ROWING

Southland Times, Issue 22188, 2 December 1933, Page 15

ROWING

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

(By

“Skiff.”)

With the weather improving every day both the local sheds are hard at it. It is pleasing to note that the Railway seniors have taken the advice offered by “Skiff” and have put T. Carter in their seniors. This should make a vast improvement. The Railway juniors area pretty crew on the water, but it is time they put weight into their work. It is hard work that wins races. The maidens are a very ordinary lot, and it is time their coach got to work on them. The youths are at present without their stroke, and their rowing is suffering as the result of his absence.

The Riverton crews are training hard and the youths in particular are putting in plenty of good work. The maidens should turn up at the shed more regularly as combination is needed to win races. The juniors cannot expect to win on reputation; more training is needed. Tiie seniors should do their training on the river, not in the shed. It is time Invercargill seniors started to train. Their win last year at Riverton is not likely to be repeated unless serious training is indulged in. M. Pasco seems to be the only member of the crew who is in any way fit. He puts in a great deal of his time on the water. The juniors appear to be very unbalanced. Perhaps a change with W. Pasco as stroke would improve matters. He seems awkward in the No. 3 seat. Rout and Perkins seem to be pairing well and should prove difficult to head ott in the maiden class. The Awarua juniors, stroked by Froude, are not getting in the work required for regatta crews. The bow side of the maidens is too strong for the stroke side, and Wilson would be better in three than in stroke. The youths should listen to the coach and not try to work on their own ideas, as he knows best.

W. McConnell, the well-known Port Chalmers oarsman, called on me during the week and stated that rowing was booming in Otago and the province would be strongly represented at the Bluff jubilee regatta.

As the Southland selectors, Messrs Calder, Shepherd and Joyce, have not yet announced their crew to represent Southland at the Bluff, I suggest the following crew on last year’s performances: M. A. Pasco (s), C. Hunter (7), J. B. Pasco (6), E. Branks (5), L. Morrison (4), T. Carter (3), A. Tall (2), C. W. Wilson (bow). Unfortun-

ately Mclntyre (Bluff) is not rowing this year and will be missed from the eight. SOUTHLAND WANTS EIGHT OAR RACE. EAGER TO CHALLENGE OTAGO. Evidently Southland oarsmen have lost none of their eagerness to stage an eight-oar race against Otago. Neither have we, for that matter (writes “Coxswain” in the Dunedin Star). Misfortune has prevented previous preparations for such an event, but the time is now not far distant when the first race should be rowed. Due to the foresight of Southlanders, this will be the big event at the Bluff jubilee regatta on New Year’s Day. Southland apparently intends to leave nothing to chance, for already selectors for the eight to meet our representatives have been announced, and something should soon be heard of the southerners’ crew. Last month the O.R.A. decided to send an eight from here as the guests of the Bluff Regatta Committee. This decision was made for two reasons. One was on account of the inability of the association to finance the trip. The association is wise in so looking after its bank book, for it admits that it will probably find it strenuous raising sufficient funds to finance its regatta and the eight’s trip to Wellington. “Coxswain” does not. doubt for one minute, despite what delegates have said at O.R.A. meetings, that the province will be represented at the interprovincial contest at Easter. However, this is beside the point. The second and equally important reason for the association’s placing the onus of the eight’s trip on the shoulders of the Bluff Regatta Committee was in order to prevent prize money being offered for the event. With their usual ability to see right into a plan, O.R.A. members saw that if prize money were at stake the status of competitors in the race would be affected. This was not desirable, for the sake of club crews.

What was to have been offered for prize money—since it is understood it was to be a substantial amount —may be utilized to pay the Otago crew’s expenses. It should make no difference to anyone—even the Southland Association, because Otago places implicit faith in any crew that may go from here to represent our province. Regarding the offer of a shield for annual competition, this suggestion, in “Coxswain’s” opinion, should be brought forward again after the regatta. If the race is all that one thinks it will be there is no reason why it should not be held each year, and the shield would overcome the feeling that there was no reward for the winners.

There is no doubt whether the Otago crew will be fully representative. True, some of our prominent oarsmen will be out of town on holiday at the time, but the same position will probably arise down south. However, if such is the case an opportunity will be offered to give some of the boys, who have been somewhat unfortunate in missing seats in previous rep. eights, a chance to show their mettle. The more eight-oar men that can be produced the better, as it is plainly shown that there is a growing endency in this class of. competition. Later on in the year it is expected to hear more of rowing the Edmond Shield race between Southland and Otago representative crews in eights. The race at Bluff on New Year’s Day should serve as a fair indication of what sort of a challenge Southland will put up against our crews in the Edmond Shield and interprovincial contests.