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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1899)
Vou. VIIL No. 30. NEW HAVEN, CONN., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1899. Price Tren Cents. THE YALE CREW, Whe General Features of the Stroke— Coaching Unity—A Clever Device. When Robert J. Cook, the most ac- tive and successful University Crew Coach for twenty years, retired last Summer and announced his intention to coach no more, there was much specu- lation as to the course to be followed in Yale aquatics and some misgivings as to the result of what must be a com- plete change in the plan of training. The situation, though not clear at first, worked out in a very natural way. The first step towards the new order of things—the appointment of Dr. Edson F, Gallaudet, ’93, a member of the Fac- ulty; to be head coach of the Crew— was a satisfactory one from every point of view. He had had the benefit of two years training under Mr. Cook; knew the old stroke in every detail; was capable of teaching it, and besides, was. a member of the University. The new . system, which included in its workings the codperation of Yale’s prominent oarsmen for the past fifteen years, has now been in force a trifle over twelve weeks and in all ways has proved ad- mirable, working in the way it was hoped it would. Already, Dr. Gallaudet has had the aid of twelve graduate oars- men who have worked together without friction. ; THE EIGHT AND THEIR WORK. The Crew itself, which was drawn from as good material as could be wished for, promises to be an average Yale Crew. The first boat as rowing to-day is somewhat heavier than usual, the men ranging from 160 to 190 pounds with an average of about 173 pounds. Two of the men are over six feet tall, the tallest six feet three inches, and four others are six feet. Notwithstanding the weight there is great driving power in the boat, for the oarsmen, though big, are lively and take unusually well to coaching. Like last year, the cold and windy weather has made development slow, because it has been extremely dif- ficult to get smooth water for pair-oar work, which is so necessary at the be- ginning of the season. It is too early in the season to at-~ tempt an individual criticism of the Crew, for of course, there are faults common:to most crews at this period of training, but in general the weakness seems to be in the pull through the water and a failure to get the blades anchored quickly and firmly at the be- ginning of the stroke. is due in part to insufficient skill in con- trolling the slide and partly to lack of deliberation on the last portion of it. The coaching of the last two weeks has been mainly to correct this fault. Captain Allen and Dr. Gallaudet have been trying for two or three weeks past a pair-oar fitted with a measuring gauge, the mechanism of which is the invention of. Captain Allen’s brother. The device makes a record of the pull on the oar-lock and the push on the stretcher each independent of the other, or both together. By it an absolute check is had on the force exerted at the catch and finish and at every inter- mediary point of the passage of the oar through the water. It is interesting to know that the machine verifies the theory that the catch is the most im- portant part of the stroke and also the most difficult to get. ~ or The poor catch > THE UNIVERSITY GREW SQUAD. P. L. Mitchell. R. A. McGee. J. H. Niedecken. i> FP; Glente: : Greenway. 4 85, 3 H. P. Wickes. J. C. Greenleaf. J. W. Cross. F. G. Brown, G.S. Stillman. A. Cameron, Jr. W. B. Williams. R. M. Newport. F. W. Allen (capt.) W. E.S. Griswold. R. -L. Atkinson. H. Photograph by Pach. Kk. P. Brock. R.P. Fist. : Auchincloss. A RETURN TO THE OLD STROKE. Although there is no distinct change of stroke being taught to the present Crew, it is noticed that there has been a gradual return, since 1897, to what is known as the “Cook stroke,” .typified best, perhaps, by the Crews of 1888, 1892 and 1895. In 1897 the year after Yale’s Henley trip, Mr. -Cook shortened the slide considerably and had the men reach out much farther for the water, which reach, however, was. greatly modified before the Poughkeepsie race. Last year the men were taught to catch the water, get their shoulders into it, and start the slides almost’ simulta- neously. To-day the Eight do not start their slides till the shoulders have swung well up, after the manner of Yale’s old crews: — There is some thought now of re- turning to the inclined slides of a few years ago. The two boats now being built for the Crew by Davis of New York will probably be fitted with slides whose elevation toward the bow will be somewhat greater than at the other end, the idea being to keep the blades buried in the water at the finish more easily. Avery valuable help in the coaching of the University Crew is the aid ren- dered by the second or College Eight, which it has been named, corresponding to the College eleven in the Fall. It is composed of experienced oarsmen and is nearly, if not quite, as fast as the first eight. With very little coaching this eight has been frequently able to hold the University on short and even long distances and once or twice has de- feated it. The members work as hard and as conscientiously as the first boat and have the appreciation of the coaches and the entire undergraduate body. With these men to choose from, a fall- ing off in the ability of any member of the first boat from any cause whatso- ever will not be so serious a matter as formerly, because a substitution can be made very easily with no bad results. The presence of this excellent second eight also makes the composition of the first boat a very uncertain matter till well along in June, for changes are liable to occur at any time. MANY COACHES RETURNING. Alfred Cowles, ’86, of Chicago, has made the longest visit of any of the coaches so far. He came on April 3, -and stayed with the Crew a couple of weeks, coaching them on the catch and finish. He expects to be with Crew from about June 1 up to the time of the race. Richard Armstrong, ’95 S., spent a week watching the Eight, directing most of his attention to the catch. Besides Mr. Cowles’ and Mr. Armstrong’s help, oc- casional visits have been had from Dr. John Rogers, ’87; Percy R. Bolton, ’86S.; G. S. Brewster, ’91; Dr. J. A. Hartwell, 89 S.; Dr. S. B. Ives, ’93; F. A. Stephenson, ’88; F. A. Johnson, ’94S., and Payne Whitney and J. O. Rodgers, ’08. The statistics of the men who are rowing in the University and College Crews follow: - UNIVERSITY. BOAT. Class. Psn. Age. Hgt. Wet. W. B. Williams--. 1900 8 20 5.10 160 J. H. Niedecken ._1900 9. 2h: Oh 170 Bay Allen 22... 1900 6 2 6 180 BAGS. Brow bs sce 2. 1QO1 [ 19 6.3 190 RP pie ’99 8. £5 ee 170 W.E.S. Griswold ’99 4 22. - 5.0 165 H. P. Wickes: ..- - 1900 2 20 5.10% 173 J. GC. Greenltaf: 3: 'goS. . Bow - 227. 6 168 COLLEGE BOAT. Class. Psn. Age. Hgt. Wet. A. Cameron, Jr. ..1900 8 18 5.11 160 H. Auchincloss .--1901 7 20 6.1 173 G. S. Stiliman__. 190 6 16.2 Os 185 FW SteTOSS Sooke. 1900 5 21 6 184 He POOR. cs IQOI 4 20 5. FX 180 Sick. Becks 1900 3 21 5.10 175 J. C. Greenway..-1900 ae 6 168 P. L. Mitchell ....1g01 Bow 19 5.11 165 R. L. Atkinson....1901 Sub. 19 5.914 167 Ki Ay Motes: 5233 1900S, Sub. 22 6.1 185 i at Hooker, 1902 Captain. Henry Stewart Hooker of Washing- ton, D. C., who has been elected Cap- — tain of the Freshman Crew, prepared for College at the Groton School, Gro- ton, Mass. For two years preceding his graduation he rowed on the First Hemenway Crew, stroking it in Ninety- Seven. He played a guard on the school football team in_ the, Fall Nis Ninety-Seven, and was Captain of s e gymnastic team the same yéal. e€
