N.Z. ROWERS NOT DISGRACED AT OLYMPICS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28158, 22 December 1956, Page 5

N.Z. ROWERS NOT DISGRACED AT OLYMPICS

VEW Zealand rowing crews at the. Olympic Games were far from disgraced, said Mr S. W. Cox, an Olympic representative in 1932 who returned from Melbourne last week. J New Zealand had finished a good third in two of its semi-finals, but only two crews were entitled to go on to the finals. Although there were some people who thought that the New Zealand four with cox had been eliminated in the semi-final because it was a composite crew, he did not think that was a fair observation, said Mr Cox. It was difficult to realise the intense standard of competition, said Mr Cox. unless one had seen the events. The New Zealand crew was also unfortunate that one of its members had been in bed with a cold the day before the semi-final, and some of the others had colds also. Hill had also been unfortunate in the single sculls, said Mr Cox. His semifinal included the winner and the second men in the final. He had lost a length through getting a bad start, and although he made this up in the middle stages, the effort had left him without any sting for the finishing spurt. The 18-year-old Russian winner of

the single sculls was a sensation, said Mr Cox. “Most of us like to keep up with the field at least,” he said, “but Ivanov must have terrific confidence, for he did not appear to worry about the other competitors for the greater part of the distance, and he seemed to be right out of the race, several lengths behind the Australian, Mackenzie, who was leading. He could see no particular advantage in the position of the cox with the German pair oars. The cox lay on his back on the bow with his head resting on a strap immediately behind the bowman, said Mr Cox. The splashboard was made of clear plastic to give the cox an unobstructed view. He had also consulted a prominent Sydney boat builder, who could see no particular merit in the position occupied by the German cox. The Russians have adopted a different style from that generally used, said Mr Cox. and that was most noticeable in their eight. Their oars hit the water, about a foot after they had started their drive, with a splash. In the case of the eight the splash from their stroke’s oar sometimes reached as far as the rudder.

The Swedish coach considered New Zealanders spend too much time training in their boats, said Mr Cox. In New Zealand the attitude has been that miles make strength but this had certainly not been the case with the Swedish team. In Sweden, the rowing season was not as long as in most countries and there was also the difficulty of assembling the Swedish team for training, as it was a composite crew. The Swedish coach concentrated on getting his crews fit by a course of gymnasium training which the men carried out individually in their own towns. The eight had rowed together for only a short time, but it had finished fourth in the final. The men had been building up fitness for six months. The Swedes had an unusual boat for their eight which they did not row in competition, said Mr Cox. There was little boat behind the cox —only about 18 inches—and the hull was wider and flatter than usual, with three small keels. With a tail wind and a choppy sea running when the boat reaches top speed it planes over the water. The Swedes did not race it at Melbourne as conditions were not favourable, but some of the other crews had trial rows in it.