New-York tribune., 1900-05-06
COLLEGE OARSMEN LIVELY
INTEREST GROWING IN THE RACES
NENT MONTH AT NEW-LONDON AND
P0UGHKEEPSIE- EXCITING
SEASON IN PROSPECT
SEASON IN PROSPECT.


two months from until the time when all
eyes viii be turned toward Poughkeepsie and
New-London to witness the struggles of the
university oarsmen.
Last season furnished the most interesting
and exciting college races on record Who does
not remember that heart thrilling, nerve rend-
ing, neck TO neck struggle along the shadowy
stretches of the Hudson River and under the
towering Highlands. when the doughty sons of
Pennsylvania wrested a victory from the superb
Wisconsin oarsmen in the last eighth of mile?
who does not recall-Harvard men with glee,
Yale men with sadness-those long awaited
Harvard victories on the Thames, when three
Crimson crews ran away in succession from
their New-Haven rivals?
THE LONG PREPARATIONS.
L great year for college sports all
around. the greatest. perhaps, for rowing, and
for this reason can well be imagined the interest
that is being excited at the coming races, when
every prospect points 10 series more stirring
even than last year. There is nothing in America
that corresponds TO the Henley Regatta, yet the
managers Of the college boat races at Pough-
keepsie have arranged a series of races that
VIII test many sorts Of crews in many different
ways. Not only will the four universities that
competed last Pennsylvania. Wisconsin.
Cornell and Columbia-send each a university
eight cared crew and d freshman eight cared
crew. but three least of the universities will
also send four cared crews. pair and single
scullers. and the days that Will be given up to
racing under the shadow of the big bridge that
crosses the flowing river viii be brimfu Of ex-
citing races. Harvard and Yale will not attempt
quite so ella borate a regatta at New-London, yet
there will be three distinct races as last year.
on the Thames. and plenty Of excitement to fill
ordinary June day. Preparations for all these
contests have been making ever since the col
leges opened last fail when the first call for
candidates given forth. The public knows
little and sees less OF all this preliminary work;
the practice rowing in the tanks through the
long winter afternoons; the five mile runs Uo
build up the wind) taken in the autumn and
winter; the constant work at the pulleys and
weights: the careful training and restraint from
indulgence of any kind-all OF these factors
that contribute far toward the final results. Yet
about all that the public sees is the work Of
the crews from this time perhaps until the days
of the races Athletics at the colleges are be
coming mere systematized every year, and for
that reason the teams yearly becoming
stronger and more scientific in their work and
new records are being made in every branch of
college sport.
NEW SYSTEMS AT YALE AND HARVARD.
What. then have Yale and Harvard the Mes
tors-though not necessarily the most accom-
plished-of college oarsmen, been doing in the
last eight months, and what are the chances for
the races at New-London? At both New-Haven
and Cambridge and elaborate systems for
the development of material and for the
perfection of old candidates have been evolved
At both universities the great drawback to the
old system was that while exciting races We're
furnished the number of students that really
took active interest in rowing and in good
exercise with the very small. All this
has been changed now. Harvard the first
to show the effects of the change in the partial
system of preliminary races which she adopted
last year. and which were doubtless the secret
of her victories over Yale. Yale, shrewd to
profit by the good points even of a rival whom
she had generally overcome, adopted this year
about the same system, namely, the develop
ment Of "a large number of subsidiary class
crews which should race each other from time
to time during the spring-the winners in turn
trying their skill with each other until the
candidates should be finally reduced to a mini
mum from which the university crew and
substitutes should be chosen.
Harvard's system has been even more elabor-
ate than this. There are two hourishing rowing
clubs at Harvard, the Weld and Newell both
beautifully equipped through the generosity of
Harvard graduates and both admitting TO mem
bership several hundred OF the students. The
system has been TO have all the oarsmen in the
college. old varsity crew men as well as the
others, included in one or the other of these
clubs; then 10 have class crews formed in each
Of the clubs, the 1901 crew from Newell for
instance, racing against the 1901 crew from
Weld. Not only have the winners Of these
separate clubs raced against each other, but the
losers have again raced against each other.
The result has been that in the course Of the
spring less than eight or ten eght-oared
crews have had chance each for two more
races, and when the four winners rowed against
one another last week il was stated positively
by old oarsmen who watched the form of the
men that each one Of the four crews that cut
equal to what the single Harvard varsity crew
in former years. Anyway. Of high an order
was ihe work done that the coaches were un-
able 10 cut down the final squad of men
for the university boat to twelve sixteen. but
were compelled 70 include twenty-five men who
will be further tried out
REAL RACING MEN DEVELOPED.
1t is easy for any one to see what the natural
result is of systems so thorough as these in
vogue al Yale and Harvard. Instead of the two
universities sending 10 New-London each a set
OF eight who have rowed together almost
all the year and who rowed like machines, yet
whose abilities racing men have never been
tried both Yale and Harvard now send eight
men who have been tried again and again,
and whose stamina in a heart breaking race
has been tested and can be relied upon. man
may exhibit perfect form on the machines may
and yet be no racer, The present system does
away with such a state of affairs, and, what is
far more important. gives opportunity TO
hundreds O ha