WITH THE OARSMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 288, 6 December 1939, Page 4

WITH THE OARSMEN

REGATTA SEASON FAST APPROACHING SELECTORS ON THE WATCH GOOD TALENT AVAILABLE Club trophy racing is holding the attention of rowing clubs in Wanganui and new members are becoming accustomed to rowing in four-oared boats. With the approach of the first regatta of the season, at New Plymouth on New Year’s Day, club selectors are keeping an eye on the form of members. The New Plymouth programme is much the same as in other years, the chief races being the McLeod Cup race for the senior fours and the Collett Cup for the youths’ event.

A. R. Byres, a member of the. Wanganui Rowing Club, has returned to the shed after a period of ill-health. He is expected to take on the sport seriously in the near future and is mentioned as one of the rowers for the club's proposed senior four. The appearance of Byres will be welcomed by the club as only a few of the old members remain, the air force taking a toll on the old hands since the outbreak of hostilities.

Good work in the training of new members is carried out by Mr. P. Evans, president of the Wanganui Club. He devotes a considerable amount of time to the novices and has started a number of boys this season. It is beyond his scope to handle all the boys this season and the co-opera-tion of old members of the cluo would be welcomed. On a recent day “Stroke” saw a novice coaching two novices. Although this shows a certain amount of enthusiasm and good intentions, it should not be necessary for novices to get fellow inexperienced oarsmen to coach them. The early training of an oarsman should be sound as it is in the early stages that he can develop faults which may take years to correct or become habitual.

No indication has yet been given as to whether the veteran oarsman, C. A. Healey, intends to row in the Union Boat Club’s eight this season. It is quite likely that Healey will take a seat again as his performance last season demonstrated that he can still pull an oar with the best of them. So far no member of the eight has left the club and it appears likely that the successful crew of last season will be boated again. Doubts have been raised as to the ability of the crew to hold its title over the shortened distance, but members themselves are confident that the crew will go just as well. There seems to be no reason to doubt their judgment. If the shortening of the championship distance has done one thing it has increased interest and the eight and four-oared titles are likely to be contested by record numbers of crews at Wellington this season. The shorter distance should add to the spectacle of the racing and will entail oarsmen getting into the pink of condition. When the Union eight—if iU personnel is not altered —takes the water after Christmas it will consist of four married and four single men. One member is to be married at Christmas. Of the present three married men, one has two children, and another one child. Events f<< the New Zealand rowing championships to be held in Wellington as a Centenary year attraction, have been drawn up for the approval of the New Zealand Rowing Association, and with them there is a very attractive prize list. The suggested programme of events, with starting times, is as follows: —12.45 p.m., Lightweight Maiden Fours; 1 p.m., Championship Single Sculls; 1.30 p.m., Maiden Fours; 2 p.m., Champion Fours; 2.30 p.m., Junior Fours; 2.35 p.m., Maiden Fairs; 2.45 p.m., Junior Singles; 3 p.m., Champion Double Sculls; 3.30 p.m., Youths’ Fours; 4 p.m., Champion Eights; ' 4.30 p.m., Welter Junior Fours; 5 p.m., Champion Fairs; 5.30 p.m., N.Z. Centennial Plate.

Described by one prominent oarsman as the worst spell experienced at this period of the season for a number of years, the adverse weather conditions in recent weeks have considerably retarded the activities of rowing clubs, stats a Dunedin writer. In the upper harbour, at any rate, oarsmen have been allowed few opportunities for solid training work, and, generally speaking, will not be anywhere near top form for the first regatta of the season at Oamaru on Saturday. Even allowing for the adverse conditions, however, there appears to be a noticeable lack of enthusiasm among club members generally, and concern is felt in at least one boathouse because of insufficient interest on the part of experienced oarsmen.

E. F. (Ned) Barry, a former member of the Petone Club and who was an All Black Rugby footballer in 1932 and 1934, will start rowing for the Union Club next week. Barry has been stationed at Napier since the opening of the season and has had only one or two rows on the Wanganui River, but had a row at the opening of the Napier Club’s season recently. As he is still a maiden oarsman, Barry should be a decided acquisition in this season s regatta events.

The Aramoho Club’s prospective eight for the championship title is now settling down and in a few weeks should begin to show good form. The crew has plenty of weight and should prove much more successful than the eight boated last season.

The Wanganui Club has two boats which its sister clubs would like i

possess, the clinker eights. These boats would be an acauisition to any clubs and no wonder the other clubs cast envious eyes on them whenever they appear on the river. However, more use could be made of them, the suggestion being made that the association should consider ari’ang.ng further series of sprint eights as Saturday afternoon attractions.

Rowing in Wanganui does not enjoy much public support, but in many respects blame for this can be laid at the feet of the association. The opening and closing days and the Jury Ci regattas provide the only opportunities for club members to fraternise and give the public something to see. More inter-club regattas, even if on a smaller scale than the Jury Cup event, would serve to ixKrtase public interest and foster greater enthusiasm among