The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-17
Coach Rodgers
Analyses Rowing
Methods Abroad

NEW HAVEN. CONN. March I6.-
James Rodgers the Yale crew coach
who studied English rowing systems
at Oxford and Cambridge in January.
has analysed the elements that enter
ed into the Oxford Cambridge race
that was rowed this week. He was
somewhat surprised at the outcome.
believing that the strong, sturdy and
more experienced Oxford eight would
have an easier victory. He was keenIy
interested in the demonstrations by
the two crews of the different rowing
systems and theories. He said in dis
cussing them:
Cambridge rowed the race in a
center-rigged shell. with the so-called
short oars. oxford, / assume, sat i'll q
side-rigged boat, with oars longer
than her rival The oxford eight was
a veteran aggregation and its failure
to produce greater speed was Il sur
prise.
The failure of the veteran coach,
Professor Bourne, te instruct the OK
ford crew in the rudiments the past
season may have had something to do
with the matter. The general cam
paign of the Oxford coaching IS novel
in its conception and is not at all un-
derstood in America. The policy is
based upon the idea that different
coaches are desired 10. de. aalep Il croR
to its best form and sped, that a
coach gets accustomed 10 seeing the
faults Of hts osrsmen and that anoth-
er coach should take charge of the
crew after short time and correct
the Inaccuracies that look more glar-
ing TO him than TO the coach who is
used to seeing them.
This policy has given oxford three
different coaches for several seasons.
Professor Bourne, for the early work.
then Holland and, finally. Gold, who
Will come 10 Vale in few weeks
10 give our crew the finishing touches
just as he gave them TO Oxford This
combination has worked out a record
crew for oxford and has given her
repeated victories.
This season. however Professor
Bourne was unable to give his time
regularly TO the coaching, because OF
business affairs, and Holland did not
coach the crew in midseason- Kirby
replacing him. Gold however gave
the diminishing touches. Kirby. who
captained the Leander crew which
was defeated last year by the Aus
tralians, bat which, defeated them last
summer at the Olympics. will come
to this country with Gold. Professor
Bourne's son has been stroke of sew
eral winning oxford crews, Including
the eight that broke the record.
Professor Bourne has been q
strong advocate of long oars, advoCat-
ing length of IL feet, inches. This
length has been insisted upon. and
quite controversy has ragged over it.
At Cambridge "A shorter length has
been used and some Cambridge au-
thorlties also favor an oar a few
inches shorter.
'It may be that a strong, powerful
crew Is better adapted to it and can
get better results with the longer oar
while a crew of less rugged physique
can do better with shorter oar, The
controversy indicates that even in
England. everything is not harmoni-
GUS in the details of rowing. although
the two English universities are a unit
In their theory of the application OF
power and in getting results from it,
The dispute is wholly over the meas
urements The advocates of the Ions
oar insist that it is less firing on the
men because fewer storkes are taken
The short oar advocates assert that
taking an extra stroke a minute is
really less firing with the shorter
oar