Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-05
rowing NOT ALL
A QUESTION OF
COACH AND STYLE

| Shells 10 execute lily SleIlUuS HIONe
ments called collectively a stroke
Pages In the newspapers were filled
with "snaDply" accounts of "Courtney's
crew." "Rite's boys" or "Wray's
pets" and so Oh through the terms
which the average reporter thinks he
must use because stories Of protest
SIGNAL baseball are written in that
fashion In victory the coach is laud
ed and in defeat he is apt to be ana
| thematiZed.
THE above comment is from the
Outlook, the article continuing as fol
lows:)
Certainly this is scarcely the sport
| ing viewpoint, nor is it conducive to
the best results or to the encourage
ment OF the best spirit in rowing. No
less certainly does ii bring forth a
great deal of nonsense concerning the
technical side of rowing. for the man
who writes in this way usually has
little first-hand knowledge of the
sport, hut has picked uD a number of
cant phrases with which he battles
himself and his reader.
Because of this perennial tendency
Eof sporting writers, since Yale won at
New London, since Pennsylvania made
such an Unexpectedly splendid fight at
IPoughkeepsie, and since Harvard and
Union Boat club crews settled the
Grand Challenge cup at Henley be-
tween themselves. we have heard a
great deal about the English and the
American stroke. II happens that
Yale and Pennsylvania were coached
by English university oarsmen. while
the Henley victors are supposed to be
opponents of the American style. The
whole question has been logged by
|overmueh discussion.
One may consider styles at length.
but neglect of the personal equation
will bring any theory to grief. On the
one hand, the English are fond of con-
sidering style rather than the teach
FER Of stlIH- stvle;s Americans, on the
other, first think of the coach and then
CT the style; they assume, as mat
ter Of course, that each coach teaches
something different from every other
coacheven though the differences are
not discernible. This difference is
kind Of working hypothesis with most
sporting writer's. Rowing must seem
bit occult or it will not provide vol
luminous copy. With the exception
of possibly three newspapers, there
was hardly an account of the races
at New London or at Poughkeepsie
which really told anything of the man.
ner of rowing of the various crews
The wise correspondents kept to gen.
eral terms. the foolish rushed into par
ticulars with disastrous results.
Yet the whole matter OF the rowing
stroke is quite simple when resolved
into its elements and stripped of
meaningless terms. The object of a
crew is to propel its light ship through
the water with the greatest possible
speed. When eight men get their
craft down course faster than eight
ether men, they are rowing well. for
they have attained their object. Form
in rowing, or in any other snort, mere
ly means the manner or method which
is best for the average man. The ex-
cepticnal leader has usually a form Of
his own; good, too, because it is sue
cessful
The Rowing Stroke.
A simple analysis of rowing stroke
viii serve to give the essential differ
how much the personal equation en-
tiers. -:
In rowing-onIy eight-oared shell
rowing is here considered-each man
has a single sweep about IL feet long
with blade that varies in width, ac-
cording to particular fancy, from six
and fraction to seven and a fraction
inches. II is not necessary to discuss
the matter of oars or the construction
of shells. Each oarsman sits on a
small seat which slides on brass run
ners through distance of from Is to
"a inches, as best suits the style of
stroke and the leg length of the indi-
vidual oarsman. His feet are strapped
into a wooden thwart called stretch
err The oar1ocks or thole-pins are
supported at some distance outside the
shell by iron or steel "outriggers."
To begin stro,ie. the oarsman
brings his slide up to the end. and,
spreading his knees, with arms be-
ACdNH0S NSll Oul WIFI Iu6
This is the position for the catch" or
beginning" of the stroke, which &C.
ours when the oar is immersed in the
water. The BODY then comes to a
perpendicular posture. the arms acting
merely as attachments to the sweep
As the body comes up. the knees are
brought together so that. when the
body is upright. the legs are in posi-
tion for straight push which carries
the seat back over the slide; this is
the leg drive BY the time the legs
are fiat the body has reached the end
of the slide and is going backward
from the perpendicular. The arms,
which have so far been quite straight,
are now brought in until the car han
de touches the chest. This is, the
finish" of the stroke Then the hands
are quickly sent down and away to
take the oar out ct the water. while
the wrist nearest the cutrigger drons.
turnine the oar blade for the feath-
Il T.