ROWING FOR BOYS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 10

ROWING FOR BOYS

Is There A Danger Of Over-Exertion?

PROPER TRAINING NEEDED

‘‘lf a man is physically fit, lie will do himself no harm in any sport,” said an official of the Wellington Rowing Association yesterday, commenting on the stalenient of Mr. A. E. Spencer, at a meeting of the Hutt Valley High School Board of Governors, that rowing was "the worst thing a boy could take on.”

There were sometimes cases of strained hearts —but not in college rowing—and they were caused only when a man in poor physical condition took part in a strenuous race. This opinion, lie added, was substantiated by I lie recent statement of several Australian headmasters about the Greater Public Schools race.

"Rowing in itself is an excellent sport, but I would not quarrel with the assertion that racing is definitely bad for boys,” said a 'Wellington doctor. “A 100 yards sprint, coming at the end of a mile pull, though it may not seriously 'affect a mature man. is too great a strain for 17-year-olds. The intense exertion causes the heart to enlarge and, when it can no longer stand the strain, it dilates. In other forms of athletics there is not the same driving force as in rowing, where the weakest member of the crew is compelled to keep up with the strongest. “When the rowing is done purely among the boys themselves, there is not likely to be much, harm even in racing, but when the outside stimulus of public interest becomes too great danger develops.” This, he added, had happened in Australia, and betting on the races had created an undesirable moral influence.

The secretary of the New Zealand Rowing Association, Mr. T. M. Hinkley, said that whether rowing was harmful or not depended entirely on the boy himself and the supervision. If a boy had not outgrown his strength and was carefully managed, not being allowed to take part in strenuous work till he had had a few weeks in the boat and come gradually to concert pitch, he would suffer no harm even from racing. The danger occurred only when a boy was not fit and not properly trained.