ROWING NOTES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 19, 23 January 1935, Page 4

ROWING NOTES

(B)

“TANIWHA.” )

The result of the Jury Cup regatta, heM last Saturday, provides a fair indication of the form of club crews. It gives selectors food for thought, and the oarsmen an opportunity of sizing up the task before them in the coming regattas. Judging by the results, it can be said that the majority of crews are not fit—or else they are below standard. Three races only out of nine were won by narrow margins, but for the rest comfortable wins were secured by the first crews. It is disappointing to see an absence of even finishes, and if anything is to be learnt from the Jury Cnp races it is the fact that a lot more training and coaching is required. Training, of course, rests with the oarsmen themselves, but coaching, just as important, provides a more serious problem, for, generally speaking, there is a dearth of good coaches in Wanganui. There are one or two men who give their time, but they can coneentrate on one or two crews only. All clubs faced the regatta on Saturday wilth a certain amount of confidence that they might be able to win. Aramoho, holders of the cup and winners of six races last year, considered they had a good chance. So did Union, and so did Wanganui. Union, however, entered the best crews in the rowing events, and won three out of eix. They also cleaned the slate in the sculling races, and won without difficulty.

Union won the rowing events with their seniors, juniors and lightweights, three crews that were without doubt the best in their classes. The manner in which the double sculls was won showed either R. Gould and A. Tonks are above the average as scullers, in addition to being good oarsmen, or that the standard of the sculling in the other two clubs is a long way below par in the maiden class. The junior and maiden single races were more evenly contested, butt there were three entries only in both. Sculling, evidently, is not strong in Wanganui, appearing to be rather a side-line in which oarsmen compete just to make up entries. Saturday 's results must have been very satisfactory to the light blue shed. Clarrie Healey spent a lot of time last week cycling up and down the river bank with a megaphone. His efforts brought their reward. Although Wanganui took second place in the regatta, it appears that the number of regatta oarsmen in the club is somewhat limited. Two crews only, the youths and the juniors, showed anything like form. True, the senior four rowed better than anticipated, but its personnel was not that of a senior four.

Although Aramoho had to be content with third place, the fact that it secured five seconds shows that it has material available. Judging by appearance, several of their crews could be a good deal fitter, and more than one would repay coaching. If the club can concentrate on these two points, a better showing may be made ait Wanganui on February 23. Running an eye over the various classes, it appears that the Union Club has a senior four that will go a long way this season and should win races on more courses than are to be found on the Wanganui. A. K. G. Jackson will not l>e a member as he will be sculling. S. Healey is the stroke of the crew, which incidentally, is going to be trained by C. A. Healey according to the Fairbairn style. The necessary alterations to the slides and riggers have been made and the crew starts training this week. Healey has good material to work with, and everyone will wish him well in his venture. The crew will be watched with interest wherever it competes. P. Stowers’ crew did not disappoint. It was outclassed. Jit seems doubtful whether it will get much nearer to a crew of Union’s calibre in a senior race. Whether the Aramoho Club might consider welding its two senior crew® into one is a point that might be worth. considering. It is possible that a crew should be selected from the two boats that would make a better showing than either one did on Saturday. * ♦ ♦ • W.angunui’s crew did better than anticipated. fit is to be strengthened by the addition of M. Clay, who is rowing well this season. He will take the two seat. The crew will have to do plenty of work to come up to standard. Saturday’s race showed promise, and it rerffains for it to be fulfilled. There appears to be plenty of competition in the junior class this year. Union won on Saturday, and won well. They could have rowed faster had they wished. They are a crew that will improve during the next month. The same may be said also of Aramoho, who could have set a livelier stroke throughout the race. Clay’s place in the Wanganui crew is to be filled by F. Oldham, who rowed six in the Marlborough interprovincial race last year and has a good record. The other classes show that there is much room for general improvement, since substantial margins were established by winning crows. The youths’ class is a long way below standard of previous years, and the Wanganui crew was offered very little competition, which does not prove it to be an exceptional crew by any manner or means. The same may be said of lightweight, welterweight and heavyweight events. Incidentally, while on the subject of welterweight and lightweight events, several members in the crews on Saturday appeared to be definitely overweight. No enquiry has been raised, and it is new too late, but if any questions were to have been asked, and with justification, there would have been some explaining required here and there. It would be just as well if clubs remembered that a lightweight means an oarsman under 10 stone and a welterweight under lOst 7iib. It would be jurt as well, ak-o, if the executive of the Wanganui Rowing Association were to instruct its clerk of scales that the regulations must be more strictly enforced in future. Another complaint That could be made with justification was the presence of one or two people on the bank behind the starter who took it upon themselves to direct the crow. In one instance someone called to the inside crow to touch up. The result was that the whole line of crows was thrown out of order, and they all had to be broughit back again. This sort of thing should ba “jumped with bni'-h. feeU” T

