Evening star., 1952-09-14
Champion Rowing
May Become Fixture
Here, Starting in '53


Several months of quiet cam
paigning to bring the Intercolleg-
tate Rowing Association champion
shipS-known for years as the
Poughkeepsie Regatta-to WASH
ington as a permanent fixture,
starting next year. will reach a
climax Tuesday when stewards of
the association come here to in
spect facilities on the Potomac at
the invitation of the Washington
Rowing Association.
For half a century or more,
the championships were held on
the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie,
N. Y Then. in 1950-51. they were
switched to the Ohio River at
Marietta, Ohio, and last June they
were held on Lake Onondaga at
Syracuse, N. Y. Now the stewards
are trying to locate a permanent
home.
Headed by Ralph Furey Of CO.
lumbia University. the regatta
stewards are coming here to look
over a three-mile course laid out
on the Potomac by the Army Corps
of Engineers. It starts just above
Memorial Bridge and ends at
Hams Point.
Following the course inSpec-
ton. the stewards will be en-
tertained by the Greater National
Capital Committee at l o'clock
luncheon, with Barrett L. Gran
dali. head of the Washington
Rowing Association, presiding.
Guests will include representatives
of all alumni clubs in this area
of schools which compete regular
ly in the intercollegiate regatta.
Crandall. who was coxswain for
the Cornell crew in 1910. says the
Potomac offers an almost perfect
setting. We've been troubled with
rough water elsewhere" he said,
land, generally speaking, you
don't have that problem on the
Potomac in June.
But the best thing is that we
have 10000 alumni Of the COM
peting schools living in Wash
ington. And there's room for 200,-
600 or more to line the river banks.
If we were to have 100000 specta-
tors. that would be three times as
many as ever saw the race before"
Crews usually competing in the
championships include Navy,
which won the Olympic cham
pionship at Helsinki in July; Bos-
ton University. California. Colun-
bia. Cornell. Massachusetts, IN
stitute of Technology. Penn,
Princeton. Rutgers. Stan for d.
Syracuse, Washington and Wis
consin.
The effort to bring the rowing
iclassic to Washington was spear
headed by the Cornell Club, whose
contacts with other alumni groups
gained quick support and resulted
in formation of the Washington
Rowing Association. Alumni Of all
rowing colleges Joined in the drive
and the Greater National Capital
Committee made a survey which
revealed that these alumni, to-
gether with their families, num-
bered about 10000 in the WASH
1ngton area. .
Business, civic and sports leaders
here now are participating in the
effort to make the regatta Wash
ington fixture. pointing to the
combination of ideal water con-
ditions, beautiful setting. facili-
ties for large numbers of spec
tators, top news coverage and 9TH
er advantages.
Crandall said that, even when
allowing wider lanes than has been
customary in the past. there is
room for IA or more crews.
In the old days. the Poughkeep-
sic Regatta was one of the most
colorful of all sports events. The
New York Central Railroad used
to run special trains along the
Hudson so that spectators could
watch the crews progress. But,
according to Crandall, when the
New York Central found it could
no longer afford to have the spe-
cial trains. interest in the Pough-
keepsie classic died down.
Rusty Callow, coach of Navy's
champion crew. will be a guest at
the luncheon Tuesday.
Stewards of the intercollegiate
Rowing Association include, be-
sides Chairman Furey. Robert j.
Kane, Cornell; Castelman Chesiey,
Penn. of Washington; Capt. Ian
C. Eddy. Naval Academy, and
Lewis P. Andreas. Syracuse, with
Asa S. Bushnell, commissioner Of
the Eastern College Athletic
Conference, as secretary-treasurer.
Crandalls fellow officers OF the
Washington Rowing Association