UNIVERSITY ROWERS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 67, 21 March 1933, Page 12

UNIVERSITY ROWERS

LOAN OF BOAT REFUSED

CREW NOT GOOD ENOUGH

A lack of interest in the sport of rowing on the part of students attending Victoria University Collego was disclosed at last night's meeting of the Wellington Bowing Association, when an application for the loan of an eightoar boat was refused on the ground that the students' crew was insufficiently experienced to handle the boat without serious risk of damaging it. The refusal will be a serious matter for the students, as they had intended to send a crew to Auckland to compete in the inter-university eight-oar race, which is to be held there on Easter Saturday in conjunction with the University tournament. After a motion had been moved that the students should be granted the use of the boat, Mr. A. White (Petono), said there was 110 question that the University rowers needed encouragement. He pointed out, however, that several members of the crew named by the students were not experienced rowers. As members of individual clubs they would not be allowed in the eights as there was always the risk of damaging a boat. The members of his club 'chafed, considerably if they saw a lot of inexperienced lads being given .the right to use the eights. "1 have seen them 'catch crabs' in the eights/ said Mr. White when referring to the student rowers. "They don't seem to handle a boat like club oarsmen." ) Mr. D. Gray (Wellington): There are at least three men in the crew to whom I would object to see in an eight. Mr. White said that the association was acting more or loss as caretakers of the eights. The boats were getting old and needed more care and greater expense in upkeep. A DISAPPOINTMENT. The chairman (Mr. Duncan) said that he was very sympathetic towards university rowing, and was keen to see an inter-university race. "A few years ago when university rowing was taken on they assured us that they would make an attempt to get an eight for themselves," said Mr. Duncan. "It is very disappointing now to see them put men into the boat who have not tried to make themselves fit to row in the eights." Mr. Gray: We have given them a great deal of assistance in the past, but they are going from bad to worse. The majority of them do not take much interest in the race at all, but they get some sort of a "blue" for being selected to represent the University. BOAT LEFT IN BOILING SUN. Reference was made to the manner in which the eight-oar boat was treated when lent to the students for the inter-university contest on previous occasions. Mr. White said that on one occasion the students had undertaken to return the boat to the PetoneClub's shed. The boat was sen,t down from Auckland by train, but instead of it being returned to the Petone Club it was left pn the truck in the Gear Company's yards. Mr. J. Scanlon: They apparently have no idea of taking duo care of valuable- property. The boat was left out in the boiling sun in the Gear Company's yard for four days before we found out where it was. It was all blistered, and it had to be re-varnished at a cost of £6. The boat is not the same now—it is still bleached" by the action of the sun. Other references were made to parts that were missed from the boat after it had been used by the students. The motion to lend the boat was then

withdrawn. On. the motion of Mr. White it was decided that the association should express regret that it was unable to lend one of the boats this year owing to their age and the great care that was necessary to look after them, and the comparative inexperience of the students' crew. It was suggested that next year the students might make themselves fully efficient during the season so that they would be able to nominate a crew that would prove efficient in an eight.

Mention was made in the students' application that they would ba willing to contribute £40 towards the purchase of a new eight by the Wellington Association. The offer was briefly discussed, and held over for consideration at a later date.