In the Boats

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 13, 29 November 1924, Page 18

In the Boats

CLUB ACTIVITIES

REGATTAS AHEAD

ROWING ELSEWHERE.

By " Stroke."

Wellington oarsmen have been favoured during the last week or so with fine weather, but it seems surprising that though ample opportunity has been offered, the weather has not been taken full advantage of by race committees in disposing of some of the club fixtures which are now in hand. In one club particularly has this been the case, when on a recent Saturday afternoon the competing crews were in attendance, but through the absence of the responsible officials the races had to be abandoned.-

*or a November, -from the oarsman's point ol view the weather has been very moderato, and it remains for the clubs at tins time Of the year to begin to get into good form for the more strenuous regatta fixtures which occur later.

It cannot be denied that the success of a crew depends to a very great extent ou the physique of its members, but at the same time it must be remembered that a crew's success is due, to the greatest extent, to the amount of training that is done. . i

A light, and apparently weak crew which has paid strict attention to training, often makes a formidable opponent to a crew which depends more on its weight for its success.

Not only must a crew be physically fit but it must have the' combination, without which it cannot hope for success. As much as land training may benefit the individual members, that training is wasted unless the whole crew has been through the necessary boat work to turn it into a first-class combination. Repeated slow exercise in the boat when the faults of poor oarsmanship are corrected lay the foundations to a successful four, or pair, as the case may be, aud when the movements have become as near as perfect as is possible, fast boat work will put the finishing touches to the regatta representatives. With that in view, and when it is considered that the first regattas are little more than a month away, it is essential that little opporunity be lost when available rowing water offers. MATTER OP COACHES. Then there is, the question of coaches. There is perhaps no man who fills such an important position in a rowing shed as the coach. And yet how do the local clubs fare for coaches? Their sad number could well be supplemented. It is to be expected, as is the case with the other sports, that the older members who have retired from the sport should carry on this most important work. As far as the keenness of a crew will carry it—and it must not be forgotten that where there is a will to win half the battle has been fought—the desire to be successful is not sufficient to ensure success. There are many points which only an old oarsman, who has been through the mill himself, can supply information on, and it is to those whose rowing days are over that the present active members seek for assistance and guidance. A club, and an association may justly feel proud oi a i well-trained, fit, and properly coached crew, but unless the training and coaching is administered efficiently the crew will never shine. AFTER MANY YEARS. Whether the proposed visit of a New Zealand eight to Australia has stimulated interest' in eight-oared rowing and been I responsible for the happening is not known, but the fact remains that the eight-oared boat which has been resting |on trestles in the Star Club's shed so long till it has almost become part of the walls was taken down from its resting place, after many years of idleness, last Sunday, and not only launched, but also manned and rowed over to the Queen's Wharf and back. True, three of the seats_ were "fixtures" and a fairly large hole in the bow canvas caused a considerable quantity of water to bo shipped in a somewhat choppy sea, but in spite of that those who gladly risked their lives to settle the much-disputed question of the eight's seaworthiness were quite satisfied with their row, and even had the hardihood to say afterwards that they enjoyed it. From all accounts the eight behaved in a respectable msymer, and in spite of its years appears still to ba in good condition. The only difficulty that arose occurred over its launching. When it was used formerly there was no wharf in front of the sheds as there is at the present 1 time, and it was possible to launch it in [the approved "broadside" style. Now, however, the wharf piles offer an obstruction, and it was found necessary to launch the eight with the assistance of one of the pleasure boats. However, those who made the trip are quite enthusiastic about the boat. It is many years since an eight was seen on Wellington Harbour, and though perhaps that class of rowing has been forgotten here for a time, it may not be long before it is revived. THE MIXED FOURS. Some difficulty has arisen over the mixed fours, which it was proposed should be rowed on 6th December. The original proposal was that the race be" a mile, and be rowed in two or four boats at a time. The Star Club objected to the fixture, and now the Wellington Association, in deference to the club's wishes, has decided to postpone the race aud row it a week later. It has also been decided to shorten the heats to half a mile, and make the final a three-quarters of a mile Taco. The heats will be rowed in four boats, and the race will be completed in one day. Though somewhat of an experiment, it is anticipated that if the race will not produce first-class crews it should at least provide a good afternoon's entertainment. It lias long been felt that the stretch between the opening daj' regatta—usually the end of September or the beginning of October —and the date of the first regattas, early in January, -might well include some local competition for the three clubs, and it was with that cud in view that the mixed fours was proposed! There is cow only one Mothcs Shield regatta, | which is the only inter-club fixture after tho season has opuncd, ;ind it has been thought by lli<. association that some fixture in December might be arranged "} which the three clubs could participate. Previously it was customary to hold at least two inter-club regattas during the sea-sou, and in somo years us mimy ua fgui. have v«es Held, ties* ■"WJJ tv wcrsaae jijlgi'sst S.«i"jijj . **»»

clubs, and as a matter of course, do something towards fostering towing here.

A SATISFACTORY POSITION.

