The Washington times., 1938-06-27
Huskies Loom as
Overwhelming
Fdvorites
SEVEN IN RACE
Navy Carries Hopes
of East in Classic
on Hudson
SEVEN IN RACE
BY LAYTON CARVER

by LAWTON CARVER
international News Service Sports Editor
POUGHKEFPSIE, N. Y, June
q GN.S0.-Four miles of heart.
break will pay off late today with
the national championship in in
tercollegiate rowing as the eight.
cared crews of the East, Middle
West and West Coast engage in
the annual Poughkeepsie regatta.
It's been going on since 1895.
It's without parallel in crowd
appeal. It's the Beau Ideal of the
amateur tradition, with backs and
hearts strained to the breaking
point in that last, desperate dash
below the bridge to the finish
line.
RAISE THAT BEAT!
That's where the great Wash
lngton crew is expected to figure
most prominently, just as it did
at Berlin two years ago. It came
on then to win the Olympic cham
plonShip, with Don Hume Strok-
ing the most beautiful eight that
ever shot a shell through a final
drive to the wire.
Today, the same Hume will ask
the Washington Huskies the same
question he put TO them in the
final 400 yards at Berlin. The same
Hume and pretty much the same
crew, except that this middle
weight stroke has been ailing ever
since he came East.
Nonetheless, Washington. with
its records of clean sweep of the
river during the last two years
and its victories this year over
California and Wisconsin, will 90
to the historic starting line at
Krum Elbow late this afternoon
as tremendous and natural "a
vorite with the great race-day
crowd, estimated as high as
100000.
EAST ECLIPSED
That's pretty silly, of course,
but the prestige and tradition OF
Washington watercraft isn't. All
too often, the Huskies have swept
on past the finish to declare them
selves the greatest crew on the
river. Often enough, in fact, the
West Coast, through either Wash
ington or California, has won not
only the varsity event, but the
junior varsity and freshman races
as we'll. Originally. this crew racing
was intended to establish the iden-
tity of the ranking crew of East
ern rowing. Today the East feels
fortunate if it can place second.
The field, in point of fact, will
comprise Washington, California.
Wisconsin. Columbia, the Navy.
Cornell and Syracuse, but not even
the most rabid Fastener looks for
better than a fair break at the
finish, the local favorite being the
Navy. The rest of the East, in
fact, is going largely for the exer-
else.
HUSKIES TOO GOOD
Hume or no Hume, Washington
simply looks too good to the re-
gatta crowd, and so they're bet
ting it that way at better than
even money this morning in the
lobby of the historic Nelson House.
Cornell, STEPPED in the Courtney
tradition, always has chance. It's
the same with Syracuse and the
Ten Eyck system, which still fingers
at the Salt City.
But, in spite of these famous
Eastern names, the hope of that
section reposes, as always, in the
Navy. It's the only institution that
has the slightest chance against
the greatness of Pacific Coast
coaching and Pacific Coast man.
hood-and when you get that far.
you stop automatically. After all.
Pacific Coast manhood has been
the pay-off here for years and we
of the East do more than concede
it's actuality. We take it for
granted.
Pleasure craft and palatial
yachts in addition to six United
States destroyerS on cruise with
the entire second class of $50 mid
shipman from the Naval Academy
dotted the river early. President
Roosevelt was expected here later
today to witness his first Pough-
keepsie regatta.