Norwich bulletin., 1912-07-05
WHY YALE LOST ON WATER
Split Between Coaches and captaiI Over Selection of Crew a Determin ing Factor.


 Yale's failure to secure a victory on the water theis year over Harvard, T New Haven writer figures, was due to the fact that Yale's best crew was not in the boat. There was a split, he main tains, at the last moment between coach and captain, and several men
 went in who might have been held out with better results. Summing up the athletic situation in New Haven, he says
 There is some comfort in the fact that the results this year were a little better tian last year. though
 only a very little. The finish of the
 previous year on the gridiron was
 lacking, but the team as a whole did
 better than Captain Dalys team. The
 crew cut down the Harvard lead tre- mendously, and though it was a bad defeat the crew authorities see some things which will give them hope for next year. The track season resulted
 worse than the season last year, the only redeemeing feature being the bringing back to Yale for a few days of the world championship in the
 pole vault. The baseball team spent an cratic season. At the start it seemed undoubtedly the championsip l team. But some things happened
 about the time of the series with Princeton, and Princeton won with 1 ou trouble. But the season was bet
 ter than 1911, because of the fact that
 Yale won a two game series from | Harvard, and for the first time in
 years won the commencement game at IlCombridge.
 | While there is much satisfaction in
 the better record made by the crew
 at New London, there was consider | able dissatisfaction in the makeup of l the varsity boat for the race at New London. After the race it became known thatt he shifts in the boat of
 the few weeks before the race had
 not been made with the unanimous approval of the coaches. The mem bers of the crew squad are reticent in 1 discussing the matter, but it is well known that there was a lack of unanimity and almost a split among
 those prominent in Yaie rowing. But l it is undoubtedly true that the make | up of the boat when the eight men rowed away from the float at Gales Ferry was not the way that MT. Cook would have chosen it, and more than l one graduate has said that it is time l the absolute power of selection should | be taken away from the captain and 1 pu in the hands of the head coach, | whose word would be final. as with 1 Coach Courtney at Cornell.
 From what can be learned the fight 1 came over Philbin. who rowed in the l boat last year, and who did not row
 in the varsity up to few days be- l fore the race after the men went to 1 Gales Ferry, though he had earlier in l the season. There had been a feeling among the coaches, as well as other | of laa hat 11f1
 bin was not the strongest man for the varsity boat. The squad members said nothing about it. as they thought l it would be extremely bad form, but 1 coaches who saw the men row did not i hesitate to say that the eight men in l the varsity boat were not the best
 eight men who were in the crew 1 squad at New London. An instance
 cited by New York graduate | who was an oarsman of great reputa ton some years ago, said that Bugbee | the stumpy little Shelf man, was a 1 better oarsman than two or three
 who were in the boat at the final 1 event.
 But another thing that prevented | Yale from making 6 better showing
 according to Yale oarsmen was the fact that the crew raised the stroke
 too late in teh season. After rowing | at 22 for the greater part of the sea
 son. an attempt was finally made tC 1 shove the stroke much higher and 1 the attempt failed to bring about | good results.
 The failure to raise the stroke may
 be ascribed to the coaching force per
 haps but the failure of the crew ir other particulars is laid at the dool
 of the captain by men prominent ir
 Yale rowing. who claim that one mar
 power is bad for the crew. especially | when that man is one of the eighi 1 men in the boat