The Washington herald., 1916-01-23
BY EUGENE M. FOSTER.

Oarsmen in all sections of the South
are interested In the meeting to be held
at the Raleigh Hotel next Saturday
night, when delegates from various clubs
in this vicinity will meet to discuss the
advisability of forming new rowing az
sociation.
The aim of the association will be to
stimulate a more active interest in the
rowing game throughout the South and
from present reports the plan bids fair
to be a success.
So far three clubs have expressed
their intention OF joining the association,
namely, the Ariels and Arundels, of Bal
timore. and the Virginia Boat Club. of
Richmond. and 1t is expected that at
least three others will come in when the
plan is fully explained at the meeting
on Saturday night.
Washington's rowing clubs have not as
yet signified their intention of coming
into the fold, it being understood that
they intend waiting until a plan is thor
oughly discussed at the meeting before
definitely deciding.
The clubs in this section in addition to
those mentioned above, who now have
crews and are expected to join the as
sociation are the Severns, of Annapolis
and the Old Dominions, of Alexandria,
while it Is thought that once the thing
gets started other clubs throughout the
South will take up the sport and enter
crews in the regattas.
The tentative plan so far suggested is
to hold a regatta each year In Baltimore
or Washington with entries open only
to representatives from clubs South OF
Philadelphia.
The plan was first brought to the at
tention Of the Washington public through
the columns OF The Washington Herald.
when in November this paper reported
the work done by the boat clubs of
Baltimore in laying plans for the asso-
citation.
A canvass among local rowing authori-
ties shows a divided opinion here as to
the need for such an association.
The objections expressed against the
plan Is that the field is sufficiently COW
cred by the present rowing associations
and that the class of crews that could be
obtained from such a restricted area
would hardly be sufficient inducement for
the local clubs to have their promising
Junior or intermediate crews enter.
The Washington oarsmen feel that they
would rather train to win a large regatta
where crews from most any section OF
the country would compete against them
than to lose their class as juniors or in
termediates by winning against a few
only to a small number OF clubs.
Another objection Is that It Is not
thought that rowing clubs in this locality
could support a regatta IN any one city
each year, or possibly every other year
which would be the case II the new asso-
citation Is formed, as the plan is not to
have the Southern Association supersede
the association now in the field. but IL
to have II work with them, In which
event the clubs In the two cities would
surely bid for the Middle States or the
National some time.
In reply to those who have expressed
themselves against the plan, Frank Dris-
coll. commodore OF the Patapsco navy,
of Baltimore, stated that in his opinion
a great deal coald be gained from such
an association that cannot be obtained
from the means now at hand, even II the
contests narrowed down to races between
the two clubs in Balomore and the two
clubs In Washington, to say nothing