The sun., 1909-05-23

"
from the list Of competitive sports, chiefly
Wrestling at Columbia II In . weak
state. This game started well and Tor
q couple Of seasons Columbia made Q
good showing against the other colleges;
but about three years ago the graphing
game struck the Aide and kept on going
until IL reached the bottom last season.
When the New Yorkers failed TO SCORE
ships and had been unable to scare up
enough men to fill q couple OF dates with
other colleges, as well as being shy OF
money. II was thought about time TO
to call halt.
Columbia incidentally has been most
poverty stricken in athletics this year.
Besides the difficulties in which the var
sity Grew found itself last fall there also
was some question whether the fresh
rowing, and also the freshman baseball
team was In difficulties. What between
lack Of men in sonne sports and lack OF
money In some others this has been very
hard year for Columbia.
It has become known only recently
that rowing at Leland Stanford Ia IN dan
ger Of joining the list Of games that don't
was made Of the value Of the game and
whether II should be kept up. The argu-
ments against rowing were that II cost a
great deal OF money; that there were not
adequate facilities for training; that the
student body as q whole did not get much
participation In the sport, and that the
physical strain was too great: A letter
In the Daily Pdto Alto from DR.. Il. l..
Wilbur, a medical man who looked after
the crews at Stanford, puts up q very
strong case against rowing. DR.. Wilbur
wrote: 1T is my professional opinion that
the influence Of rowing upon the men st
Stanford. particularly under the dill
cultiee offered by the distance from a
proper stretch Of water, Is distinctly bad:
The amount Of ply sical strain is cut q
proportion to any benefit gained. l
have had the chance TO observe the ehects
OF the athletic contests upon consid- :
erable number Of the men over a series
Of years and in my opinion rowing AZ
carried on here has not had the advantag ges
for the individual that the other sports
have had and has on the contrary been OF
distinct disadvantage to number OF the
men undertaking II.
Recently Ave Of the crew have been
critically i'll as a direct result OF the re-
cent intercollegiate contests and ono ia
still in a dangerous condition.
THE oAsR AGAINST RowISo.
The faculty athletic COMMITTEES. through
it's chairman, F. Angel. subnitted this
letter to the student organizations at
Stanford with the following note The
faculty athletic committee has for severn
years been sorry to note the increase IN
expense and In overspecialization OF
rowing. At the same time the sport Ia
In itself 80 noble and the character
and standing Of the rowing men in the
college community was 40 high thst
the Committee was very loath to advise
measures which might seem tn restrict
rowing activity; but the development
Of rowing Mt this university during the
last three years has interfered with the
health or scholarship or both. OF the
rowing men to such an extent that very
considerable changes must be made IN the
aIn addition, boating has entered upon
the stage which runs counter to the
athletic policy to which this university
is committed, the policy OF a general
participation in sport. One OF the main
reasons for dropping the old game. OF
football at this university was that what
had started as a sport had degenersted
into a more or lees grinding and ef-
hausting drill Of a relatively few men In
preparation for an intercollegiate contest,
and I fear that boating has begun to be
subject 70 similar conditions
The general idea of all this was that
rowing should BE- dropped at Stanford
until Setter facilities for developing crews
were obtained. Judged from the STATE
ments made by DR.. Wilbur and by Mr,
Angel they have been very unfortunate
at Stanford either in choosing the material
for the crew or In selecting the coach; Az
other colleges, even where the facilities
are not particularly good for rowing. the
men get real benefit by going out Tor the
crew, There have been very many In
stances Of men who enteYd college with
no particular physique. who aSter training
for rowing for two or three seasons have
developed into big and powerful athletes.
Why the members Of any crew should be
sick Of the strain Of racing mile and half
OF a three mile race as Stanford did. 10 IN
COMPREHENSIVE, unless they were very
badly trained indeed.
What probably was bad for them was
sitting waist deep IN water during the last
part OF the three mile course that they
although the California crew swamped
ar a mile and half and certainly got wet
all over, there have been no reports from
Berkeley that any oarsmen there were in
a serious condition.
Rowing is SO dangerous a game that OK
Capt. Severance OF the Harvard crew. who
had to stop rowing because OF illness after
q brief trip away. was able TO resume MS
seat in one of the Harvard varsity combi-
nations, and report has 1t that he may row
against Yale at New London on July 1.
No matter how bad the facilities may be
at Stanford for rowing, they could not be
much worse than Columbia's on the Har-
lem, where season after season crews have
been developed.
Yet In all the time that there have
been Columbia crews rowing at Pough-
keepsie, the only thing that ever has hap
pened OF importance to any man In train
ing for an eight or four was getting
over trained. and that ia sometimes the
result Of mans peculiar disposition.
Whether or not Stanford rows next
year, there still is an engagement for the
crew on Lake Washington for May 20
In this race Stanford. California. Wash
inpton and two British Columbia crews
are to start. II may be that California
will not appear for this regatta, because
the Berkeley people do not want to join
a rowing association such as was proposed
BY Washin gton to the other Pacific Coast
college crews. The California folks appa.
rently think that they do not want to b
in case the Pacific Coast college rowing
association is formed. and in case 1t ever
gets an invitation from the rowing
stewards.
The James Bay Rowing Club Of Victoria
and the Vancouver Rowing Club will
send four cared boats TO Lake Washing gton
this year. and next year tho two British
clubs will row in eights. This Is i'm
portant to Washington. because 1t gives
the crew what 1t has always needed--
good competitin close at hand. The
Vancouver r. G. already has ordered an
victoria oarsmep will got their boat a.
eoor "a ofY3oial notification la sent them