Norwich bulletin., 1916-07-22
COLLEGE ROWING
 CRITICALLY REVIEWED
Past Year Has Brought Up New Prob lens and Marks Courtney's Retire naent.

There has been no more interesting season in American college rowing than the one which closed when liar wards varsity eight won the third straight Crimson victory of the day over Yale and incidentally broke a record for the four mile course which has stood since 1888, says the New
 York Times. It was a season of up sets and surprises from the day last fall when Columbia won a victory over this same Yale eight, to the moment when a graduate coach, Herbert F. Herrick, turned out the best crew Harvard ever had. It was noted be- cause of the retirement of a working coach of the most picturesque figure in college rowing. Charles B. Court new, CoTnell's mentor for the past 30 years, and because of the many les sons in strokes and methods which have been brought about.
 Although it is true that Harvard and Syracuse were faVorites at New Lon don and PCughIeepsie, respectively, no one thought these eights would be so markedly superior. Because of the absolute sway of each team new prob lemS in rowing have come to the front and it might seem that one of them the graduate system of coaching, had been successfully solved The other is in the method of producing a win nirg crew. It is a big one for the time being on account of the Syracuse victory. as it is the first time that an American intercollegiate rowing victor has ever contained men who were de- veloped in boat rowing.
 The big lesson of the season is brought to attention of Courtney's an nOUnced retirement from active duties and his desire to establish a graduate system at Cornell and the success that Harvard has had under the instruction of HeTTick. It would seem from these two situations that TOyyjncr HO1- | leges is reaching a point where many changes are to take place in the hand i ling of crews. Even Joe Wright, the ArgOnaut oar, who coached Penusyl- vania, attempted to make coaches out of two members of his Pennsylvania eight but without success, and at Co., | lumbia a move is on foot to develop rowing as an intramural sport with i graduate coaches to assist James c. Rice, it's coach, in the extra duties which will fall to that department of sport.
 The Cornell situation is by far the most important one, as Ithaca eights have longest been victorious and a change in men and methods which is 1 in contemplation means that the new l order is of greatest interest. AL 1 though 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 it's predeces- SOrS. For the past three or four years l judging from results, Courtney is be- i ing hotly pursued by other American college coaches; and even were he at | the height of his ability competent rowing men think that the winning of a Cornell crew in race would be l longer an assured fact Rice at Co., ! lumbia has caught up with Courtney | as have Herrick and Ten Eyck, the i Harvard and Syracuse tutors.
 ! The reason that is given for the re- cent defeats of Cornell is not the poor health of Courtney but the inability of the Cornell eights to sprint This years eight fell down at the start and practically rOwed a 26 stroke through | the race, raising it but little at the 1 end and being unable to make the l pace higher because it did not know how. CornelPs strength in the past 1 has been due to having a superior stroke for a low pace and with it row l ing into a lead It has not had a sprint and has rarely needed 1t. Now i 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 ColIyer, captain and stroke of this years crew. All rumor to the contrary is unofficial, i because ColIyer is wanted by Courtney
 
 next year. although ne is a senior, i Collyer and Cornell men realize that
 the Courtney stroke must be changed to meet conditions, and the change is ] to come in putting a sprint into it. 1 To do this the most marked feature i of it, the long hang at the catch to
 prevent a check in the boat will have
 to be modified
 Style of Stroke Different. 1 The Cornell experiment will be the
 first attempt of a college to establish a stroke it has been rowing for years. | HerriCk, at Harvard, is not teaching Ethe stroke he rowed back in 1889,
 when he stroked it's varsity. He has l long been a close student of rowing and has built up a stroke of his own, nearer to the Ten Eyck style than any
 other, but different from it in the
 method of feathering. It is a sculler's
 stroke, and it is one which puts less strain on the abdomen than the Eng fish stroke taught by Nickalls. As
 was predicted before the Yale-Harvard races, it was a better sprintfng stroke land reserved the strength of the men better than did the Ya1s beat for the ] final spurt.
 Herricl1s work is the most notable | Of he in