The Washington herald., 1914-04-26
.OARSMEN NOW
in SPOTLIGHT
Interest Centers In Pough-
keepsie and Yale-Har-
ward Races.
ENGLISH STROKE CUT OUT
intercollegiate Regatta Promises to Be
Well Contested Eyent-Syracuse
Crew in Fine Condition.
ENGLISH STROKE CUT OUT
SPECIAL to The Washington Herald.

Special to he Washington Herald.
New York. Apri. 5.-The sporting spot
light is shifting just now to the efforts
Of the college oarsmen to condition them
selves for the big regattas that will be
| held in the latter part Of June.
OF course. the biggest interest centers
in the Hudson River race. to be held at
Poughkeepsie, n. Y. in which six coll
leges will take part. but there is consid-
cradle interest in tho YaIe-Harvard race
that will be staged on the Thames River,
at New London, Conn.
Yale's beating last year at the hands Of
its Crimson rivals is not likely to be dupli-
Gated this year; at least. not to the in
glorious extent of last year. when the
Harvard crew finished so far ahead of
the Yale outfit that the Yale crew was
hardly visible down the river when the
Crimson crowd flashed across the line.
Things promise to be little different
this year. Yale used the English stroke
last year. with disastrous effect It has
showed that stroke into the discard and
is back with the old American stroke that
served Yale so well in the years g0TsS by.
NicknIIs Is Competent.
Guy NickaIls. one of the best-versed
men in rowing affairs in America, Is
fale's head coach this year, and Nick
alls certainly has demonstrated in the
few weeks he has had the crew out on
the water that he knows how TO handle
men. and how to get the very best re-
suits
Yale has, in the crew tentatively Sc
lected as the varsity eight. a number OF
the men who pulled a stroke in the 1913
regatta. Using the American stroke this
year, these men have shown at least 30
per cent increased ability. and these vet
Grams, intermingled with some mighty
husky recruits. give promise just now
OF rounding out one Of the best-looking
crews that Yale has had in many years.
Despite the fact that Yale seems to
have a better crew than last year, and
that it will use a familiar stroke, the
Harvard crew isn't worried over the out
come of the annual fracas on the Thames
Harvard supporters are mighty confident
that their oarsmen will duplicate the feat
Of last year. Harvard this year also has
a number of the best men in the victori-
Gus 1913 crew, and has a bunch of heavy
and able youngsters to I'll the gap caused
by the 1913 graduations-
Regatta June 26.
Leaping from the YaIe-Harvard subject
to the big intercollegiate regatta to be
held June &c. We find that this little affair
promises to furnish more thrills than
ever has been furnished by competing
oarsmen on the Hudson. Every one of
the six crews that figured in the 1913 bat
tie will be back again. and most of the
1914 agGregations will be superior to those
OF last year.
The champion Syracuse team already Is
in wonderful condition, due to months of
work at the rowing machines during the
winter and getting out onto the water
for daily workouts ever since the ice
cleared from the surface. Coach Ten
Eyck's bevy of oarsmen this year seems
to be heavier and even better able to
stand the terrific four-mile pace than was
the wonderful collection that swept
across the finish line a winner last June.
Ten Eyck's crew this year. not definitely
decided upon as yet. will be composed Of
a mixture of some of last years varsity
veterans and some of the men who rowed
in the 1913 freshmen and varsity four
shells
The defeat of Cornell last year. through
the wnirIwind finish of Syracuse after
Cornell ruled supreme on the river for
many years sort of piqUed Charles Court
ney. the wonderful Cornell coach. and he
has been buster than ever in his life be-
fore. training his crew with the hope that
IT will he able to show its stern to every
one of its six rivals.
Has Wonderful Material.
Courtney has some wonderful material
to work with this year. and this, mixed
with his great ability as a coach. means
that the Cornell varsity gang this year
will be of a championship caliber.
The University of Washington crew
once again looms up as the dark horse
The boys from Seattle won the admira-
ton of the immense crowd last year by
their wonderful finish, and there Is
prospect that the crowd from the sun
set region of the land will be able to take
the championship trophy back with Them
TO the Pacific Coast.
Coach Conibear's crew had an easy time
defeating; the crews from the University
Of California and Leland Stanford when
they met in the triangular Pacific Coast
Regatta on April II. The Washington
boys simply made a runaway of the race.
and showed that the 1914 crew was even
better Than that of 1918. Conibear Is said
10 have Letter material than last year.
and in addition to this he has the expert
ence that the witnessing of the 1914 re-
yatta on the Hudson gave him.
The Washington crowd came East last
June without knowing Just what Ihey
we're up against. They were unfamiliar
with the methods and tricks used by their
Eastern rivals; unfamiliar with the jock
wing. squirting. and pacemsking. And
{ was because of this that many persons
ieclare that Syracuse, instead OF Wash
ngton, won the 1913 regatta.
Squirt Begun Late.
The Washington boys lay back IN
ourth and fifth position during the early
Itages of the 1913 race. stroking easily.
md timing their final squirt to begin
lfter the -half-mile mark.
But they began the squirt a bit too late.
Had il started at the three-mile-mark, or
ven the three and-one-quarter-mile
mark, it's possible that the Washington
'utft would have beaten Syracuse to the
Irish line. AS ii was, Washington
losed up about three boat lengths dur
ng the last half mile and finished only
ength behind Syracuse and half length
'ehind Cornell. with its men in excellent
ondition and able to shoot along for an
ther half mile. at a ecord-breaking clip,
lad 1t been necessary.
The Pennsylvania, Columbia. and Wis
onsin crews are said to be superior to
he 1918 outfits that represented these coll
eges. The biggest Improvement is said
o be in the Wisconsin shell. The men
his year are far huskier than last year,
~ a. a..