ROWING NOTES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 277, 27 November 1935, Page 4

ROWING NOTES

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The Wanganui regatta will be held at Sandy Hook on Boxing Day. The following hints in regard to feathering the blade will probably be , beneficial to the novices who have joined the various local clubs this season. Rowing with a square blade in rough water is fatal to good watermanship, and apart from the wind resistance, the striking of the water when coming forward stops the run of the boat. Too much, attention cannot be paid to a neat and clean feather. The oar should come off the water edgeways, and the hands should be dropped be- * fore they are turned. This is essen- ; tial, as if the hands are turned before being dropped the oar is turned in the water, and consequently pushed up ■ flatways. The resistance thus causes a strain upon the sill of the rowlock, 1 which tends to drag the boat down on that side. In sculling feathering is just as important as in rowing—a firstclass sculler carries his blade right through on the feather until just when it is about to enter the water. , * A new oarsman is told that he has to swing the body in time with the stroke, ■ and too, often he assumes that he is , . swinging the body when he is merely sliding up and down on his seat. The body-swing is a definite movement in which the shoulders start well forward ( of the hips, and finish well back of them. The longer the are described by the shoulders the more effective the oarsman will be in general, although this is subject to the qualification that the swingback should not go so far as to make the recovery difficult. It is on to reach forward that inches can be added to the effective swing, and it is here that many oarsmen—and not only novices—are prone to err. Too often one sees the shoulders dropped forward in the effort to increase the reach, which should come only from the further bending at the hips. Just as the body-swing is one of the primary features of oarsmanship, so is the straight back the essential point of the body-swing. A homely and oftem-used illustration of the value of a straight back is provided by the normal action in lifting a heavy weight off the ground. The average man. in taking the weight, naturally straightens his back as a preliminary to the heave. If his shoulders are sagged forward he simply must lift them before he can make his strength effective. At a recent meeting of the Southland Rowing Association, there was a lengthy discussion on the method of selecting the Southland representative eight. It was agreed that the crew shiTuld be a club crew, Invercargill and Railway being joined as one club for the purpose. It was further agreed that all Southland clubs should assist in raising funds for the purpose of assisting the club from which the eight is chosen, states the Otago Daily Times. Aramoho Boating Club. The final of the Tesla Fours was rowed on Monday evening under boisterous weather conditions. The contestants were:—R. Nalder (str.), G. Locket (3), F. Jones (2), AV. Coneybeer (bow) and F. Hurst (stix). I). Holmes (3), T. Sweet (2), J. Fothergill (bow). From a good start Hurst gained the lead and was soon half a length to the good. Rowing with perfect rhythm Nalder drew up and at Webb’s shed was leading by threequarters of a length. From that stage he gradually incteased his lead to pass the judge two lengths ahead. A few remarks on the personnel of the various regatta crews may at this stage not conic amiss. For the Wanganui Regatta the club will only be boating one senior crew. Thu combination will be the same as last season with the exception that D. Holmes will be rowing in two seat. The crew will be boated as follows:—P. Stowers (str.), F. Jones (3), D. Holmes (2), C. Harrison (bow). The inclusion of Holmes in two seat will not upset the strength of the crew, and it is to be hoped that Holmes will achieve his ambition this season of securing a coveted “red coat.” The junior crew will bo stroked by Lawrie Sleyer, a member of last year ’s junior welterxveight crew. G. Lockett will be rowing in two seat. Last season he rowed in. the open maiden crew. Both W. Firmin and J. Halligan, the other members of the crew, were in the juniors last year. This crew is rowing well together and look like developing into a good combination. As mentioned in last week’s notes, several of the crews have been altered. The junior welterweight crew comes under this category. Of the crew originally selected R. Boyland was the only remaining member of the welter crew of last season. F. Hurst, W. Loveridge and J. Fiske were promoted from the maiden ranks to fill the vacant seats. The four as selected would have made a fairly solid crew, but owing to the lightweight maiden crew being disbanded as the members selected could not attend the regatta, the above three men will be taken from the junior welter crew to make up the maiden crew, thereby keeping the members in their class. At present it appears as if the junior welter crew will be defunct. The practice of keeping oarsmen in their class is to/be commended, as once junior races are won the members concerned could not row maiden again, thereby shortening their rowing career. The open maiden crew are an unknown quantity. Sweet is the only remaining member of last season’s crew. The other members of the crew will all be rowing in this class for the first time. The crew at present is boated as follows:—A. Noble (str.), R. Gifford (3), T. Sweet (2), J. Andersen (bow). Although rough at present, this crew, with .strict attention to training, may surprise the natives. The youths’ crew on paper appear to be a tough proposition and should produce results. They will be stroked by E. Vincent, who last year stroked the junior eight. W. Andersen (3), IL Nalder (2), and J. Farrell (bow) comprise the rest of the crew. Probably the lightweight maiden erfew will consist of the following: T. Hurst (str.), W. Loveridge (3>, J. Fothergill (2) and J. Fiske (bow). These members would row well to-' gether. In the maiden and junior doubles the crew will be represented by T. Ditchfield (str.) and K. Shaw (bow). Both are senior oarsmen, although maiden scullers. Ditchfield, two years back, was stroke of the champion eight which won at Wellington. Shaw gained his senior oarsman’s status last season. Jack Stokes, who rowed two in the champion four last season, has received notice of his transfer to the South Island. In losing Stokes the club will suffer severely as, besides being the holder of a red coat, he has always been a conscientious club member.