It is a busy time at present for regatta clubs. Akaroa, Kedclifl's, and Lyttelton are busy preparing for their regattas, which come off during the next two months. Business will soon be under way for the Christehurch regatta. The annual report of the regatta club shows the club to be in a sound position. The membership has decreased during the year. At the beginning of the season the membership stood at 106, but now it is only 97. It is hoped.to make an effort during the coming season to increase the membership. The net surplus, as shown by the receipts and payments account, is £94 9s Id. The position is most satisfactory. The annual regatta was held on 26th January, and was very successful. It is to be regretted that only one entry was received from other centres, but it is to be hoped that there will be support forthcoming from other centres for the next regatta.

Some discussion took place concerning the giving of representative caps'and coats at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association (writes "Outrigger," in the "Christchurch. Sun"). The following riiotion was carried : "Each member of the winning crew shall receive from his association a provincial representative cap in the colours of his province". Coats shall also be given by the association to the winners, but only in the colours of the province." The point is that the winning crew will receive a coat as well as a cap. It seems a funny thing that in rowing a representative crew should not get its colours, -ivhether it wins oi not. In practically every other sport, cricket, football, etc., a provincial cup is given to the team, wliether it wins or not. It seems only reasonable that if a crew is good enough to represent its province, it is good enough to have the honour to wear the colours of its province. Of course, there is probably come technical reason for it, but to the average man interested in rowing it is a bit of a mystery. However, the present system makes the colours a coveted trophy. The decision of the Redcliffs Regatta Club to give a gold cup for competition between the various clubs caused a little stir in rowing circles. It would bo rather a novel trophy and something worth rowing for. The suggestion was all right, but the unfortunate part was that when the dub came to purchase the cv» it found that there was not a gold cup. to be obtained. There was only one thing to do and that was to purchase a silver one.

lhe Redcliffs Regatta Club has decided to allow only one entry from each club for the regatta. There are various reasons for this. The regatta is really controlled by the tide, and there are only two hours in which to row the regatta. If more than two entries were received from each club, it would mean that in a lot of races heats would have to be rowed.

I here is another reason why only one entry is being received, and that is because of the new cup. The cup is to be won on points, and it would hardly ba .lair for the larger clubs to bo able to put two crews in for one race, and perhaps occupy first and second places. ' TRAINING AttAIN. Coaches and training are vital points in rowing clubs. That laxity in training is experienced by club committees not only in 'Wellington, as is shown by a southern writer, who comments as follows on the subject:— < This season the same old cry has gone up, "The blighters won't train." And then is told how they (the old members) trained in the days gone by. | Out before six in the morning for an hour's row, a run after five, perhaps a ■go with the gloves in the evening and to bed early. It is a fact; club members do not do the amount of training they ought to do. The present-day idea is to wander along, to the boat sheds at 5 o clock for a good, steady row and out to a danes at night. .Late nights are absolutely detrimental to a crew .that is training for a race. The training is not taken seriously enough. Training in the boat is necessary, but training out of the boat is absolutely essential! A crew may ■ get out in .the boat every evening and do some solid rowing, but if that training is not kept up duriii"tho day, tho crew will not be fit for a strenuous rate at a regatta. Solid training- is not only necessary for the sake of the club but for the members' sake also. Rowiug is a strenuous sport, and if a crew is not going to tram enthusiastically, t,Hen the men are going to run the great, risk of straining themselves in the race.

With any strenuous sport the body must be trained to stand a gruelling race. Very often a crew will be trained for a inilo race, but will never dp the distance before the lace comes off. The' chief offenders in this respect are men ! training for club races. A club race is often as strenuous as a regatta race, and if a crew has not been over the course at racing speed without a stop, how doe 3it know that it can last the distance? A remark often heard before a 'club race is, "I wonder if I can last the distance." If the crew to which that, member belonged had trained properly, then there would be no necessity for such a question.

There is no doubt about it, there is not the enthusiasm about rowing now as there was ten or twenty years ago, and the sooner it is taken more enthusiastically the better it will be for the sport.

The young members of the clubs are not altogether to blame for this state of affairs. In some clubs there is a terrible lack of coaches. It is all very well for the old members to sit back in their armchairs at home and boast about the training that they did when they belonged to such and such a club. If they still have an interest in rowing and .the welfare of te rowers at heart, they should come down to the clubs ofan evening, where they would always bo welcome.

The lack .of coaches not only applies to Canterbury but to other parts of New Zealand. A writer in the Wan<*anui "Herald" says: "There is still plenty of room for coaches at each shed. The Wauganui Club lias been fortunate enough to secure a good number of likely looking members, but it is deplorable to think that they are allowed to struggle along, trusting- to the strokes to learn how to low. The asasUmce of some of the older members of the club would bo much appreciated at tho present time, when so muny young members require 'schooling.' "

Kefemng to P. Munro's performance in establishing an Australasian record with Hie discus, the Wellington Centro's committee states in its report that it has every reason to think thut Munro will In the nsar future crentw sv<jh o, ivesli vewi'd willi the 41bcu»,