New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-14
No One Ventures to Name
Probable Winner OF
Great Struggle.
CORNELL SUPPORTERS
FEAR UNSTEADINESS
Syracuse Misses Thurston and Co.
lumbia Eight Is "Soft"-Wash.
ington May Spring Surprise.
nv Telerraph 70 The tribune. ]

Crews representing tHe piCh VI tNe Svilese
rowing world. are putting on the nnzl
polish for the blue RIBBON regatta OF tee
college rowing world, which will be rowet
on the classic Poughkeepsie course -
luns "a. That the winner OF the VARSITY
rae. on that day will be acclaimed with
out question intercollegiate champion Of
tho country there is little doubt, for Of the
81. universities entered-Corneh. Coium-
bia. Pennsylvania, Syracuse. Wisconsin
and Washington-one or another has de-
feated Yale. Harvard. Princeton and An
napolis. the only crews that would have
right TO claim the title
Although the race is still fortnight
away and the crews have just unpacked
,heir eouipment and begun their nnal
work. there Is more uncertainty tnan
there has been in years about the out
come of one and all Of the races.
In the past Cornell has come down 10
the Hudson year in and year out heralded
as the greatest crew ever sent fortn from
Lake Cavuga. and IL seems strange not to
concede the Ithacans an easy victory tnis
ear They have had little difficulty IN
winning their early races.
II is a fact, however. that the changes
that Courtney has had to make IN MS
,varsitv combination and its unsteadiness
in the early season training have snaken
the confidence of the most enthusiastic Oh
Cornell enthusiasts.
Syracuse. which won sweeping Victory
q year ago by bursting forth in the last
mile with a wealth OF reserve and dasning
across the line a length or more In the
lead. is lacking in one vital part this year'
DESPITE the fact that six of the eight inen
who handled the sweeps in 1913 are In tic
she'll. The missing link is George Thurs
ton. perhaps the greatest stroke VINO ever
sat in a Syracuse shell, II not In any COT
lege racing boat.
Thurston, who held his crew togetne,'
is gone. and with him appears to nave
departed the spark that carried the ereN
along. 1t must not be inferred that us
Syracuse crew is not a good and powertui
one. II lacks Thurston, however arc
Thurston Is the man who won for syf1-
cuse a year ago.
The wild optimism that has market &C.
lumbias followers in other years Is miss
ing this year, perhaps because the crew
has not been seen in public as much rs
in other seasons, perhaps because the nen
do not inspire confidence in their iei-
lows.
Jim Rice has seldom il ever had eig1,
finer men in a crew than in this year Z
shell. They have demonstrated that tae|
are a corking good two-mile crew. opt
whether they will be able TO stand ire
gaff of four-mile struggle is the all hi-
portant question. Rice has never been
handicapped as this year by lack OF mate
rial, and it is marvellous that he shol'd
be able to turn out a crew at all from
the assortment OF insists that reported 10
him last fall.
However, he has built up a crew .het
rows with a powerful and clean stroke
and one that has everything except PEI
haps that rugged strength that is so
badly needed when the final call is made
for sprint.
The regeneration in rowing that has
been brought about at the University of
Pennsylvania by Vivian Nickalls is dem
onstrsted on the Hudson twice every day.
PENNSYLVANIA crews in the past have
slugged along, sometimes displaying good
form and at others rowing as poorly as
eight men can row. This year it is diner
ent.
IL the crew doesn't go right Nickahs
let's the erring ones know about IT IN no
uncertain terms, and woe betide the man
who is caught the second time. Nickais
is no stickler for the conventions, but 10
does demand hard work from his men,
and he Is building up a spirit and mrs
that have been missing from the Quaker
quarters.
The only criticism that has oeeh
launched at Nickalls is the fact that ne u
adhering religiously TO the English syT
tenn of rigging. All the Quaker boats a.
fitted with tholeplns instead OF s"i'e'
rowlocks. and save for the fact that inc
men are seated directly over the keel III
the conventional American fashion every
thing about the Pennsylvania boats sus'
gests the other side OF the Auanuc'
Hiram Connibear, coach OF the OhNei
sity of Washington crews. has the m01.
powerful set of men on the river ano~'
IL takes nothing more than brute strens"
to win the race Washington has ine hs'
already won The Washington eignt Az
erages something over 1I3 pounds. Ih'
highest man tips tho scales at a frsc''Vn
under 10. willie the heaviest is oareN
$50. so that the remarkable size OIL wv
crew is the more apparent.
Gathered from the mines OF Alaska e'e
forests of British Columbia anu ~
ranches and farms OF Washington Wv
Seattle crew Is truly remarkaoie ~.
lection. So far il has shown little ap'".s
~ apply it's power. but IL will propaVH
hapin soon TO show more real ro"ns
than it's frst two or three trials se'~
nromise of. Connibear the COACH n
announced that this is the last year
IN 1918 that the Washington ere" VIII
sent East. A.,ow
secluded as they are. six miles De,s"
the regatta course. little Is seen 10y
University OF Wisconsin crews 80.
Vail is confident, however, that tue -,
s,,y and freshman eights he has oross-
along will vindicate the long s'.,oId
Badgers have made TO gam Tns
among the leaders on the huoson ,srv
varsity eight, according 70 VAIL ma
nj, as powerful as the 1913 crew. =,
the freshmen squad has the ma's'
produce a fast crew 49,. opin-
rba coaches are unanimous VI Va,
ION that any proposal lookihs " rayusa
tnoval OF the regatta course 10 sow.
Taka "a preposterous. They DO ies'
=, noa,fa committee mo