Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-02
TWO GAMES ARE
SCHEDULED TODAY
Amherst Is to Meet George
town. While Seaton Hall Will
Play Catholic U.
|! RICE SAYS FOUR-MILE
RACE is MUCH TOO LONG
Columbia Coach Thinks the Event
Should Be Shortened Because
of Conditions Here.
BY n. C. BYRD.

Amherst and Seaton Hall are the col
lege base ball teams scheduled to play
here today. The first mentioned is to be
the opponents of Georgetown, while the
latter Is to appear at Catholic University
Both visiting teams are said TO be very
strong.
Seaton Hall has been making an excel
lent showing in its contests It won from
Mount st. Mary's easily and the Mary
land team is generally represented by
very capable nine. The Massachusetts,
team has also won several other contests
Amherst generally puts out nine capa:
BILE of giving the best the hardest kind of
a game. The two games will begin at
o clock
The games scheduled for yesterday
, were called off because of the inclement
weather. Georgetown was supposed to
pay the University of Vermont. and the
Maryland Aggies had a game booked
with Gallaudet. The Georgetown-Ver-
mon, game Of course. is off for the en-
tlre season, but 1t is probable that an
other date will be selected for the one
between NJ. A. c. and Gallaudet
1t is probable that there is no sport
winch has come in for much more censure
than the four-mile rowing race. 1t has
peen commended many times by competent
authorities that the event is too severe
and that it should be eliminated from
competition between the colleges and a
shorter race substituted The wear and
tear on the physique in a close four-r1ile
race IS really too much, as is attested by
the fact that at least one man has
cropped dead at or just after the finish
Now comes Rice. coach of the Columbia
University crews since 1908. with the as
sertion that the race is too long for
American crews and should be shortened
Here is what Rice has to say relative to
the matter:
Il do not believe in a four-mile race
| for college crews he said, land 1 am
heartily in favor of the race for junior
eight-oared varsity crews in place of
| the old four-oared race. 1t seems to me
that our incoming classes are getting
younger, and that, therefore. the men
who are seeking places in the varsity
| boat nowadays are not as old as they
were dozen years ago. This is an i'm
| portant factor to be considered when you
are training crew for a four-nlile race.
! ut is not right to have mere boys train
down for such race in the short period
! of time we in America give to rowing.
It's different in England. because there
| boy begins to row when he is in the
grammar school, and by the time he gets
J to college he is a finished oarsman. Here
We have to make the oarsman after he
gets to college, and in the few months of
| training allowed by the college it is i'm
pOSSlUle 10 Dultu up d man phys TO
stand the strain of a feur-nile race II
our men were older and had been rowing
| for greater length of time I would not
| think Of dropping the four-mile race
Another thing that we Americans for
get is that our big four-mile races come
in June. which oftentimes is the hottest
part of the summer. whereas In England
! the big races come in March or early
April, when there is little heat and
man can exert himself without running
the danger of getting sunstruck. Its
hard enough to sit in the launch at
Poughkeepsie on some of those days
when you haven't any work to do, and
when you consider making boys. row
miles, with the thermometer up over 3D.
It Is really. I think, detriment to their
health, likely to result in permanent dis
ability. --st.
-"These are two Of the reasons why
1 think three-rnile race should take
the place of a four-mile race. We need
a longer time to train our men for four
miles, and we shall row the race when
the weather is cold.
LAS for the junior eight-oared race I
think its greatest benefit will be that it
will interest more men in rowing. and,
after all, that is what college rowing is
for. The more students we can get out
on the river the more men We will be
building up physically. and four seats in
varsity shell will mean that just 50
many more men will come out"