Rowing,

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 77, 2 April 1910, Page 14

Rowing,

(By "Scull.")

Nothing gives the aquatic chronicler greater pleasure than to write about some young struggling club, which, after a few years of uphill work, succeeds in producing rowers able to win regatta laurels. Such a young club is the Petone Rowing Club. The beginnings of its career were modest enough. Progress fc*4 been slow— almost disheartening — but perseverance ensured success, and to-day Petono figures as the most successful local club of the season. With entries numbering 61, as against 43 for the 1909 regatta, this year's Hawkes Bay Association's annual meeting proved biggei than any of its predecessors. Tho magnitude of the entry, together with tho shortening days, taxed the ingenuity aai<l energy of the management to tho full, and it redounds much to the credit of the officials — Messrs A. C. Barnes (umpire), J. Thompson (judge), _ A. Simmonds (starter), and A. E. Currie (starter's steward) — that they engineered the regatta to such a successful conclusion. In their zeal for the sport, Napier rowing enthusiasts supplemented the programme by doing all that was possible to make the stay of visiting oarsmen a pleasant one. For the first -time in their history, Petone b representatives gave a really fine display, and helped themselves to three firsts, ono socond, and three third Ar^J,° at TT Of - ei£ ftt entriea - Na Pier, n2£^T i m °l W*V ier )> Wellington, of the Petonians' steady rise to form ten™. r ? We l Ch a hammer-and-tongg race m the Maiden event that at half way thoy ran out winners by nearly and B. Tremafa (stroke), D. Byrnes (3) 5L^ ll 7 lt!gO ,(2V, (2 V and L - Drummond (bow) deserved their success. f J «. resolt <>t » 'keenly-contested race for the youths' fo H rs, between Petone te? g hi finis , hm S mark, AranToho th«m +rt Wlt f a bboab u oat ' which compelled them to stop, whilst holding a good position. Thfs race saw a keen struggle stroke?"!) 114 ?- ?&"? ( °- D ™n>ond, stroke), D. L. M'Farlane (3), P A - rrowsmith (2), and H. TarVant "(bow) stood out conspicuously, showing several times what they were capable of. twr^u n /? re T er ( strek e) and F. S. Turnbull (bow), of the Star*,, worked aSXIL so... grandly in the Maiden dpnble sculling race that they soon picked up their driving powers, and were able to take full adVantwe of 6 fl openings presented. They 8 won T^ln^ ng ,u al( "? g afc a pace, H. 5Se? os°pH md ?• A "owsmith (stroke), of Petone, made thirrgs merry Sfrnir" com i** i Jo»J o » J " the Maiden ny i£L k e> ™ hlo } l w . as equally won by them by six lengths. Individually, ™,? en . rendered good service, and """Dined strength with skill. a w V-.-OfawfowJ, who has sacrificed a lot of time m coaching crews, should be exceedingly pleased with Petone's showing last Saturday. 1 ,-AJ![L We H inßton , Bowin g C l«b had, hitherto, always found) Napier a very happy hunting ground for its regatta, crews, but this year was an exception to the rule, they only scoring three B Z^\£ nd < thr r, thiTd P laces I expected them to do better. As one watched the trial of skill and strength between competitors for the MLean fours of the Star Boating w S* snd5 nd c , Double ScuJls of th! ♦Wntiw 0 ? ,I^' one was *«nipted to think that the fine art of rowing and sculling is not cultivated as it used to bo a few years ago. I do not wish to pose as a worshipper of deeds mostly forgotten, and of heroes who are merely myths to modern enthusiasts, but only occasionally do I see rowing attain the standard by the exercise of skill that was common a few years ago. There appear to be very few men who are fit to be classified with the giants when the world was younger. Why is local rowing so wretchedly moderate? The reason is clear. The sport requires some sort of systematic encouragement that could bo given to young rowers ; somo sort of -attention that could be paid to them beyond the attention thty get in club rowing; some sort of instruction imparted by coaches as to the first principles of rowing. Tho clubs will realise their aims only in proportion as they convert members into first-class oarsmen. Club contests should be a means "v an j e u d> t0 a row er's ambition: the end should not be a club-race success, but a regatta achievement.