WITH THE OARSMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 249, 21 October 1936, Page 4

WITH THE OARSMEN

SEASON SUCCESSFULLY OPENS

The successful launching of the 1936-37 rowing season was ensured last Saturday by an attendance that was the largest, on record, and the prospects for the season may be accepted as very bright.

It was indeed pleasing to find such a large number of oarsmen and supporters attending at the Union Boat Club shed on Saturday for the opening of the season. “It reminds me of old times,” said one old-timer at the clubhouse on Saturday when he saw the crowd awaiting the opening ceremony. But in the old times there was not the counter-attraction of unlimited golf, cricket, tennis and bowls, to say nothing of other summer sports. Mr. J. B. Cotterill, M.P. for Wanganui, struck the right note on Saturday when he showed that actions can speak louder than words. His speech declaring the season open covered all the ground required but was commendably brief, and then he proceeded to show the crowd that he has not lost his ability as an oarsman. He was a member of the winning crew in the Pirates-Harriers eight-oar race, this being perhaps the first time in the history of the event that the Pirates' president has had a seat in the boat. Then Mr. Cotterill stroked his crew to to victory as far as the semi-finals of the sprint fours before being eliminated. An early announcement may be expected regarding the programme to be arranged for the Boxing Day regatta. With eight weeks intervening for preparations, oarsmen would thus have an excellent chance to make | their plans accordingly. Perhaps this will be one of the tasks to be attacked by the newly-elected committee at the earliest opportunity. The re-election of Mr. H. Spurdie to the position of secretary of the Clifton Rowing Club is evidence that this Waitara club has been well served in the past. It must be something unique in the history of rowing in New Zealand for a secretary to have held office for 48 years, and the wish of members that Mr. Spurdie be permitted to carry on to reach the half-century will be echoed by oarslinen throughout New Zealand as well as in Waitara. The Clifton Rowing Club, incii'icntaliy, has had only one secretary, that being Mr. Spurdie, who was one o£ the foundation members of the club. Rowing in Wanganui in general, and at Aramoho in particular, will lose one of its keenest supporters if, as appears likely, Mr. W. McEvoy is transferred in the near future. One df the most popular of the Aramoho Boating Club’s vice-presidents, Mr. McEvoy also gave valued advice on the committee of the Wanganui Rowing Association, and the best method of showing appreciation of his assistance to rowing would be to induce another public-spirited citizen to fill his place. The W’aitemata Boating Club opened its season on Saturday with “Old Members’ Day,” and the veterans rolled up in force. Among the veterans was Mr. V. (Tine) Savage, not a Waitemata old-timer, but one of the greatest rivals, the famous steer oar of the Hauraki Boating Club. He is now approaching his 94th year, but is wonderfully hale and active, and ne thrilled his audience with his account of that memorable whaleboat challenge race for £2OO aside between Waitemata and the Hauraki Clubs. That event has often been written up, how vividly it came from the steer oar of the crew, although the race was rowed away back on April 17, 1886. During the afternoon a pleasing ceremony was the presentation (on behalf of the Waitemata Boating Club) by Mr. G. H. Reston of a volume of the club’s history to Mr. Savage. The veteran was received ’with applause as he rose to respond and fittingly thanked the club for the > presentation. v Alex Hogan, of the North End Club, j Dunedin, who last season rowed No. [ 6- in the Otago representative eight, j and also rowed in the South Island ’ eight, has been transferred to Christ-; ■church. Aucklanders interested in rowing! are wondering whether there is any; significance attaching to the resigns- • tion from the Waitemata Club of Bon ; Smith, holder of the New Zealand i single sculls title (says the Welling-1 ton Sports Post). Smith intends to i row for the Auckland Club this year. [ His new club has had some tough I battles in the last few years, but its i senior four’s victory in the New Zea-! land championship at Wanganv*.! three or four years ago helped a goo ■ [ deal. Smith won his singles title at j Wellington last year, when, rowing j over the Korokoro course, he miracu- : lously evaded two rocks to slip ahead ■ of A. Jackson, of Wanganui Union,! for the victory. The Washington University rowing i eight, which won the title at the Berlin Olympic Games, has been together the last four years, and was selected from the 10,000 students at the university. Three professional coaches had charge of the squad, which practised every afternoon from 2 to 5 o’clock. Big, husky youngsters given that amount of practice had no alternative but to develop, and their successes in America prior to the Games gave them the necessary confidence over the hard stretches of the Olympic final. Aramoho Boating Club. Crews training in the Aramoho Boating Club’s Mitchell Shield everu are beginning to show form, and new members are shaping well. A good deal of the credit for this must go to the coaches, who have spent so much time with the various crews. Racing for the Mitchell Shield will commence on Saturday afternoon, November 7. This year the committee have adopted a new scheme which no doubt will find favour with mem- ! bers. The draw will be made as usual, but the winner in each heat will go into the Mitchell Shield contest, and the losers will race again in the consolation fours contest, for which trophies will be provided. Thus a

