Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-13
CALIFORNIA; CREW
ONE OF GREATEST
Olympic Champion Probably
Has Had No Superior in
Rowing History.
By WALTER TRUMBULL.
TN the history of rowing In the United
States there have been many great
crews, but / doubt whether any OF
III Ter Than tlaie rali-

States there have been many great
crews, but doubt whether any Of
4 them were greater than this Cali
fonia shell-load of 1923.
The big test in any race or game
is competitive spirit. The Golden Bears
have shown that they possess it by the
oceanfull.
II is easy to do your stuff when the
going is smooth. but the contestant that
comes through when the way is rough
and in the face of enemy fire Is the one
numbered with The elect. To such con-
testants belong the walls ard TiiAhcs m
the hall of farSe.
You will find in glory's gallery paint
ings in shining colors of Fights coached
by Bob Cook Charles f. Courtney,
Hiram Conibear. DR.. Spaeth. the older
and younger Glendon, Ed Leader and
many others.
crew of 1896, stroked by slender Freddy
Briggs. known as the French Canuck."
That crew had on it such stalwarts as
Wiley Wakeman and Eddie Savage and
Bently. who was so good that Courtney
took him as a freshman to Henley.
Freddy Colston steered that eight to
victory. And there was that later Cor
nell crew which set the record on the
Hudson that California broke this year.
Navy 1920 Crew Great.
There was the Navy crew, which yon
at Antwerp in 1920. and the Yale Grew
which. stroked by Lindley won at
Paris in 1924 There was the Columbia
crew OF last year, with Lambert at his
best. setting the pace for the men be-
hind him in the boat. Princeton and
| Syracuse and Washington have had.
great crews, but I say again that thiSi
| California eight has proved itself the
| equal of any.
! The West-and the East aIso-should
| be proud Of Little Blessing. the cox
/ swain, and Pete Donlon, the stroke
| and those other seven young gaintS
who have left such a wake IN ths
waters of rowing history. There has
been rowing at California for SONS
/ time, but it Is not until the past feN.
/ years that the Golden Bears have at.
| tanned prominence in this form of sport.
| Under the coaching of Ky Ebright
! former Washington coxswain, a man OF
| the school of Conibear and Leader,
! they rapidly have forced TO the front.
| On the showing of this season alone
| Ebright has won place with the fore
most teachers of Craftsmanship.
! Just consider what this California
| eight has accomplished. 1t won on the
| Coast and then came East to beat a
| fine field at Poughkeepsie. That was
/ we'll enough. but, meanwhile, Yale had
produced an eight which slaughtered
| the Harvard victors of the year before
| and which was thought to be one OF
| the finest crews Leader had produced.
| Critics Prove Wrong.
| Critics said that size and power had
won for California on the Hudson. but
| that when it came to the Olympic trials
at shorter distance that Yale was too
good and too finished an outfit for the
men from the Golden Gate.
This proved bad dope. It was Cali
/ fornia which won the right to represent
/ the United States at the Olympics.
/ At Amsterdam were gathered the best
crews of the world. Here the Califor-
mans would be pitted against skill, age
and experience Here they would have
to win several heats even to get into the
| final. They never faltered.
/ Luck didn't favor them unduly. They
didn't draw byes. They had 10 depend
| upon the strength in their bodies, the
/ courage in their hearts and the skill
| that Ebright had taught them. Big OF
frame and with the viii and ability to
win. they Tet every test, They won
| their way to the final and there they
I beat the eight of the British Thames
! Rowing Club. tough and worthy rivals
So. from beginning TO end. these Cali
| fornia youngsters went through the sea-
son without a defeat. AND each time
| they conquered not because the oppo-
sition was weak, but because they were
strong II was a glorious campaign
/ they fought
/ When the officials handed them the
/ laurel wreath they handed IL TO the I'M
! questioned rowing champions OF the
world.