The chronicle=news., 1913-06-18


an intercollegiate crew as well as
for It's coach IL decided IN less than
20 minutes.
To the old trainer. who srcn crew
after crew. year after year, labor
through those four EruelinK miles.
the winning ar iosins Of u particular
| race means little In comparison. lie
has done his bcst-therc are other
races and other years to come. His
into = buoy or II nosed out In the
final quarter.
Hut for tho oanmcn Il is different
They are nerved up TO the highest
pitch. For mnst OF the men II Ii
their second race. They have work
cd and studied u ycar-somc of them
two or three ycarx-and this is tho
cuiminntion. They have put aside
pleasures and ambitions. In the
midst Of the complex college social
world OF which they ara scarce n
part. they have lived In the little
'nono,onoux daily cycle known only
to men Of the crews.
II tho crew wins. all this has been
worth while. Hut. II u ioxcs-wrli.
we've Nil been young once and wr
know what II means when We lost
the thing our Immature mind craver
To have more thvn any other thing
In tho world.
The men arc trained to a fine edge
one thought II uppcrmosi In their
minds. nnd they are suscc ptibic to
thc slightest Influence. Physical
perfection Is. Of course. necessary.
but even more essential Is tho proper
condition Of the onrsmnn's mind.
Nervous tension In n race is u
mighty good thing. bat 4 chaotic
nervous condition Of the mind u
disastrour.
Psychology has won more tnan
cnc boat race. I asked the other day
to what particular quality I attrib-
uted my success nx coach. aud /
answered without hc.itation: "Ab,i-
siy to read young men,"
No father ever watched tho men
tai growth OF his son more carefully
than I study the effect Of the train
Ing on the boys vino row for Cornell.
I suggest and lead their thoughts as
carefully as ! train their bodies: for
when they shove off, tho she'll for
the final test. the condition cf their
minds will win or lose the race.
| What do you suppose tho Cornell
crcx men were talking about AZ they
were lying on their oars At tho start
Ing line at PoughkccI,sic a fcw years
rso: An animated discussion was
going IN in tho boat. md I asked
about II after tn. victorious eight
was safe on the train bound for Ith-
aca again.
why VIC had big arumcnt about
where we would cat tonight sail
the serious little coxswain. And he
went on to explain the merits and
dcmcrits OF the various possible res
tnurants In the vicinity ns they had
been brought out by tho men.
! That crew was In the right frame
fot mind.
The rigorous training affects eaci.
oarsmen differently. There is a vet
cran In tho Cornell varsity now who
|
on tho morning Of the race: then
there arc others who get 80 nervous
even days beforehand that II takes
all the ingenuity Of the coach to pre-
vent them from going to pieces.
When man commences to get tired
OF his food or when his mental coll
diticn becomes slightly abnormal 1t
takes skill to handle the situation.
| A few days before tho Poughkccp-
sic regatta last year the stroke sniff
fed disdainfully at the sight OF
breakfast and refused to cat.
Suppose YOU and I have coffee
this morning?" ventured. lie had
not been drinking coffee. but the
idea of n cup with the coach appeal
ed to him. We each had two cups
and he ate hearty breakfast after
this little break in the routine.
Many are tho tricks of a rowing
coach to keep the mems minds away
from rowing during the idle hours
in the training camp. The actual
time consumed in rowing is about
two hours. and the men sleep from
10 y. IN. to a. M, with extra nap
in the afternoon. But much time is
still left for worry.
Cornclls camp at Poughkeepsie
was beautifully situated last season
In a quiet retreat nestled among the
trees on the hillside back from the
river. Yet I am glad that we are to
be back at THE Oaks this year,
where the men can watch the other
crews row. take an interest in the
shipping and speculate as to whether
the engine number of the next PAS
sing train will be odd or even.
| Dummy baseball" which resem-
bles the indoor game, was once pop
ular at the river training camps. but
after varsity captain at one Of the
camps sprained his ankle in this