Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09
COLLEGE ROWING CRITICALLY
REVIEWED FOR THE PAST YEAR
Season Has Brought Up New Problems
and Marks Courtney's Retirement,
Triumph for Harvard.

There has been no more interesting
season in American college rowing
than the one which closed when Har-
wards varsity eight won the third
straight Crimson victory of the day
over Yale, and. incidentally, broke
record for the four-mile course which
has stood since 1888. says the New York
Times. 1t was season of upsets and
surprises from the day last fall. when
Columbia won victory over this same
Yale eight, to the moment when a
graduate coach. Robert F. Herrick.
turned out the best crew Harvard ever
had. 1t was noted-because of the re-
tirement as working coach of the
most picturesque figure in college row.
ing. Charles E. Courtney, cornelrs men
tor for the past thirty years, and be-
cause of the many lessons in strokes
and methods which have been brought
about. f...5.
Although it is true that Harvard and
Syracuse were favorites at New London
and Poughkeepsie. respectively, no one
thought these Fights would be so mark
eddy superior. Because of the absolute
sway Of each of them. new problems in
rowing have come to the front, and 1t
might seem that one of them-the
graduate system of coaching-had been
successfully solved. The other is in
the method of producing a winning
crew. 1t Is big one for the time being,
on account of the Syracuse victory, as
it is the first time that American
intercollegiate rowing victor has ever
contained men who were developed in
boat club rowing
The big lesson of the season is brought
to attention of Courtney's announced
retirembent from active duties and his
desire to establish a graduate system at
Cornell and the success that Harvard
has had under the instruction of Her
rick. 1t would seem from these two
situations that rowing in our colleges
Is reaching point where many changes
are to take place in the handling of
crews. Even Joe Wright. the Argonaut
oar, who coached Pennsylvania. attempt
ed to make coaches out of two members
of his Pennsylvania eight, but without
success, and at Columbia a move is on
foot to develop rowing as an intramural
sport with graduate coaches to assist
James c. Rice, its coach, in the extra
duties which will fall 10 that department
of sport
Changed Methods Significant.
The Cornell situation is by far the
most important one, as Ithaca Fights
have longest been victorious, and
change in men or methods, which is in
contemplation. means that the new or
der is of greatest interest Although
Courtney did not do. all the coaching
this past year, it is not amiss to state
that this 1916 Cornell crew was typical
of his work and rowed a race that was
typical of its predecessors. For the past
three or four years. judging from re-
suits. Courtney is being holly pursued
~
even were he at the height of his abil-
ity, competent rowing men think that
the winning of a Cornell crew in a race
would be no longer an assured fact.
Courtney. have Herrick and Ten
Eyck the Harvard and Syracuse tutors.
The reason that is given for the recent
defeats of Cornell is not the poor health
of Courtney. but the inability of the
Cornell Fights to sprint, This years
eight fell down at the start, and prac-
tically rowed a 26-stroke through the
race, raising it but little at the end,
and being unable to make the pace
higher because it did not know how
due to having a superior stroke for a
low pace and, with it, rowing into lead
1t has not had sprint and has rarely
needed it. Now that other crews have
solved the problem of keeping in the
race to within striking distance, Cornell
has been whipped
The man Cornell has picked for next
years coach is John Collyer captain
and stroke of this years crew All
rumor to the contrary is unofficial, be-
cause Collyer is wanted by Courtney
and by Cornell men. He will not row
next year. although he is senior Coll
yer and Cornell men realize that the
Courtney stroke must be changed to
meet conditions, and the change is to
come in putting sprint into it, To do
this the most marked feature of it, the
long hang at the catch to prevent a
check in the boat, will have to be modi-
fed.
Style of Stroke Different.
The Cornell experiment will be the first