is surprising, indeed, that it should have occurred and decidedly bad taste on the part of those who so far forgot themselves to call out. The starters’ lot was not altogether a happy one on Saturday. Crews generally were far to haphazard in lining up," and in far too much of a hurry to be sent away. The starters did the right thing in bringing the boats back again, and if any boats were out of line when they were sent away, it was more their own fault than anything else. The table showing points gained by the three local clubs in the Jury Cup regatta now’ stands as follows: — 1929- Aramoho 12, Union 9, Wanganui 3. 1930- Union 10. Wanganui 8, Aramoho 6, 1931- Union 15, Aramoho 5, Wanganui 4. 1932- Wanganui 13, Union 10, Aramoho 9, 1933- Aramoho 22, Union 6, Wanganui 4. 1934- Union 19, Wanganui 9, Aramoho 8. The ladder of points is as follows: Union: Nineteen firsts, 12 seconds, 69 points. Aramoho: Sixteen firsts, 14 seconds, 62 points. Wanganui: Eight firsts, 17 seconds, 41 points. For the first three years during which the Jury Cup was held, six races only were decided. In 1932-33, the welterweight junior event and the maiden single sculls were added, both of which were won that year by Wanganui. This year saw the number of events increased to nine with the addition of the senior fours.

By winning the junior fours on Saturday, Union recorded its fourth successive victory in that event. Until last year it had won the junior doubles on four occasions. Aramoho won last year, but Union was in front again on Saturday, so that it has now won that event five times out of six. Until Saturday, Aramoho had won the open maidens four times out of five. Wanganui’s win was the first registered in that event in a Jury Cup regatta. The other races have been fairly evenly divided.

Wanganui Club. The red and black crews rowed well on Saturday afternoon, but it was fairly clearly indicated that there are only some three crews available for regatta work in the club at present. At the most ano'ther crew could be boated, but- above that it is doubtful whether the club could be advised to enter for more regatta events. It would be better for them to concentrate on club races, and let members work for places in regatta boat® instead of being “given a row” in a regalta as has been the policy of the past. Each of the senior, junior and youths’ crews Have a lot of training to do and require much coaching before they will be ready for the Wanganui or Wellington regalttas. The club’s sculling was disappointing. Racing for the club doable sculls began on Monday night ,and some interesting racing has been watched.. A good tussle is anticipated in the final, although who the contestant® will be is not quite certain. Aramoho Club. Congratulations to the Union Boat Club on their splendid win on Saturday. The severe reverse that the Aramoho crews suffered was probably the best thing that could have happened. Many of the crews were over-confiden't and inclined to rest on their laurels of last season. Crews must remember that it is not only the training in the boats that counits. The writer has recollections last season of anything fren 10 to 15 members going for a run in the mornings to the top of Holberts Avenue and back. Training out of the boat is just as important as actual rowing. A few weeks back members were warned of the excessive smoking being carried on by crews in training. Perhaps after Saturday’® debacle those concerned will take notice. The surprise defeat of the day was that of the junior crew. These men had every chance but showed a complete relapse of their previous form. As oarsmen on the d'ay they were not up to maiden standard. The boat lacked the punch and thi® coupled with their inability to quicken gave them the place in the race they deserved. The "crew, with more eonscientious

