have been out with likely
candidates, and they have given the
people through the newspapers a very
fair idea of the policies and practices
that will be in vogue there this year
At Yale rowing interests are hardly so
far advanced, for as yet no one has
been appointed as Mr. Robert ]. Cook s
successor. MI Cooks devotion of
time and money and loyalty to Yale's
boating interests have won for him the
respect and support of every alumnus
But the eYolveT of the Yale stroke was
bitterly disappointed when he failed to
win last June, and at that time de-
cided to retire from rowing altogether.
He felt he did not have as complete
charge of the men as is necessary for
success, and this combined with the
defeats so unexpectedly received in the
past three Years, compelled him to
| declare that he would never coach
again.
There is one sentiment at Yale on
| the question of professional coach.
! There is a common desire for one of
| the graduates to act as coach The
| younger men are in favor of Richard
! Armstrong, 50 S, captain of his crew
! and now the coach ar Annapolis IN
| rowing and in football. He has studied
| the English stroke roWed the Did Cook
| stroke himself while in college and
| carefully watched the modification of
| the English as used by Yale last wear
| The older grads fav6h DR. Percy Boil
| ton Of New York. Although never
! having pulled an oar in a Yale 'varsi-
~ crew, he has been one of the most
valuable men Yale's captains have
called on to have detect faults in the
crew and to suggest improvements. Dr..
| Josh HartWell and Dr. Alfred
| Cowles, president of the Chicago Alum
| nj Association, have both been men
J toned as good men for the places. A
! coach will undoubtedly be appointed
| during the Christmas holidays.
! Gut at Columbia University thew an
! pear to be having more or less trouble
! in securing q coach who wants TO come
ana whom the students want. Last
| spring Cowles was head coach. buf
| from business reasons he was 1Inabla
| TO give much time to the crew. the buIls
| of the coaching falling upon the hands
| or George j.. Webb of this city. Coach
| CoWles claims that Mr. Webb did NOT
| rightly interpret his ideas and clash
| resulted. In rowing circles at Column
bia it is whispered that old difficulties
| of two or three years standing will
| be smoothed over and that Walter
Peet Will rule again the boating con-
! tlngent of the university next sprins
| Peet coached Columbia when CollInohio
| out-rowed Cornell, and is unquestion-
ably competent man. 1t has always
been a maxim with him that in coach
ing crew the men should be looked
after by one man alone. With Column
bia taking on new life n aya,.xy l,,.o.,zt-