The Washington times., 1906-07-09
PADDING CREWS
A GROWING EVIL
Desire to Win Causing Some
Clubs to Offer Induce
mentS to OarSmen.
ENGLISH SUSPECT TRICKERY
Trying to Find Why Belgians Carried
on Challenge Cup-Peculiar
Stroke Criticised.
By THOMAS S. RICE.

Dy lONuF41 - MIL
According TO dispatches from London
English authorities are coming 20 take
Il more sensible view of the Nesper
crews actions i'm the Henley of last
year. and are not sweeping in all their
0enunciations of American Oarsmen.
There is large faction among the
Engllshmen which is not willing 10
condemn "a nation Tor the acts OF few
eroup5 of individuals W, b. West, of
Philadelphia. who tried and failed in
the Henley diamond scuus this year,
has done much TO allay the hard feel
inSs
N. A. A. o. Needs Reform.
some of the English critics very prop
orly point ont that conditions must be
rather bad i'm the American National
Associat atiou Of Amateur Oarsmen when
the punishment it meted out 10 men
who brought the rowing interests Of the
entire country into disrepute was 70
suspend them for one year. Profession
Hlism plainly proved and that in a
case which viii forever DE a blot on
our rowing annals, should have brought
permanent expulsion from the ranks
OF amateurs Arthur Duffey, for a
much less serious offense, was expelled
by the Amateur Athletic Union, his
records wiped out. and suit threatened
Tor the recovery of the trophies he won.
That the n A. A. O. is a weak body
and has not exercised the proper super
vision over its sport for several years
IS well known. and il Is about time II
received q thorough shaking up and the
interest OF amateur aQuatCs placed IN
the hands of men more careful and
with more backbone.
Til pra~+3ro Evo,4yirg
In connection with this lack OF super
vision by the national organization. it
may be pointed out that the tendency
10 pad crews is spreading. Rowing
should BE-. and generally is, the cleanest
of amateur sports because it is almost
q dead loss financially. but the times
appear 20 be changing. Some clubs il
their desire 10 win are raiding Others
with offers to crock men of free mem
bership and assured places in the stal
events. This is uusportsmanlike- The
club making such an offer should b,
severely called down and the man wht
accepts il should be barred
Public interest cannot well be aroused
or public financial support obtained
when these tactics are followed. Any
man who is game enough 10 contribute
money toward the support OF a crew o.
regatta IS game enough 20 want TO see
his home crew lose a gallant night OF
Its merits rather than win by 'kidnap-
ping methods Let us keep this sport ir
which America has SO long desired tC
" International champion, clean, SO
that If we ever do win there Will not
be the dismal and mOrtifyiug afterclaT
which followed the sending of the Yes
pers abroad.
Looking for Excuse.
Reverting To the Henley. the English
critics appear to be already looking
around for an excuse for the Belgian
crew carrying off the Grand Challenge
cup dispatch commenting upon tht
stroke of the winners says
"The Belgians it may be remembered
have not time 10 show of the graceful
ness of the feather. Their oars are seer
bur moment out of the water for tbs
reach back. and then they cut In again
Tor a lever without the slightest splash
and the boat flies on its journey. II IS
all very wonderful The quickness Oi
the hand deCeiyes the eve.
''What the English cannot vet arrive
at is conclusion as To whether II Is
trickery or genuine rowing. The et--,fs
OF the hard pull and swing are there
but there is nothing OF the outside in
dicative Of the means whence arises tht
pace"
Where's the Trickery.
Where the trickery comes in Is hare
L. saw. Because the Belgians adOpte'
an unusual style or invented sons
method by which they could get mor'
power into their stoke, they cannot b.
said 20 have practlced "trickery." Per
haps it was "a stroke suited 10 this par
fir.ilar crew. as the stroke of the win
ming syracuse crew ar POughkeepsie II
1905 was exactly adapted To that eigh
and could not have been used success
fully by any other i'm the regatta Thi
trnnhF-iS lame. ana it is up To the Eng
lish crews To- get il hack without vast
ing time trying 10 ind defects iu thC
style of the BelgIaus.
Interest in oCtoDcde races is as grea
as ever on the part of the spectator
who take in the regattas. but for som,
reason the clubs do not seem to be max
ing any special efforts To develop crewi
of thar kind. New York won such
race from Philadelphia in the nationa
regatta at Baltimore last year, and (
was expected that there would be thTe
or more of Ahem I'm the national thi
year, but lifte has been done so IA
toward forming them and they may b
missing this year.
FORMER CHlCAGOAN