The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-26
YALES SUPERIOR STROKE


Yale's three victories are attributed nv
the experts TO the superiority of the stroke
| taught Yale by John Kennedy over that
taught Harvard by her graduate coaches.
So far as physical form was concerned.
there was no choice between the crews ex-
cepting that the Yale freshmen outweighed
their Harvard rivals by over seven pounds
per man. The varsity race was a surprise.
The freshman race had been conceded to
Yale, while the four-oared race was also
given to Yale In the great majority of the
predictions
The story of the varsity race will live
long in the annals of college boating. Har-
flag. over the first mile 1t looked like
Harvards race.
KENNEDY'S WISE DECISION.
For the past ten days the coaches OF both
crews have said that the race would be
won within the first two miles. With the
Yale crews suffering from recent shifts. the
Ellis were afraid that If Harvard led for
mile Yale would lose her stroke and would
never get 1t back again. Last night John
Kennedy told his crew that they must
strike thirty-two-per- minute stroke and
hold it right through the race. no difference
what happened.
1t takes good headwork and lots of nerve
to row 4 lower stroke than the other crew
when the other crew Is leading. But this
Is just about what Yale did this afternoon
Harvard got away ut thirty-five strokes to
the minutes. Yale at thirty-two. Harvard
had decidedly the best of the start. and. by
the end of the first half mile was leading
Yale by half boat length
Captain McGrew put the stroke up to
thirty-six. Harvard reached the first flag
In 2;So Is Yale in 2:31 3-5. Harvards cox
swain got out of his course for a short dis
tanCP and had from HITTING
the first half-mile flag. over the second
half mile Harvard held her lead over Yale.
thirty-two Harvard seemed to think that
she had grip on Yale. and Captain Nc
Grew eased his stroke down TO thirty-two.
yi Harvard,s time for the first mile. sos %;
fale's was 500 As. 1t was remarkable
coincidence that Harvard. over this half
mile. held her lead without varying it by
even fraction of second.
YALE GAINS STEADILY.
The third half mile. however showed that
Harvard could not hold Yale without row.
ing higher stroke. Harvards efforts over
the first mile had begun to tell on the
nerves of the Crimsons eight. Little by
little Yale's boat began to creep up on
Harvard's
Just before the mile and a half flag the
shells were even, and, by the time the flag
was reached Yale had wrested the lead
away from her old rival The blue reached
tHe III ffdfNiiu ny tNo
seconds. or more than half n boat length.
Harvard raised her stroke to thirty-three
but still Yale went ahead without raising
hers above thirty-two.
The long observation trains had been
rafting and roaring with the cheers of Yale
and Harvard. Now 1t certainly seemed as
though these two moving grandstands burst
into one great shout for Yale.
The coaches had said that the race would
be over at the halfway point. but 1t was
not. Yale reached the tSo-mile flag of the |
navy yard In 1903, with Harvard hard on |
her heels. only four and two-ffth sec IDS |
behind. There was just half a boat length |
Of clear water between the two shells
Harvard was not yet whipped. She had |
held her stroke at 80, while Yale. after get |
ting the lead. had dropped hers down to IL. |
The crimson eight were rowing without a |
break, and their long, easy stroke sui
looked powerful. The only question was
whether Harvard could put her stroke up |
again and hold 1t for a mile more.
HARVARD DROPS BACK BEATEN.
The next half mile decided this question.
Ir stead OF raising her stroke. Harvard was
to drop back to the Yale gait at
g. The result was that Yale reached the
two and a half mile flag in IL minutes Is 10
seconds. leading Harvard by 64-o seconds.
Then, for the first time. Yale began TO look
sure of victory. She was Lead
Ing the crimson by just trifie less than
two boat lengths.
At the three-mile flag Yale had increased
her lead to seconds and had practisahy