The Washington times., 1938-04-25

garded as one
Of the hopes of the East at
Poughkeepsie.
Eight-oared shell racing stands
supreme as a team sport.
Rhythm and timing count for
more than sheer power, al
though the ancient axiom OF the
sport still stands: THE broader
the back, the deeper the pud-
die"
One man can make a gooC
crew. and one man surely can
ruin a crew. You can go stronger
than that, and say that one
stroke can bring complete fruS-
tration to months Of galley-slave
labor for the oarsmen, and
months of patient coaching by
q coach.
No Let-up
They talk about fighting be-
ing hard. Mere child's play.
A boxer who knows the game
can coast and take a breather.
But the minute the gun starts
a crew race, its reach and catch
and follow through to another
catch. Your hands ache and
spots dance before your eyes.
Your throat gets hot and you
feel that you can't go another
stroke.
But somehow or other, when
the coxswain calls for one more
dozen, hammering the side Of
the boat with his little mallet,
you summon the power from
somewhere, and the beat climbs.
In golf, if you miss a stroke,
you hurt yourself. In baseball,
if you make an error, you have
another chance to redeem your
self. In rowing, the man who
breaks the swing of the boat,
who fails to snap his wrists
through at the finish so the
blade can clear the water from
the next catch, is killing seven
other men.
Nays victory over Columbia
was popular in New York and,
naturally, it was popular here.
You recall the Midshipman
crews at Poughkeepsie during
the Glendon regime at An
napolis. Early or late, when
ever they put their shell in the
Hudson for a spin from Krum
Elbow to the Bridge, they went
wherever they were going at top
speed.
Average s Fl. 2 In.
There was a long reach, a
hard catch, and an extreme
finish. You wondered how they
did it, but the blades always
cleared, and the boys always
swung up for the next stroke.
It is a beautiful boatload of
young men who wear the Blue
and Gold of Navy this spring.
The crew that vanquiShed Co
lumbia averaged 6 feet 2 inches
in height and 178 pounds to the
man.
Neal Almgren, the stroke, is
6 feet 2 inches and weighs 1876
pounds. George Whiteside, No.
z, is two inches taller but three
pounds lighter. Arthur YeateS
and Fred Brown, No. 6 and No.
5, respectively, are 6-footerS and
weigh 100 pounds.
Tall. men, long armed and
broad Shouldered with the weight
and the drive in their legs to
make the oar locks click at the
finish.
Rowing virtually has faded
from the local scene, despite the
fact that the Potomac offers
splendid facilities for the sport.
There is a good championship
course available if interest were
greater.
With the great number Of
former college men in the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation and
the other bureaus. it is unusual
that more young men do not
continue their sculling or sweep
rowing. Under wise direction,
there is no sport in the world
that offers more in physical de-
velopment and healthful exercise
than rowing.
Charts PROVE Little
The race charts for Saturday
proved little beyond the fact
that Sun Egret needs a rest to
say the least. He was beaten
off in the Chesapeake Handicap
at Havre de Grace on Saturday
as Bourbon King rushed to
glory. The latter ran like a colt
that is in nice condition for the
Kentuckl Derby, to be run in
two weeks.
In New York. Fighting Fox won
his race, but Nedayr was beaten.
Crepe, which won at the 'Graw
a week ago, was badly beaten On
Saturday, and perhaps must be
rated as a Splinter which can
not lug handicap weights.
We note that Can't Wait, a
Derby possibility, passed Traffic
Light in his race in New York.
A lot of can't waits do that all
over the country, and usually
they land in traffic court.
VOTE FOR SUFFRAGE APRIL 30