ROWING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16476, 21 October 1927, Page 4

ROWING

GOODSELL-BARRY MATCH LOW RIGGERS BEAT LOSER Notes by "Slide." There have been various arguments advanced to explain the comparatively poor showing of Bert Barry against the world's champion, Major Goodsell, in the title match at Vancouver recently, but the suggestion which tallies most closely with the conditions of the race is that put forward by Frank Adams, himself a sculling man of some experience. The English champion failed in the rough water of Burrard Inlet, and after the race it was said that he could nut handle the choppy going, but few looked far into the matter. Frank Adams, enquiring from the loser and his trainer after tho race, found that they had not troubled to raise the rigging of Barry's boa', in which he had trained through a quiet spell of weather, and which were therefore set rather low. It does not occasion any wonder, then, thai Barry lost distance in the choppy patches of the course. Describing the race briefly, Adams states : —■

"The start was by mutual consent, and the scullers lined themselves up by two white posts on the shore, which were .so placed that when they overlapped the observer was in position. There was no hesitation. They got ready, looked at each other, and hit the water together. "Both rowed strokes in the first 15 seconds, and Goodsell took a six-foot lead, but Barry soon swept past him, until open water showed between the bow of the champion's shell and the stern of the challenger's. The critics watching said : 'Well, Barry is all they said he was, and it looks as if Goodsell's reign is over.' But they spoke too soon. Goodsell started to slide past as they struck the rough water, and, as he headed for the protected shore, he went far ahead.

"On reaching the half-way mark, a mile and a-half from the finish, the scullers got into fairly smooth water for the first time since the start, and Barry s stroking went up to 26 as he rapidly took three or four lengths from tho champion, reducing his lead to four or five, but, on meeting rough water again at the turn into the home stretch, he fell back. "In the beat of the moment the critics and newspaper men missed the obvious, and took it for granted that Barry could not row in choppy water. Goodsell swung down the course to finish between a lane formed by a- fleet of small craft. As he crossed the line at least 12. lengths ahead of his opponent, and the judge's flag dropped, be slumped in his shell. His bead hung between bis knees for several moments, but he soon raised it again wearing his famous smile as the crowds applauded and the. whistles shrieked his victory." The Englishman finished andistressed, it appears, and this fact led to the enquiry as to the riggers. It seems impossible that the challenger or his trainer would not have inspected the course before Barry went out, but that appears to have been the ease. It goes without saying that the methodical Goodsell raised the rigging of his skiff, and found no difficulty in handling it in rough water. Barry, on tho other band, would be ]>adly cramped if he used the same rigging for rough water as for smooth, and the fact that ho was able "to gain on Goodsell when the water smoothed out bears out the suggestion that he would have had a great chance if there had been no blunder. It is unlikely that anvone will catch Goodsell in the same condition for a championship event again, and Barry appears to have thrown away a great opportunity. the explanation offered above was not advanced by either Barry or his trainer voluntarily,' and? it is easy enough to understand that, neither would 'make their mistake, public Again, it does not pay to advertise tho results of such an error, for experience, bought at such a cost may have some value in the future. and the aspiring challenger naturally would desire to limit the knowledge of the incident.

THE LOCAL CLUBS i INITIATING THE NOVICE The novice oarsmen of tho Poverty Bay and Gisborne rowing clubs are getting their initiation in preparation for the opening of the season, and daily crews are on the river. The overhaul of the plant at both of the clubhouses is complete, and the craft appear to be in excellent order; so that there should bo-few interruptions in the training operations, once these are properly under way. So far the Gisborne Club has had the majority of the recruits to the pastime', but the rival club is making good headway, and should soon stand on an even footing with regard to membership. Seasoned oarsmen are showing great interest in preparing the novices, and already some of the latter appear to be picking up the idea in good style. The tidal conditions during the week have not been auspicious for evening rowing, but there should be a good muster tomorrow afternoon. Next week "Slide" will publish the first, of a series of articles on watermanship, for the benefit of the younger members, in the course of which an effort will be made to describe the sequence of movements made in the course of the stroke, which are identical whether the oarsman is training in poppet or swivel-rigged craft.