ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 621, 25 September 1909, Page 12

ROWING.

(BiMEncoar.). , ■'■'':; ";. FIXTUEES;.;: '.;' : ' :; ;. To-day.—Opening Rowing Season, "■■■'.■'. To-day.—Australian . Championship, Pearco v. •■ Day. (Sydney). -, ■•: Jan. 29.—Wellington: Regatta.-. -. -,'-. - To-day, ,weather permitting,, the Mayor' is to open the local rowing fcason.' Tho new term is to be ushered in with ji series of inter-club sprint'races,'of• which' a very attractive pro-"-gramme of fourteen races'has been set down, iho public .will-have an excellent view of ■ the events from the whams, and'tho friends'of Club members will be entertained as usual at tea in:tho boat-houses. •'■..»•'■.'-'; v:. ' The- Star Club will bo'represented in the various - events as- follows i—\- : -. Veteran's .Eace.-J. E. Hume, A. Wi Nowton, A. G.Hume, R. Pownall. .■• _ Senior' Fours.'—No,: 1 : crew:' B.'. Mi Brewer, M. Turner, A. R, Brewer, ; E.'-A,-;.Lambert.'-.•■No. 2: J. Kerslake, C, ll.' Lawrence, F. .Turhbull, Eitchie, G., M'Bean, H.' Dean, 'C. '.Mack; chant, E. Johnston, S. 6. Cowies. No, 4:' C. E. Little,' C.'E, Bridge, W. 11l Brewer, H. Lawson.; ■';..:■ -.■:■■.'. •,, . ■-:,- . ~■-.. -. ■■•

■ Senior Doublo Sculls.-No. 1 crews C. li. Bridge, W. H. COswin. No. 2: C. E ; Little, W. H. Brewer.: No, 3: E, M; Browcr, J. Kdrslake: No, i\ J. Bennett, F. Turnbull; -Junior, Fpurs.-No.• 1: N., A: Eobison,'C; E. Holmes,-E..8.' Cotton,.J. Cowlos.' : No. Si It. RAitchie.'G. M'Bean, H. Dean, C. Mack. No. 3: X Wardrop, S. S. Butt. T. Carter, T. H.M'Lean. No. i: J. Stansell, "iV. Hulbert, C. Q. Eobinsoii, D. Fyfe." ." Junior Doublo Sculls.—No, 1 crew: J. Dudley, C. 6. Robinson. No. 2; S. S. Butt, E,. L. Armit.' No;-3: E. Eitchie, : J. Cowlcs. No; t: 'N, A; Eobison, E.B. Cotton. No. 5: E. Armit, B;'W. Beaumont. ■ • "■. ■• '

•'•'. While the season is being opened this* after. npon:(always : granting that the "W.P." clause is. understood) to the accompaniment of af ternon_ tea. .and-other frivolities; a much grimmer affauvwillbo in progress on the Parramatta. This r.vyill. be. tho,;race: between' Geo. Day 'and Harry Pearce,; the: present; champion, for the Australian-championship. It is not likely that the titlo'will havo tho old.addrcS3, but a good raco t is expected., At latest.adviccs'tha champion was;down''to his: racing weight of I3st.> whilo , tho " challenger .'.registers. list. :- ; 121b.— ahMher.i.case.-.of,'.thfl.;«ddß..being; in favour of tho, V.bigippd man" as against the "small good man?'-;;.SSm'o 'extracts' frottY'thb-'latest -preM reports from the"course areTappbhdc'd, 'and"will be,;of ...interest.,'They are as follow: — •.•'': ■ ,"Kjiowi'n'g'.:i , earc6 r ß'''paco off' tho mark,' Day is practising Stark—sharply,,off tho'mark—so' as not, to'.lose too much : ground' itf.: the: first quarter;' ■.:■;■< :-»',. '-'".a. ;-y~ y.'O-.! ■';•••.-...'m,,--. : "lii the burets bff'the,mark the chimpion reachos as high as 41 strokes per minute. •Pcarco's quickness off, the mark is' common knowledge, and apparently he is bent on break ing away 'even moro qnickly." ..""■.":.' /Geo. Day has,now been on the'course for some ;weeks. :,: He has undergone a thorough and careful; preparation'in the hands;of exchampion Geo. Towns. ; Although his ohargo has made considerable improvement the progress has been slow and not quite so fast as Towns would: have, wished:. Day had'sloppcd about a lot, and : had ■'• acquired bad faults which take a lot of eradicating.■.';. The main' trouble with the challenger at present'is that when: he- gets info his quick Work -lio drops baok into ;his, old style, ■ but More than a'week to go he should go to'the post.fit-and ready. Besides Towns', Day has .backer Mr.' E.. Larson,,arid"Billy Fogwe'll';associated with,him as pacemakers. '' Sometimes Felton'-gives him a little pace." . '. - - ;Tho oid.adiigo concerning "the inadvisablenoss of instructing iouo's grandmother ■as to'the best method: in: extradtingj'the contents-from an uncooked egg would appear,to ho applicable to tho following, until one realises that Results', go to show that tho grandmotherly, system has nbt-of late been very effective.'.-' ■'■■;>. '. A- correspondent in.tho .London'.- "Kold" writes of the Belgian crews so successful' o! late in.English waters:-—' ; ■>' : -'' : T : "At your .suggestion; I have 'interviewed Juhciv. Dedryver, trainer of the:: Henley crow, of 190G;'.Emi!io Wauters,' trainer of: the ldo7 crew; and Victor do Bischop,: trainer' of the 1903 crew; and they rare ono,and- all in agreement in- saying ..that if the 'English' were to row. like us_ they would win every.-.time; because of, theirgreafc choice of men, and especially becausu of. their training, which is much more, serious.than with.u.9. ■:'■... ':■< ■..'■■■ 'IThey -would havo to give, up.'tholes iand take'.to rowlocks. ." w., '.'; ■ '-;.-.V- "

■ The chief .faults of tho English style'are: (1) Tho uso'of tho:arm's, which rnust-be' employed for no.other purposd'' than .to be. a connecting link beitwe'eh body and oar.' ,v •'Tho. attack; is faiilty, l inasmuch 'as you put no power .on until tho oarv is in the water, ■whereas-.we plungo the .blade 'by ,pulling' ontho shoulders, .with, tho-arms kept'rigid.- ~> , "(2) All tho■:work of the thighs and.legs is wasted if you allow .the. slide to. go beforo the body. -.The Belgians allow the seat'■ to move only at, right angles to the body; thus tho whole .length of -tho '■. slide .is turned to profitable account.; nbove-.all, the arms must not be'employed; they must, bo' kept rigid until'tho moment of the:finish., •'■.•>' : , : ; .' ."Nor must thore.be any work behind (past tho perpendicular),, for this buries tho stem of the boat at the moment when it ought to be making its rush; In place of this swing back, the elbows and' shoulders should '■■ bo brought completely back, with chest kept out. "With us/all tho power, all our' resources, shoulders, back, front abdominal :■ inusclos,' loins, legs, feet—come into play,at the moment of the blade entering, tho water.-, afterwards no more pulling; think of getting the oar neatly out of tho wator." " .' ■■;■' :".-•. _Tho above,,after all, is simply an advocation of what, is?locally known as the "Victorian" as opposed to. tho "English", style. l ' ■