Evening star., 1911-05-28
A ROWING PROBLEM
Yale Will Try to Solve Diff
cuIties This Spring.
coRNELL's GOOD TEAM
Naval Academy Is Trying to Branch
Out in Athletics, But Is Re-
stricted by Government.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

Yale has q rowing problem on her
hands which is probably q more complex
situation than the Els have ever been
called upon to solve. It was humiliating
enough for the Yale crew to be defeated
by Pennsylvania az 1t was at Springfield
two weeks ago. but to sustain similar
defeat at the hands Of Princeton a week
later was the last straw. Pennsylvania
was In reality favorite over Yale. be-
cause the Quakers had beaten the Ellis
In their last race two years earlier and
were known to have IN exceptionally
good crew this spring.
Princeton. on the other hand. was row.
ing the first, race Of her intercollegiate
career. The Orange and Black authori-
ties have been developing rowing by easy
stages and with the determination not to
participate in outside regattas until the
crew was good senough to give a credit
able account Of itself. Bad as Yale was,
no one dreamed that the Tigers would
finish ahead Of the Ellis, though It was
generally conceded that Cornell would
win the race as she pleased. this part OF
the prediction coming true.
Yale men are always loyal to their
athletic representatives. whether in VIC
tory or defeat. There has been no fall
tering in the present instance. but every
Yale man, graduate as well as under
graduate. is asking what the trouble can
be. The most common answer is that
the coaching methods are at fault, and
there is strong sentiment in favor OF
releasing the veteran coach, John Ken
nedy, after this season, in case Yale is
defeated by Harvard.
While there are always exceptions, 1t
Is generally true that a continued run
OF mediocrity In crew is chargeable
as much to inefficient management and
coaching as to inferiority of material. A
Yale varsity crew has not won q race In
three years. and the situation is distress
ing to Yale men, who have been 30 accls-
toned to see the Blue wave triumphant
in other sports. The situation did not
become so acute until Harvard made a
radical change in her coaching system
and Yale resumed rowing relations with
Pennsylvania. Princeton and Cornell. A
good many critics had always contended
that the standard OF rowing at Pough-
keepsie was much higher than at New
London, but in the absence Of compe-
tition between the crews representing the
strate this Harvard apparently came to
the same conclusion, for about seven
years ago the Crimson arranged q dual
race with Cornell. secured Cornell
fessional. Harvard's rowing has inn
proved wonderfully aince she took Cornell
for a teacher. but the Ithacans have al
ways managed to keep we'll in advance OF
their pupils.
It has been Harvard's vast improve
ment which has made Yale wake up.
Until recently Yale refused to have any
thing to do with the crews which rowed
at Poughkeepsie. either not competing
with outside crews or rowing against
only Annapolis. Frequently Yale's only
competition of the year was this annual
race with Harvard, and it was no wonder
that the mora experienced and better
coached Harvard crew was uniformly
victorious. Now Yale is beginning to see