ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1402, 30 March 1912, Page 11

ROWING.

ARNST>BARRY REFLECTIONS. THE EIGHT .I'OR TnE OLYMPIAD. [By "Mmtcuni'."] ■'■■■■;■>■■■*..■■ Easter Saturday— Xapier Kegatta. According 'tij ,tke. .'latest, fjabjes pn';tiit> forthcoming ;Arnst-Barry match,--matter's' havo take'n-*rath\ s r a disquieting': luru. After all thli/.bickefing.over thbiiluko and; expenses thotdias tended-to -mar- thoinak-. ing of th&'-iTiatch from tho beginning of tho negotiations, and which was finally ended by-Arnsb giving way .on his J/7Mdemand, and,-,.accepting Barry's offer of £500, ono'trould 'havo thought' that the latter would have made,his own financial, position secure But this Joes not appear to bo the.-.caso.-, Tho .position--now is. that Arnst--iB. actually-on. tho water,, en route to the front, fully: expectant of finding everything in order, on his- arrival in England, while in -reality ' there appears to L bo:,.a,reasonable.doubt as to whether the English party will be nbw". to raise the sinews of-war.- It. will.be. a queer position for the champion to arrive Home, ami. to start training-while tho matter is-still in doubt, and it will not make, the' task of getting > into'enndiion any easier •'■for'either" of (.he •contestants if they "are- : to-bir worried by the' money side' of thvaffaii during their' preparation. l : ~,,..,.. "Would That This Too Solid Flesh Would Melt."- .... With regard to this matter of condi-' Hon, it is noteworthy of the'present case' that the Australian papers are not hailing the champion's winning chances witli tr.o same ontiuisi'asm that characterised their utterances" on tho occasion of his .other' races. On the; contrary, the aquatic scribes "on the" other side" are writing, on the subject with an air of decided dubiety, ol .which, the following from .tho Sydney "Daily Telegraph" is a fair sample:— "A great deal, however, has to tako place belon- such an occasion as his return to Sydney can be thought of, and that great deal is just tho whole crux of tho situation. So far as Sydney enthusiasts are concerned,, it is not Barry whom Arnst has, to overcome, in'.,order., to,win," but himself; and they areaboutvright; If he gets iiitt>,.,condU : iuiifi-'tlie.*; sayi'tieiy.-ill'.. win; but7gcb'JutD condition ltof must;; otherwise ; he Ys 'likely lo run "his head' against .ti^lbls; : /;.';''\\;h(itli«ir,,this,Js,going to provo'an easy task'ftjr.;'thaj«liainptpiior not of-co fee" nobody can say, but iti : is. going to'Kf a ve'ryThard ".one.X'.'As" mbii^' lioncd last w'eek,;'Arnst has bean outin his boat but "twice since -lie bent'l'earee, and that, tfas.pn .July. 29' last year;,npariy. eight months ■•ago;' '"This is -certainly not as things should be, even for.an. ordinary sculler lighting "his" H-ay up',* let''alo:'ie ft champion of-the world, who lias to be prepared to take'on anyone .who has tlio. necessary sta'ltfcVund'who'care's'to. challenge hiiii.- <_ It was only recently that Mr. Spencer, ono"of the" late, .'lTarfj'" Searle'sybO'St .fitiUnsiastia Kickers,- : ivlu|e spoaliing at. a public'sciill-" ing function, sai'd ! how'necessary'it'VfaS' for a champion, or any professional sculler, for the.matter of that, to always keep his boat on:.tho river, and. go out for a' row as often as possible, certainly once or twice a week.at the very least.' Afnst's conditions'..'when ho loft ■ on ■ .Wednesday last was certainly not sricli as would enable him to do, a hard row there, nnd tlien without much'-discomfort. -There oppea red to bo"..ta'6.Ci'uttch oT Tiiiii' "underneath the lower.; .'pockets of :his'waist-coat, to suit (lie exacting.trainer, and this is why a rather severe cdutso of training'for him is anticipated.''";;.,; •;.">. *• -;•

Ton Lengths' Worth; of: Knowledge,

On top of thiS'.buSine'ss of Artist's ovcraccunniUition of. adipo.-e tissue is. always. the disquieting lcuirtikm'. that.'lie- will have all tlio''worst of the deal as, far.us. the course is concerned. The Barry liarty lii.'ilco no secret of the fact that they think • their man can win, not because lie is the' hotter sculler, but because of the r.dvanf>,;e he will possess in his superior knowledge of the vagaries of Old leather Thames. In fact, Barry himself told an informant of tho writer's that ho considered this knowledge was worth (en lengths to him over the journey. So there would bo every reason for a lack of the usual confidence in the o.uteomo on our part, oven if -Artist -were'■ ready to start his reparation under the' most favourable aiijj;Jjccs—which ho obviously is not. .Moreover, in addition to tho triekiness of the course, there is tho extra length of it—for the championship course on tho Thames is not 3J miles, as it is here ami 'jfri'l/l'ustralin, but 4J miles. Barry is reckoning on that extra mile. Here, however, he.may be making a big mistake. ''GnintodH'hat Arnst's condition is right, theroq's nothing amiss with his staying pavers,.but bprc again the'doubt as to his'condition comes'-in. ■•'.On .the other band, there'-is'tho Knowledge".tliiit the champion is an. old hand at matchmaking, and shrewd not-to have reckoned iil"air J thcso'. chances.' "' At'tho samo time.- however, be would have only 'displayed his usual business.acumen Lad he, as a rotm'rt 'fortliis''concessions'in meeting his rival on the lattor's own water, at hi 9 own distance and on his own financial terms, insisted on a return match under the usual conditions in tho event of bis defeat on this occasion. Tho Olympic Eight. ■~• ~,;.,■ •.. - An Australian critic makes the following remarks on tho preparation of the Now South' Wales eight for the Olympic Games:— • ' '-.■'"' "Mr. AV. 3". Middleton, coach of the Olympic crow, is making-daily progress With tho men. A decided improvement is noticeable.'.throughout tho boat, tho hands are now moving in harmony, and almost the. same level, the oar blades are level on the feather, and. throughout tho swing, and- they striko the water at precisely the saino moment. Tho'bodies are now swinging more evenly, nnd arms bond as one simultaneous impulse, and tho eight blades, sweep through tho water in a uniform .plane, and leayo it ns though they were part of a machine. Mr. Middleton, wboso: knowledge of > coaching is well-known, is riot yet satisfied. 'I will havo tho bpdy.'we'ight bettor'applied,' he says, 'and a'better, combination of body swing, and'leg drive. It is good now, but lam going to havo it better.,.. I want to seo the crow in their last rpws.in Sydney rowing in-absolute liarmorijv with a perfect.grip'of tho work.Vefl'octiyo leg. work, and, the swirling'oar blades; their muscles braced, and lungs clear, and- seo the eight mcri, make'their boat "move.'like' a thing of lifo over the water."'