Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-26

| FTNHERE has been no more interesting sea-
i son in American college rowing than the
one which closed when Harvard's varsity
| eight won three straight victories In one
day over Yale and incidentally broke a
record for the four-mile course which has
stood since 1888 It was n season of upsets
| and surprises from the day last fall when
| Columbia won a victory over this same
| Yale eight to the moment when graduate
| coach, Robert f. Herrick, turned out the
| best crew Harvard ever had 1t was noted
because of the retirement as a working
coach of the most picturesque figure in col
| lege rowing, Charles IL. Courtney, Cornells
mentor for the past 80 years, and because
! of the many lessons In strokes and methods
| which have been brought about.
Although II was true that Harvard ana
Syracuse were favorites at New London
and Poughkeepsie respectively. no one
thought these eights would be so markedly
superior. Because OF the absolute sway Oh
each of them new problems in rowing nave
come TO the front, and 1t might seem thaI
one of them-the graduate system OF coaSh-
ing-had been successfully solved Ihe
other Is in the method of producing WIN
ming crew. 1t is a big one for the time
being, on account of the Syracuse victory
as IL is the first time that an American
intercollegiate rowing victor mas ever coi-
tanned men who were developed III Oo"'
club rowing l., n,,,ob,
The big lesson of the season Is orouBhf
IN attention by Courtney's announced re-
tlrement from active duties ana ms ue
sire 10 establish n graduate system at - -,
nell and the success that Harvard mas hau
under the instruction of Herrlck' IL "ou,N
seem from these two situations that row
ING in our colleges is reaching po'h'
where many changes are TO take p,a'o 80
the handling of crews. Even Joe "rlsh''
the Argonaut oar, who coached Feih az
,ol,nc out n
hers OF his Pennsylvania eight nut VIII
out success and at Columbia lnoNe 10
on foot to develop rowing as an mira
mural sport with graduate coaches u %
s,st James C. Rice, its coach, IN the extra
duties which will fall to that department
of sport
Changed Methods
The Cornell situation is by far the most
imDortant one, as Ithaca elshts ha'o 'o'h
est been victorious and change III men men
or methods, which 10 In cohteihpluuUn'
means that the new order Is OF srealest ~.
terest Although Courtney did not 40 an
the coaching this past year, 1t is not hInlss
10 state that this 1875 Cornell ere" was
tvnicaI OF his work and rowed RAGS
that was typical of its predecessors fot
the past three or four years Juagihs llo't,
results, Courtney is being hoty pursueS
nv other American college coaches anu
eyen were he at the height of his ablllty |
rowing men think that the WIN
ming Of a Cornell, crew in a race Woulu DC
no longer an assured fact. kice' at -
IumbIa, has caught up with Courtney as
have Herrick and Ten Eyck, the iiarVaru
and Syracuse tutors.
The reason that Is given for the recent
defeats of Cornell is not the poor healtn
OF Courtney, but the inability OF the Cornem
eights TO sprint, This years eight zen
down at the start and practically ro%ea
26-stroke through the race RAISING - ~ ul
little at the end, and being unable TO make
the mace higher because 1t did not Know
how. Cornell's strength In the past mas
been due to having superior stroke, Ior
a low pace and with 1t. rowing into a lead,
II has not had sprint and has rarely
nsedad H. Now that other crews have
solved the problem of keeping In the race
within striking distance, Cornell has been
The man Cornell has picked for next
wears coach is John Collyer captain ana
stroke OF this years crew. All rumor TO
the contrary is unofficial, because Collyer
Is wanted by Courtney and by Cornell men,
He will not row next year. although he Is a
senior. collyeF and Cornell men realize
that the Courtney stroke must be changed
10 meet conditions, and the change is to
come I'm putting sprint into II. To do this
the most marked feature of H. the long
nang at the catch TO prevent o check In
Lhe boat. viii have to be modified.
Style of Stroke
The Cornell experiment will be the hFst
attempt of a college TO establish a stroke IL
las been rowing for years. HeTrlek, at
Harvard. Is. not teaching the stroke he
owed back Ia 1889 when he stToked its
,afslty. He has long been a close student
Il rowing, ana has built up stroke OF his
,wn, nearer to the Ten Eyek style than any
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