The Washington times., 1925-09-25
BUTLER HAS.
ROWING
ENIGMA
Hardly Knows How to Start
to Improve Nays Vic
torious System
By HUGH R. RILEY

By HUGH r. RILEY
ANNAPOLIS, Sept. 25.-Bob
Butler, who has recently come
from the University of Washing
ton, where he was the assistant
rowing coach, to take the place of
the younger .Glendon as rowing
mentor at the Naval Academy,
admits that he has a problem co
solve in reference to the kind of
rowing that he will teach the mid
shipmen.
Loyal to the Washington style
Of rowing, as taught by Callow
there and by Leader at Yale,
Butler still recognizes that there
must be merit in the kind of row.
ing which has brought so many
victories to Navy crews, and is not
inclined to attempt to wipe it out,
but rather to modify it along
lines which have proved efficacicus
at Washingto and Yale.
The. experiment of combining the
strokes used by the crews which
have all the great achievements
in college rowing to their credit
during the past half dozen years,
Is likely to prove one of the most
interesting movementS in college
rowing.
The method of rowing which
may be termed the Navy or Glen
don stroke has carried Navy crews
to q worlds Olympic championship
in 1920, three intercollegiate cham
pionships at PoughkeepSie in five
entries and innumerabIe victories
in dual and triangular races and
larger contests, such as the Ameri-
can Henley.
The Washington stroke has
won two victories at POughIxeep-
sic for the Washington crew, and
: has enabled Yale to win all the
it adopted il. including the Olynl-
pic races of 1924. AIanifestIy,
there must be merit in both sSs.
TENS Of rowing.
Butler recognizes for one thing
that 1t would be several years he
fore he could thoroughly eliminate
the present system at the Naval
Academy and substitute that of
Washington even If he wished to
do so. He stated moss definitely
that he did not plan to do any,
thing of the sort, though he adj
hered to the belief that there were
certain elements of superiority in
the Washington stroke.
This is freely admitted by row.
ing men at the Naval Academy. 1t |
Is conceded that Washington crews
have better slide work and n
smoother stroke than any Eastern
crew, including TIE Navy. On the
other hand, it is felt that the Navy
crews sustain their power better,
this being due to the body swing
after the completion of the arm
pull, which is the distinctive fea-
ture of the Glendon stroke.
1t is hoped that the best features
OF rowing as taught in both places
can be combined SO as to produce
better rowing than has yet been
shown by a college crew. Butler
shares in this desire, and IS giving
as much attention and consideI"I-
ton TOT the matter as he can.
Butler has seen Naval crews i'm
action at POugllkeepsie and, since
coming to Annapolis, has "cIOSo
up of the Navy stroke through
the work of the crew of new
midshipmen who have been
coached by Ensign ShankIin, cap
tain of the Naval Academy crew
Of 1923, who learned his rowing
under GlendOn.
The new coatch has also con-
ferred with Ensign ShanIIlin and
with Lieutenant Commander vii
liam G.. Greenman, also a captain
Of a former Naval Academy crew.
and now representative of the Navy
Athletic Association for rowing. The
result Of these conferences aid the
consideration that Butler can give
to the matter will be the adoption
Of a plan for coaching the Naval
Acadamy crews, beginning next
year.
In three meetings between the
crews of the Naval Academy and
the University of Washington, the
former have won twice. On the
other hand, the Navy lost the only
race against Yale rowed since the
Washington style of rowing was
introduced there by Leader. There
fore, honors are exactly even be-
tween the Callow and the Glendon,
the Washington and the navy
strokes.
Butler is inclined to think that
the navy nad superior crew
physically last year. Many doubt
that, and there is no doubt that
Washington has a splendid body of
youths from whom to draw, and
also gives more time to rowing that
Is possible at the Naval Academy.
Considering every factor, there is
no doubt that a great deal about
rowing is known at both places
and that a continuation IF the cyOOd
things in both out to produce some
thing better than either. This is
what Butler hopes to accomplish,
and he will have complete cooper
alton at Annapolis.
1t Was Horrible
John Majors, pitching for the
Philadelphia Athletics in 1916, lost