The sun., 1907-03-10
ENGLISH OARSMEN MAY COME.
Cur NICkALLS IN FAVOR or SEND
ING CREW HERE.
New Departure WOUld he a Campaign Of
Education Oxford ana Cambridge
Combination k suggested- England
Has CrOwed nj Home lSOng Enough

New Departure NOuld He Campaign Of
Education ana Cambridge
! Combination k suggestcd- England
Has CrOwed NJ Home LOng Enough.
An English eight cared crew to visit America
! Tor the purpose OF engaging in series of
: races Ia the question Just now agitated across
the pond by. Guy NiCkals, the sculler and
Osrsman. Nickals points out all the good 1t
would do the sport OF rowing. and says he
| does not see why. as long IA Englishmen have
| gone elsewhere to WELD the ashen blade, they
should not come to America, II DRught else
| he continues. it would help to bring the two
| peoples more in touch and keep up the good
= feeling kinded by the visit OF the Harvard
| oarsmen last year. For a long time, the
sculer says, English oNrsmen have been selfish
and IL \ crew wanted a tussle with crack
! British boat II had to go TO Henley for the
| Grand
! In the current issue of Fry's MogGsine
J NiCkals says When was asked my opinion
| the other day as to what | thought Of the
| American idea Of putting mp a cup to be
| rowed for by any university in the world.
| was. for reasons which / need not enter into
! here. very decidedly against the adoption OF
| any such plan. not only needless. but even
harmful to the best interests of amsteW
rowing. \On the other hand. think II would
| be an excellent thing for all concerned for US
\ to send q crew across the Atlantic. When
| one talks to rowing men here on the subject
| one is generally met with the same formula.
They simply say; Why should We? We
| have nothing to gain by it. and everything to
| lose: and We already have too much rowing
| II they want to beat us let them come over
here and enter for the Grand or something
else TO the same effect. These are the same
sort Of men who tell me year after year to
stop rowing. because I have everything to
lose and nothing to gain by going on whereas
IL they spoke sensibly on the subject they
would turn II about, speak the truth, and say:
i have everything to gain and nothing TO lose
by going on
so it is with a visit to America. 1t would
do us a lot of good show us something of other
rowing besides our own. and might possibly
prove to Americans that our well earned pres
tiEe in the rowing world has not been founded
on false, principles. After all, why should We
not send a crew. When Thames and London
weDt to row at Hamburg in the early nineties
there was no Outcry that il was not the thing
TO do. Our crews have visited Germany and
France, and IL was not considered ,nfSg 0ig.
When l.eander entered Cork Tor the inter-
national eight trophy in 1902 and later IL was
only considered a sign oil good sportsmanship.
When Harvard visited US last autumn II un-
doubtedly did us lot OF good shook MS out
OF our letharRtc condition and made Us look
at such matters from a different standpoint;
and no one denies that it gave a decided and
much needed flp 10 amateur rowing.
If We are in need Of this. how much more
so must American amateur rowing be! Let
us shake OF this selfish attitude and consider
what a real boon 10 amateur rowing in the
States would be the advent OF % crew from
England. Our cricket teams visit America;
10 play. So why should We not send crew.
As We are the father and mother OF amateur
rowing il behoOvcs us to do all in our power
to foster and further the principles vi conf
radeship and spOrtsmanship We have put
mp and created We can do it in no better
way than by sending a crew over 10 race in
America. II we are beaten what matters
itI We. pride ourselves that no one can
take a licking better than We can. so let uS
not fear TO plIt IL to the test.
-Gownthat there are difficulties in the way.
but none that I can see that are unsurmOunt-
able take il that the talent available for
any OF the metropolitan clubs or Kingston
Is not at the moment OF good enough merit
to make IL possible for any OF them to choose
a sufficiently strong crew to send out, as Il
would be no compliment to America TO send
II Is. then. left to oxford or Cambridge to
step into the field, and falling either OF these.
combination Of the two under the cOlors
NO. there seems to be no doubt about it
at all that whatever we sent race; or a
ranged for us! either Harvard. Yale or
some other university, or maybe q cOmhina7
ton Of them. would take care that good
match was arranged on a strai ghtaway
course, under perfectly fair conditions. ,
time OF the year Ss bSS ae M ssconG ST
week in september. Taking into cOnsidera-
tion the fact that ell our talent would be
let up training altogether for two weeks.
and with week on the ocean should arrive
70 undergo i've or six weeks moderatey
J hard training. The expenses would OF course
large bel5inS hand from some OF the many
wealthy old oarsmen the thing in the present
financial state OF the clubs mentioned would
be impossible. The climatic conditions. Ow-
ing to the extreme heat over there in Septem-
| ber would also ne rather against Us.
} But | don't think that need frighten us;
once the scheme was put in motion feel
certain i would be financed. II Is quite on
the cards that Oxford may next summer
hay
called on the services Of some old Blues who
have gone down the thing could easily be
fine oars in residence. and if they feel inclined
again to give up their summer vacation in
last year there Is no reason Whatever why
they should not go over and try conclusions
Falling either varsity, Leander could muster
a really fine crew. and could 20 out ith the
full intention OF rowing several races, so as to
There will be no trouble at all about a
coach or coaches. We have crOwed in our
own yard quite long enough. and justinably
quite loud enough. perhaps. and it would be
sporting thing to do TO try and see u we
yard FOR change. We have always thought
ourselves almost invincible at eight Dared
| and four cared rowing. until the BelSians
rowing men thought the end of the world
would come il the Grand ever left the country.
but 40 far nothing extraordinary has hap
pened except the pleasing fact that il has
made us look to ourselves to see II our methods
Of boat propellng are the best that can be
devised.
so let the matter he taken in hand at once.
II would be a great thing for both countries.
The late Harvard and Cambridge match
has shown MS how we'll il draws us together.
J. persona lily, am the richer by two real friends.
good comrades, fine spOrtsmen, who love
rowing for rowinR's sake, whose friendship !.
for one, trust will last a lifetime. One can't
nowadays have too much Of this sort Of thing.
and II that were the one reason instead Of
the one in a hundred. for that alone should
say let us by all means see that an English
crew visits America next fall