ROWING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1927, Page 22

ROWING

By 'stbcici. 1 REGATTA TIME | PREPARATIONS IN HAND i. NOTES OF INTEREST The weather again played tricks last Saturday, and those who assembled at Petone in the hope of seeing the eights in the water were disappointed. In fact, it was not till the boats were fully rigged and everything was ready j for their launching that the wind j changed, and within a >few moments the water, which hitherto had been quite calm, was broken. There was nothing to do for the oarsmen but to unscrew the boats, pack them aboard a motor-lorry and take them back to town. It is doubtful whether the eights will be used again this season. If one eight is kept at Petone and the other at Wellington, members of both clubs would have an opportunity of using the boat 3, and a great deal of unnecessary travelling would be obviated. The Regatta. Arrangements are well in hand for the Wellington Regatta,. which is to be held on 12th March. This year the regatta ■will start in the afternoon, and the racing^will be completed in half a day, as gainst a whole day, as has been the custom. An added attraction will be the appearance of the Wendouree Four. It is,not expected that any of the local crews will be able to extend the visitors, but some of the visiting clubs might be able 'to do so r The Victorians will be competing at Wanganui on sth March, and by the time they row here should be accustomed to conditions. The following officials have been appointed for the Wellington Begatta:—Umpires, Messrs. J. M'Kinley (sen.), and/j. E. Widdopj starter, Mr. A. Turner;-, judges, Messrs. Innes, Lauchlan, Bayfeild, and Taylor; timekeepers, Messrs. G. C Sherwood and P. -N._Dentoh; clerks of: scales, Messrs. Whitaker, Wilson, and ;M'Leo4; call stewards, Messrs: Frase, Diehl, and Haddock; steamer committee, Messrs. •W. Thorn, J. P. D. Johnson, Drummond, Smith, and Kent; weather committee, Messrs. Whitaker, Campbell,,Smith, and Foden. ,

European Championship. The eight-oared championship of Europe was won by Holland, with Italy second, and- Belgium third, by a length in 6min 20sec, says an exchange. /The I other' competitors were/France, Switzi eriand, Czechb-Slovakia, Poland, and Jugo-Slavia. These contests are held 1 under the rules of the Federation Internationale dcs Societies d' Aviron. Since they were resumed after the war regattas have been held at Macon (France), Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lake Como, Zurich, and. Prague. The race this year, was to have been rowed, at Lisbon,-but owing to the political conditions in Portugal it was held at Lucerne. The race is held over a distance of 2000 metres, which equals one mile two- furlongs, and a comparison of the times of the English-Henley course iinakes the winneis a fast crew. The winning crew was very powerful, but was slow off the mark. The Italian eight was a nice and lively crew, with a hard catch, but no finish. Some of the crews had extraordinary, styles, especially, the -Czecho-Slovakia, who had a real pause between the strokes. The Belgians, who aie noted oarsmen, were disappointing," and on the whole a good English crew would probably have had a-comfortable'victory. Run on the Boat. A remarkable feature of the sport of rowing is the number of races contested in which the margins of victory fall within one length or two, states an exchange. Watching the game closely, one'finds that these finishes occur infinitely more often than those in which many lengths separate the boats at the end of the course. What are the factors influencing the speed of boats, and tending to equalise the chances of crews which, on ,the staging, show a wide disparity in physical power? How is it that strokes can carry rough crews, to within a length or a length ■and a half of opponents infinitely stronger and more experienced? The answer lies in,the fact that every boat, according to its build, lias a natural speed through the water irrespective of the class of the oarsmen who propel it. ■ This, is a statement which may pro^ yoke some discussion among oarsmen generally. However, it-is perhaps advisable to give some exposition of the theory before it goes forward for discussion. There are numerous factors to be counted on in oarsmanship, the first being the heart of the crew. If the oarsmen had no confidence in: their abilities; they stand little chance naturally of distinguishing themselves, for there comes a stage in most races when, looking across at his opponents, each rower wonders whether he will be able to stand, the pace to the finish. Actually, most oarsmen have a greater fund of latent strength than they know, and the last call is always a good one when ooats are racing together. Heart thus counts greatly in the decision of a race. Next there is the question of physique. Frequently a good big crew fails to defeat a good little crew, the battle being one between physical force and nervous force; now and again a good crew will be beaten through taking its opposition too cheaply, but that is infrequent, for a rowing course gives plenty of length in which to correct initial errors. Actual oarsmanship—blade-work and body-swing, the essential of the gameis often more obviously present in one four than in another. These and a dozen other influences are present in a contest between rowing crews. The principle of the theory is that all these influences, tending to differeiitiatj between cne ere • and another, are constantly warring with the natural in-" clination of the paired boats to run at an even speed. There are innumerable details and defects which can influence the issue, and yet, in race after race, the margin of superiority in favour of one four or the other is limited I to a length or two. .

The result of tile life-saving contest for the Nelson Shield, competed for at New Plymouth last Saturday, was somewhat in the nature of a surprise to local followers, who confidently expected the two local teams —Lyall Bay and Maranui—to be first or second. However, the Canterbury team gained the honours and scored a comfortable win, which would indicate a sterling performance in the water work. It is understood 'that a proposal to redraft the conditions attached to the trophy is being discussed, mainly to endeavour to standardise the system of judging, which apparently differs in the various centres.