training by one or two members, is capable of better results and it is to be hoped that the bitter pili they had to swallow on {Saturday will have a beneficial effect on them. The result of the senior race was not Unexpected. In running into second place fStowens, with his light crew, did very well, considering that they were conceding the winners two stone per man and rowing in clinker boats. I'liis docs not take away the credit from the winners, who rowed excellently and never looked like getting beaten. Holmes’ crew was never in the picture. Ditchfield was badly missed. Perhaps if Shaw had rowed in place of Gampbell, who except for a few scull® has not been out this season, they may have been closer up at the finish. The scullers did as well as could be expected, C'oxon and Blokes going very well in the junior doubles. Turner’s No. 1 lightweight crew failed badly towards the finish of the race. Three and two were not putting

on an ounce and stroke was very erratic in his time. All members were shooting their slide®. The No. two and uhree crews put up a fair showing for the rows they have had. W. Anderson’s youths’ crew did not come up to expectations. The crew could be improved by one or two changes. In the open maiden race Laird’s erew did thewr best but went under to a powerful Wanganui crew. A change in this crew would also prove beneficial. To the junior welterweight crew—K. Shaw (Mr.), H. Clarke (3), R. Boyland (2) L. Sleyer (bow; —goes the honour of saving the club from not winning a race. Considering the few rows this crew has had together and the opposition in the race they rowed very well. The selectors will now have the unenviable task of altering several of the crews. The advantage of the Jury Cup as a try-out for crews has been fully justified and it is to be hoped that the members will show a beneficial effect from it at the Wanganui regatta. (Tews will be picked as soon as possible for the Wanganui regatta and for non-regatta men a club trophy will be rowed* entries for which close

Sunday. Once definite regatta crews have been selected they will -be criticised in this column from week to week. It was noticed one morning last week that a crew, instead of waiting for a coxswain, who would have been at the pontoon in live minute®, took out one of the clinker racing boats without him. This shows a lack of thought on the part of the crew concerned a® not only is the rowing of the crew affected, but they are liable to damage the boat on drift wood. It is things like this that make those responsible for the care of the boat annoyed. Offending memibers should be taught a lesson. The suggestion that a regatta should be formed in Wanganui has evidently falllen on barren ground, or else there is no one with the initiative to take the joib on. Not so in Dunedin. A ckub lias been formed, and “Coxswain” of a Dunedin paper has the following comment to make: — “From the time the Dunedin Regatta Club is properly constitulted rowing in this province will enter anothci era. and there is no reason why it should not be, a successful one. The initial step Iras been taken after frequent suggestions at Rowing Association meeting®, and much spade work by a special sub-committee, and tihe club has been formed, much to the satisfaction of those who fully appreciate what good purpose it will serve in the control of the rowing regatta, which has been the annual fixture of the association for many seasons up till

the present, and which should nightly be the biggest rowing festival o‘ the year on the Otago Harlbour. “ When its membership and finance are assured the club should again put the regatta on the footing that it once occupied, and as everyone wishes to see it. There is no gainsaying the fact that the regattas of the past three or four seasons have suffered on account of the association’s overburden of responsibility in haying to finance the regatta as well as the tours of the representative eight-oar crews. No blame can be placed at the association’s door for the circumstances that have been responsible for the gradual deterioration of the regatta, yet one is prompted to ask: ‘ Why should one branch of the sport suffer to support the other?’ Furthermore, no one wants to see either the regatta or provincial eight-oar representation forsaken, and the timely advent of the new regatta, club should assure th® continuation of both,”