Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01
OLD ELI WAKES Up
Solving Its Aquatic Troubles
With Characteristic Energy.
TO ROW PENNSY AGAIN
Needs Experience and Confidence to
Cope With Harvard's Splen-
did Outfit.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

YaieS rowing authorities are solving
their aquatic troubles with characteristic
Yale energy and acumen. Last spring,
when Yale had been beaten for the third
successive year in the annual regatta
with Harvard at New London, great
many rowing critics. not a few of them
graduates of Yale. insisted that the fault
was with the coaching methods, and in
some quarters there was d demand that
Coach John Kennedy resign and a
younger man be given the position. Julian
Curtis. who is Yale's graduate adviser in
no fault TO he found with the veteran
coach. but that the trouble should be
sought in other directions
After Yale's defeat this year the writer
pointed to the fact that much of Yale 5
trouble lay in the lack Of sufficient racing
experience. and that Yale men could con-
tinue to expect defeat until they emu
lated Harvard example and arranged a
rowing schedule which called for a num-
Der of races with other college crews.
The truth Of the matter is that Yale 5
crews when defeated failed TO show suf-
fiCient endurance 10 cope with the other
colleges Twice al New London a mem
Der OF the Yale eight collapsed during
the race, 50 that Yalss had but seven
men To row against eieA,. OF course the
coach should take some Of the blame for
thl> condition of affairs for re should
know ia advance if all his men are III
condition 10 stand Il four-mile race. But
how Is coach To know this unless his
men have been tested against other col
leCe crews? Time trials are nor re-
liable.
Yale men have evidently seen the
light, for il is now announced from New
Haven that the varsity eight will row
preliminary races. with at least one and
possibly two or three colleges before the
annual race with Harvard. While the
race has not been actually scheduled as
Yet. II IL likely that there will be a re-
sumption OF rowing relations with the
University of Pennsylvania In 1908 Yale
went 10 Philadelphia as the guests OF
Pennsylvania. trained on the Schuylkil
during the Easter vacation, and then
ended her practice with a race agains,
PennSy ivania. the Yale second crew row.
ing the Pennsylvania freshmen. The
Quakers won the varsity event with ease
Yale taking the second crew race Yale
men were 50 loud in their praise of the
beneficial results from this practice thai
II was expected Yale would accept Penn
sylvania's hospitality again and make
this race feature of Easter week. Yale
last spring and rowed Harvard during
commencement week without ..aving ha,
a single Intercollegiate race.
Harvard. on the other hand. roweo
against both Annapolis and Cornell, he
sides sending two crews IL the American
regatta at Philadelphia in May. The re
suit OF this policy was that Harvard had
well trained and confident crew to pi
against the Ellis and won with ease. Har
ward today has a better trained lot o.
oarsnlen than Yale and the Ellis at thi:
writing do not look 10 have an ever
chance To win the 1911 regatta. even il
they do schedule all the races they
now have in mind. II will take severa
years to overcome Harvard's present ad
vantage.
All the colleges that promote rowin:
should arrange more dual races and par
Ucipatc in more outside regattaS thar
they have been accustomed 10 doing. IL
itself rowing is the most uninterestin,
sport fostered in intercollegiate athletics
IL is a good deal To ask an oarsman I,
row for six months for the chance of row
fnG in single race that lasts onl!
twenty minutes. Every college has I,
combat this lack of interest on the par
of rowing candidates., and the trips abou