crew, though beaten in the first heat, will still have interest sustained by reason of being engaged in the trophy event. The committee must be commended on the Steps taken in standing down those members who would not turn up to train. Nothing is more annoying than to have three members of a crew waiting on the bench for a dilatory fourth member who conies along at his leisure. These delinquent members must be taught to think, not of themselves alone but of the other members of the crew. Union Boat Club. The light blues will commence their club racing on Saturday week, October 31, when the Club Fours’ heats will commence. This event will introduce to Wanganui oarsmen the Olympic system of competition, in which the losers in the first heat participate in another eliminating round in order to enable them to have another chance in the event. The Union crews are rapidly getting into shape for the Club Fours, and some are showing excellent form, the improvement under capable tuition having been most noticeable. There are still some members who appear to find it impossible to get down to the shed in time for training rows. They should realise that they are holding back the rest of the crew. New members are receiving instruction at the hands of C. Healey, who is devoting practically all his time to this branch of activities. Eo many of the new members are offering that it is likely that the Union Club will have to close down on enrolments. Some of the newcomers are not as consistent as they should be, lor they attend one night and miss another, whereas regular attention to training should be most valuable. T- * Wanganui Bowing Club. The training for the Club Fours is going ahead on the right lines and crews are commencing to sharpen up. This is excellent regatta training. Congratulations must be extended to Robertshaw, Foster. Paul and J. Sheppard, winners of the sprint fours on Saturday. One feature ol this crew's effort was its combination. The four rowed as if they had tiained together for weeks. Novices are coming down regularly and all are getting on well. It would not be surprising to find every novice in a regatta crew this year. It is the intention of the executive to get the following races off before Christmas:—Novice Pairs, Wray Eights, Club Fours, Dustin Fours, and Lewis Double Sculls. Every member of the club should put his shoulder to the wheel and assist the committee getting events off to time. Club training should take place during the week and regatta training at the week-end. By such means as these the club races can bp run off in time to give regatta crews two weeks’ training together before Boxing Day. Members are urged to give consideration to bringing boats in with the utmost care when coming into the pontoon at low tide. The club has spent much money in varnish and other materials during the winter, and if members persist in coming in to the pontoon with the boats on the mud this work and expenditure will go for nothing. It is understood that the club is going to adopt Mr. C. A. Healey’s suggestion of the Olympic method of running off races on the reperchage system. Congratulations will be extended to Mr. Healey on introducing the system. It has been suggested that the racing commence in the first week of November. * New Plymouth Club. Conditions were ideal for the official opening of the New Plymouth Rowing Citi b's season on Saturday afternoon. No races were held, but a number of new members were given instruction on the water, and the more experienced oarsmen had a practice row. In declaring the season open, the commodore, Mr. H. C. Coliier, said that one of the reasons why the past season had been the most successful in the history of the club was the regatta successes of the club's heavy maiden crew, a combination which showed what could be achieved through diligent attention to training and that New Plymouth had the material to compete with outside crews. New members were advised to work for seats in the club's maiden, lightweight and welterweight crews and they would then find that rowing was one of the finest of all sports and one which would develop a man. The clubhouse, continued Mr. Collier, contained one of the finest plants in New Zealand and this could be attributed to the work of members in the past. "It has. been said that rowing is impossible in the r.ca at New Plymouth,’’ concluded the commodore, “but the club's successes :.t the New Plymouth regatta prove that it. can produce oarsmen. In declaring the season open I trust that you wilt meet with every success." Mr. D’Arcy Hadfield, chib coach, stressed the need for hard traimng. He said that he had frequently advocated this, but his advice had not met with much response. For the benefit of new members he declarer, that wins were really worth while. Incclub had not had many wins t.ro could be counted good losers, hu, when crews could go to -a re-rat ta. arm reckon on two or three wins the- plensure of rowing was more t.ian doubled. , . Similar views -.‘■ere expresse ny Mr A Burge’s, club captain, who further stressed the necessity for trainin- and fitness. ll.' said that the hardest part of rowing was behind the leaders, but if crewr. wottc. study starts and take the lea~. f'nn's would prill them through.