New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-05-13
COMING REGATTA
A TEST FOR STYLES
Pennsy Rules Favorite Over Com.
petitors on the Severn

New York, May Throwing among
the big colleges this year pre- eminent
" has revived the same amount Of
theory OH style that has followed the
exercise since rowing became q. sport,
There is the same rampant agreem ent
about blade work, body swing, the
control of the slide, the length of the
stroke and other minor points in the
modus operandi of sweep pulling.
What has caused the unnecessary
futter is the fact that the six big coll
lege crews are each pursuing different
methods. but what is raising the dan
der chiefly among American coaches
is that Pennsylvania, in following tho
plan of it's former mentor-Vivian
Nickalls-is sticking to the use of the
English thole-pins instead of the
swivel rowlock. To talk about a thole-
pin to an American coach Is like shak-
ing the proverbial red rag at q bull
and that is the very reason why a vast
number of Yankee devotees of aquatics
| would like to see the shine taken out
Of the Red and Blue.
has shown the upper hand In racing
Fights, as she has taken the measure
of Columbia, Yale, Princeton and An
napolls, and 1t looks now as if the
Quakers would pass through the sea
son without having to lower their COL
ors to any of the other institutions.
All the crews have suffered from the
war drafts and enlistment, a few lit
| tie more than others, so it will not he
known till after the regatta on the
Severn, next Saturday, and the meet
! ing of Yale and Harvard, which is the
top-roting crew.
Ithacans Lack Unity:
Up at Ithaca the Cornell men are
| engaged in a sort of free-and- easy
| method Of preparatory work. Their
| training table has been abolished, and
they are said to be wanting in real
crew unity, the very thing that con-
| tributes most to successful competi-
| ton. But when the crucial test ap-
| pears, "Old WIZARD Courtney may be
banked upon to back his men into the
starting line fit to put UP rafting
fight.
No rowing coach in the United
| States has been more of a student of
Workmanship than Courtney. More
| than 20 years ago The Wizard took
a Cornell crew to Henley, England, to
have lick for the Grand Challenge
! Cup. At that time the Cornell rowers
| used what was known as the donkey
! engine stroke"--a short drive Of the
| sweep into the water, a sharp kick
with the legs and a sort Of quick,
! splashy recovery, a style of sweep
pulling worthy OF the veriest novice.
Added to these faults of the stroke,
| Courtney favored a short, wide blade,
| effective enough on rough water, but
unsuited to the smooth surface of the
| English Thames.
I Hardly had 1.-The Wizard" been a
day on the English river when he saw
| his mistake. He saw a narrower
| blade, a longer stroke and a smooth,
! easy recovery, points which he COM
| menced to put into use without a mo-
! ment's delay. The time, though, was too
! short for the Cornell men to accus-
! tom themselves to the English plan of
/ pulling, so they failed to lift the
| Grand.
After his return Courtney pursued
| the English style, with the result that
for years he has had the most mar
Vicious luck at the Poughkeepsie in
| tercollegiate regatta,
! PENNSYLVANIA sent a bully crew
| across for the Grand Challenge Cup,
and they did better than Cornell,
| working their way to the final, where
| they had to meet the crack Leanders,
and, as we expected, the Quakers Went
down before the Englishmen. Yale
| also sent q crew over for this same
trophy, but their efforts were in vain,
! although the New Haven contingent
ever crossed the Atlantic in quest of
! the big prize.
Failed to Profit.
| What was most lamentable about
the visits of Yale and Pennsylvania
was that they failed to learn q lesson
! from what they saw, and both COM
| hinations returned to America and
| continued the practice of their old
! tin-pot strokes, which never won any
thing and never could, for the system.
| was all at variance with the science
, of sweep-pulling.
Yale grew worse year after year
until the crew finally was beaten
quarter of a mile in the annual race
against Harvard, and it was only then
that the New Haven people woke up
! and made a common sense move by
| engaging E. j. Gisnnini, for years y
successful coach OF the New York
Athletic club. There was an imm edit
ate change for the better in Yale row
ing, but it was spoiled when Guy Nick
alls was engaged to coach the varsity
| crew After q couple Of successful
seasons, Giannini quit and Nickalls
left to fill a commission in the English
| army, SO tho Ellis had to be contented
| with pot luck for the past few seasons.
! Columbia has had the services or IL
consistent coach in Jim Rice, but he
is handicapped from two different
angles. Unlike Cornell or the other