Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-21
c. RICE OF COLUMBIA
The Rowing Coach Of the NV York
0arsmen.
MASTER OF WIDE EXPERIENCE
Born in Scotland ana Lived In
Canada COaching and Pulling
with HanIan and other
Great Professionals.

isn't at all unnatural mat ne should nave
a bent toward the water. And it isn't an
odd thing, either, that although all fif-
teen uncles came to be drowned while they
were sailormen that a man should still
stick to the water, even IL he did heed his
mothers requests not TO go to sea AL
though, to be sure, James Campbell Rice,
who coaches the Columbia university oars
men, doesn't get his living from the high
seas, but rather on the fresh water, some
object that the Hudson is salt, even
as far north as Poughkeepsie, where the
intercollegiate rowing ~regattas are held an
nually, but that hardly spoils the point.
Rice never has been a sailorman in the
strict sense of the word. He is keen on ice
yachting. He thinks sailing an iceboat is
his strongest point, although there are
folks. particularly at Columbia, who fancy
that he doesn't do anything else as well
as he does teaching the art of pulling an
oar. When Rice was coaching the Detroit
Rowing club some years ago he had a lot
of amusement in the winter time sailing
boats in the races around there.
When Rice first came to Columbia, or,
rather when he was just engaged by the
crew there, many persons spoke OF young
Jimmy Rice" and the casual impression
was that he was a newcomer in the owing
game who was getting his start with a
college crew. AS a matter OF fact Rice is
80 years old. Furthermore. he isn't a
Canadian, as many persons believe. He
was born in Dundee, Scotland. His mother
was Scotch and his father Irish. "And 1
guess I'm an American citizen, all right"
says Rice. MY father fought under Com
mander Stringham in the old Minnesota,
and II that doesn't make me an American
citizen I don't know what does"
Raised on the Water.
When Rice was really young Jimmy,
the family came to this country to live.
For a time the Rices were in Philadelphia
and then they moved to Toronto. There
they lived at Harlan's Point, a place
named for the great sculler. All the early
part OF his life Rice was very friendly
with the renowned oarsman and the rec
ords show that in 1896 Rice pulled two
races against Old Ned. Il had him in the
second race, the one at Sault Ste. Marie,
that year" says Rice, because Ned had a
big heavy boat and 1 had a light one that
Wallace Ross owned. But 1 couldn't
afford to beat him, because I'd nave lost
Job training the old fellow If 1 had.
So we bluffed tan exciting race and Ned
won"
The very air Of Toronto was full of row.
ing in those days and Hanlan was the
great man in the times when Rice was a
very small boy. Il we once
sold an old fellow a towel for 81 that we
said Hanlan robbed down WITH" says
Rice. Whenever a boat got broken up we
took the timbers, broke them UP small
and sold them for souvenirs to the folks
who wanted to get them, as If they were
pieces of Hanlan's she'll"
1t was the most natural thing In the
world that a boy reared in that atmos-
phere should be Keen on rowing. The very
sight of the great turnout of folks to well
come Hanlan whenever he returned to his
town would be enough to make any boy
resolve to become a great sculler himself.
So Rice knew very we'll this man, whom
he followed by not so many years as coach
at Columbia. There was another man
whom he saw in those days. 1t was on
one occasion when Rice was a very young
lad that he was going across the ferry
at Toronto In company with his father
IND they saw a sculler coming down the
water in a shell.
EARLY Glimpse Of Courtney.
HE was a big, handsome man." says
Rice. HE wore a white rowing suit with
a large blue star on his chest, and he had a
white skull cap with a blue tassel. 1 re-
member now how he looked, a powerful,
great m a with black curling w~hiskers.
He reached away out for the water and
caught It hard and swung through with
power and grace. A splendid looking man
he was in a boat. 1 asked my father who
It was. That's Charlie Courtney he told
me-"
That was Rice's first view Of the man,
whose chief rival as a rowing coach he is
today. Some folks, Columbia folks, of
course, may be suspected of prejudice in
the matter when they say they think Rice
Is fully Courtney's equal as a coach.
When Jimmy grew up and was Just In
his teens he got into the rowing game.
He rowed a number OF races, in particular
one with Ralston at Orilla in 1888, which
he won. In 1889, when the Canadian Row
ing association held a meeting at HamiI-
ton, they threw Rice out of the amateur
ranks, saying he was a fisherman. So as
soon as he was no longer an amateur he
went into the professional game with
spirit. 1t was the thing in those DAYS,
when all the money chasers got their re-
wards large in money and popularity.
Even when so young Rice turned to the
coaching game, so that his record as a
coach goes back twenty years. It seems
odd that this lad, not yet OF age, should
have been coaching such men as Hanlan,
Durham, O'Connor and others, as well as
rowing In races with them. He was with
Ryan and Durham in 1892. In 1894 he and
Jake Gaudaur competed in the greatest
race Of Rice's career. This pair beat Ras
Rogers and Eddie Durham. Rice was IN
a four that rowed in Texas in 1894, Hosmer
being bow, Rice 2. Teemer 3 and Gaudaur
stroke. Tn English crew beat them.
He rowed around a great deal and in a
great many places, fifty races altogether.
his last race being In 1898 at Halifax, N. s..
where he and his partner were beaten by
the Lynch brothers. His nine-year career
as a professional covered races with and
against all the great men OF that time, and
he and Hanlan were a strong pair.
h You Are Counts.
Folks don't care so much to know what
you've done. as what you can do" Rice
told a man once who asked him for a his
tory Of his career. But Il is interesting to
know that Rice had charge OF the Argo-
naut Rowing club from 1884 to 1897; was
with the Brockville Rowing club in 1898 and
1859; went TO Detroit TO the boat club there
until 1904, coaching also when not engaged
at Detroit the Ottawa Rowing club and the
Toronto Rowing club, and eventually en-