"TANIWHA."

j Joining the club in 1929 Stokes has a good number of rowing successes. In his first year in the club he had the rather unique experience of being in no fewer than five winning trophy crews: 1930-31, first lightweight maidens Waitara Regatta; 1931-32, ■ member of winning Head-of-the-Rlver I eight; 1932-33, first junior welter .Waitara Regatta; 1933-34, first junior pairs Waitara Regatta, second junior fours “B and B” and “Clinker” Wai- , tara Regatta, first maiden singles Wanganui Regatta; 1934-35, second senior fours Wellington Regatta.' first senior fours Now Zealand Championship Regatta at Auckland. Stokes this year had taken on the job of secretary to the club and has been taking a keen interest in it. All members will wish him the best of success in his new sphere of business. It is reported that P. Stowers, stroke of the champion fours and vice-captain of the club, will soon be joining the ranks of the benedicts. Members will join in wishing him the best of happiness for his future. The ladies’ crew was seen out over the week-end for the first time and took a spin up the river. For the initial try-out this year they slewed good form and seem to be very keen. The crew is as follows:—Misses B. Nible (str.), H. Harper (3), A. Goff (2). G. Coneybeer (bow). The club has lent one of its best-and-best boats to the Napier senior four, who will be using it at the Wanganui Regatta. The crew will be the same as last season’s and as they finished fourth in the championship fours at Auckland they are hoping to improve- on that display this season. Wanganui Rowing Club. The selected Wanganui Club crews in their various classes are in steady training for the approaching regatta, and although the material in sonio instances is of a rather rugged character, good coaching and conscientious training should work wonderful improvement. The personnel of some of the crews is entirely different from last season’s, and this is probably accounted for by the loss in membership. The club is unfortunate in that so many members are attached to houses which transfer their staffs at regular intervals. No sooner is a combination developed over two or three years than transfers occur, and the selectors have to commence afresh. The Seniors, under the tuition of Mr. - Wilson, are steadily eliminating their lit lie faults and any comments can be safely left to him. The Maidens are last year’s youths’ crew, and Mr. Evans has them well in hand. Both style ami punch show a decided improvement. The Junior Welters are a new combination and have not settled down yet, but the material seems to be there for a good crew. Careful attention to instructions and religious training is a vital necessity to this crew. The Lightweights are unfortunate in their three man being on the injured list for a time. They are a rugged lot but this type of crew are just the right kind to “hoe in” and stage a surprise. Mr. L. Clapham has their coaching in hand. The Junior Doubles arc still taking things very easily, but they probably are working according to plan. The Single Sculler is getting down to solid work now and handles his largesized skiff quite well. The Youths' crew will probably go over the mile with the Collegiate four on Saturday afternoon, but as they arc not yet nearly ready for racing the row can hardly be termed a “try-out.” *♦* The School crew, coached by Mr. Marks, has rather a new style, this year. There seems io be a decided interval between the body recovery movement and the slide. Whether this in any way improves the speed of the boat remains to be seen. Many of the coaching boats are seen coming in to the pontoon “with the tide” instead of against it. This is decidedly wrong except when the wind conditions prevent ?l, and under the club rules a penalty can be imposed for such negligence. Tt, is understood the officials have the matter in hand. Several club eights have been seen out lately, indicating that eight-oar rowing not only looks well, but also is enjoyed by the rowers. Union Boat Club Weather conditions have been greatly against the crews getting in their training spins for the big regatta on Boxing Day. A series of windy days culminated in the water being exceptionally rough on Tuesday evening and only one hardy crew took the water. Not for many years have the local clubs had to contend with such adverse conditions, but they are not alone in their troubles as similar weather has been experienced right throughout the Dominion. In Auckland races for the Barrett Cup have been postponed for six successive Saturdays. The light blue crews are now well into their stride in their preliminary regatta work. Although the work so far has been confined to slow rowing, sufficient form has already been shown to give rise to the hopes that the club will be able to boat some excellent crews in the near future. As yet a lot of the rough edges require to be knocked off the oarsmen, but with competent coaching—and the club is extremely fortunate in having plenty of talent in this respect —they should undoubtedly improve and do credit to both the club and to Wanganui. The seniors are getting in plenty of long rows, and at present are passing through the rather difficult stage of their work. They have shown considerable improvement on their opening spins, and Clarrie Healey may be ielied upon to eradicate the faults that are still apparent to critical observers. The juniors are inclined to be stiff in their movements, and their finish is appearing to cause them some trouble. The heavy-weight maidens are shaping well, but are far from being properly fit. When the peak of physical fitness has been attained, they should be exceedingly tough for the opposition. A. Tonks and M. Luxford are combining nicely in the doubles, and promise to mould into a good combination. « • • • The youths are moving along nicely in their work, and thoir bktd&w&tk-

through the water can be taken as an object lesson to other crews. A tendency to rush their recovery is inclined to spoil a little some really good rows together, but no doubt this will be corrected in the near future. The light-weight crews are shaping excellently, and although their weight is decidedly on the light side, they show indications of combining well and should weld into good crews.

The new members who are training in the double sculls are mastering the art quite well, and with growing confidence will soon be able to sit up in the boats without any difficulty. The early coaching given them has had good results, and has fully jepaid those responsible for their tuition.

Heavy toll has been levied on oars of late. A close examination of these reveals the fact that in almost every instance the damage has been caused through members jamming the oar down hard to stop the run of tne boat when the “easy oar” has been given, and to excessive weight being applied when back-watering or turning the boat around. The club is faced with an expenditure of over £4O for replacements, and it is a stiff hurdle to overcome so early in the season. Delivery of two new sets will be taken in the next few days, and, with two new sets of sculls recently purchased, this makes a substantial addition to the plant. However, recent breakages have caused an overhaul to be made, and last evening it was decided to place an order for a further one and a-half seta. Tn this direction it is pleasing to note that the whole of these