Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-25
WITH The COLLEGE ATHLETES
DOings in the Field of Sport in East
and West.
INVESTIGATOR GETTING BUSY
Inquiry Into the Merits OF Graduate
Amateur COschins Tor the Uni-
versity CHARACTERIZATION Pat
TO Former O~arsnen.

A circular letter was sent out not long
ago to the prominent oarsmen OF the last
decade in those Eastern universities which
have crews. The letter contained five
questions which dealt with the subject Of
amateur graduate coaching in American
university rowing. The writer of the let
ter was intending an article on the SUBJ
ject, which up to this time has not ap.
peared. The questions we're these:
1. Do you know any reason why Ameri-
can college men should not be as well
qualified to coach crews as are the
English?
2 Do you personally feel competent to
undertake the coaching Of a university
eight in conjunction with several other
graduates?
3. Could you find the leisure to coach
without compensation?
4. Do you believe your living expenses
while coaching should be paid7
3. Do you see any advantage In an
amateur system Of control and the elm
%ination of all professional watermen ex-
cept boatmen?
What American COachinE Means.
The whole argument in behalf OF ma
teur coaching lies in the feeling that IL
there were amateur coaches for crews
there would possibly be less talk about
"Courtney's men" and "Rlce's men, and
"Kennedy's men, than there would be
about Cornell, Columbia or Yale crews.
The often made statement that Courtney
Is the car of Cornell rowing is what the
amateur theorist objects to. He believes
there nigh be a better spirit Of true col
lege enthusiasm among the oarsmen, or, at
least that is what he is indicating by in
ference when he objects to the established
system OF professional coaching.
Or course, in one way IL would be very
much better In any branch of sport II
there were amateur coaching, that is If It
were true amateur coaching. But here Is
the very point: Suppose, by the widest
Tight OF imagination, that there were an
oaTsmen, a graduate OF a college who
mad the brains to coach a crew as well as
a professional, and suppose he had also
the time and an unlimited income. He
would devote his time year after year TO
coaching crews. What difference is there
between him and a professional? Solely
Ihe fact that one man is paid for his
work and the other man has so much
money he need not be paid.
Granted that some professional should
strike it rich by having a wealthy rela-
tive leave him a large sum of money or
else have him come into a gold mine or
two, and suppose that he then. instead Of
charging for his services, devoted all his
time - coaching for the fun of II. as he
might well do. He would be exactly tho
same as that amateur in every way, An
amateur graduate coach who had the
money and the leisure to devote all Of his
lime to coaching would be simply an un.
paid professional. Any other system
which involved the changing of a coach
from year to year such as is done In some
colleges in foot ball would be a flat failure
in rowing.
The Professionally VaIue.
what makes a successful professional
rowing coach is, besides his knowledge of
the game, his personality. II a man has
the magnetism that fits him to train men
and to make them enthusiastic over what
he Is Installing into them he is a good
coach. 1t is a doubtful thing whether n
the graduate system were conducted on
the lines of changing the rowing coach
each year there could be annually a man
OF the proper personal magnetism even ~
he were of enough influence among his fol-
lowers to have been captain of the crew
and 1t stands to reasan that in many cases
colleges would elect captains OF crews who
could not afford the time or take the
trouble to remain at college for a wear
coaching.
Many college oarsmen have all sorts of
freak and erroneous ideas on the subject
or rowing. They have theories which nm
doubleday they would try out II they were
put In charge of the coaching. theories
which would result not only in losing races
but In doing physical damage to the men
or course, the great argument in favor Of
the professional coach is that he generally
produces a good crew, good in point of re-
suits. Naturally not all the coaches can
do this in the one season, because there can
be only one winning crew In each race.
Other Different Conditions,
There are not so many young men OF in
dependent fortune who will have time
DAY AFTER day TO devote to coaching crews.
Inc English university student is a differ
ent sort OF a man from ours, and what
might apply TO him would not at all be the
case in this country. And in spite OF that,
v with what wealthy amateurs do de-
vote their time to helping coach the crews
in England. they still feel the necessity
for professional watermen. It seems that
the argument against the professional
coach is here a little weakened.
what kind OF answers may have been re-
turned TO the question, do you personally
feel confident to undertake the coachine
OF a university eight in conjunction with
several other graduates" does not appear
to be important. Whether or not a man
feels himself confident to coach a crew has
nothing TO do with the actual facts N the
matter. He may believe that he IS the
greatest rowing coach who ever lived and
still not be.
Why should his Influence be inflicted
upon men who sfterwsrd enter his college
and who want to row and who want 10
learn TO row right, and who want TO go
into races trained so that they will not