1941: Rowing

The year 1941 was almost if not quite up to the equal of any previous year in both quantity and quality of Intercollegiate Rowing, notwithstanding the draft and enlistment for service in the United States forces. The Naval Academy was probably the only one seriously affected for the reason that the Senior Class and practically all of the Varsity oarsmen graduated a year ahead of time.

As in the past three years Harvard and Washington University of Seattle, Wash., demonstrated that they are both worthy claimants for top honors. Harvard made a clean sweep in the New London Regatta which is, of course, their goal and objective for the entire season. Washington's Varsity went through the season undefeated, climaxing its season by winning at Poughkeepsie in a field of nine splendid crews. Washington also won the annual Spring Regatta with California on the Oakland Estuary at three miles and made a new record of 14:28, and subsequently defeated Wisconsin in a mile race at Chicago. Altogether Washington's Varsity defeated a total of ten crews.

The Harvard-Yale race is the oldest rowing contest in the United States having been held since 1852. The record of the Varsity crew races through the years is as follows: Harvard won 40; Yale won 39. Harvard Varsity was undefeated in 1941, winning a total of five races and defeating nine Varsity Crews. Harvard's J.V. was likewise undefeated; other Harvard crews, viz. 150 lb. and Freshman went through the season with a total of three minor defeats. All of Harvard's crews defeated a total of nineteen other crews.

Thè Poughkeepsie Regatta, most spectacular athletic event in the world of sport, was held on June 25 under conditions as nearly perfect as could be desired. In the Varsity race, Washington and California demonstrated their superiority from the start. They rowed in one and two positions all the way; Washington winning by two lengths. Cornell throughout maintained its position in third place. Syracuse moved up from seventh place at the mile to fourth at the finish. Columbia was in 4th place at the 2 mile mark but slipped back as their Number 2 man weakened and passed out in the last quarter, but the other seven men kept gamely on to the finish. For the first time in many years, Navy had no entry at Poughkeepsie.

Either Washington or California has won the Varsity race at Poughkeepsie eight times in the last ten years; Washington four times, in 1936-37-40-41; California four times, 1932-34-35-39. Navy won twice, in 1931 and 1938.

California is entitled to be classed second best for the season. They finished a good second in the Varsity race at Poughkeepsie and won the Junior Varsity in that regatta. Their only other competition was in two minor races on the West Coast.

Cornell finished third in the Varsity race at Poughkeepsie and won the Freshman race in that regatta with a fine sprint in the last quarter. Cornell lost to Navy in a dual race at Annapolis on May 3 and lost to Syracuse on May 10.

Rutgers deserves special mention because up to this year, it was classed by this writer as one of the Junior rowing group. In 1941 Rutgers definitely rose to Senior caliber and is entitled to be rated tops for 1941 in the Junior Group. Rutgers made the best record since resumption of rowing. The crew had plenty of competition and faced some of the older colleges that had been in the rowing game for generations.

Results of early season Cup Races were as follows. The order in which the names are given indicate the position of the crews at the finish:

Adams Cup. Harvard — Navy — Pennsylvania. 1 miles at Annapolis, Md.

Bill (Edward Lyman Bill) Cup. Rutgers — Boston U. — Dartmouth. 1 5/16 miles — Raritan River, New Brunswick, N. J.

Blackwell Cup. Columbia — Pennsylvania — Yale. 1 5/16 miles — Schuylkill River, Philadelphia.

Carnegie Cup. Scheduled for April 27, Ithaca, N. Y. Cancelled owing to bad weather.

Childs Cup. Princeton — Columbia — M.I.T. — Pennsylvania. 1 miles — Lake Carnegie, Princeton, N. J.

Compton Cup. Harvard — Princeton — M.I.T. 1 miles — Charles River, Boston, Mass.

Jas. Matthews 150 lb. Trophy. Pennsylvania — Cornell. 1 5/16 miles — Ithaca, N. Y.

Rowe Cup. Harvard — M.I.T. — Boston U. 1 5/16 miles — Charles River, Boston, Mass.

Jos. Wright Trophy for 150 lb. crews — Harvard — Princeton — M.I.T. — Columbia — Pennsylvania. 1 5/16 miles — Charles River, Boston, Mass.

Dad Vail Regatta.

Rutgers won in a field of seven crews which group has been designated as the Junior Group. The rating of other colleges in that group would seem to be the order of their finish in the Dad Vail Regatta: May 17, 1941, Ohio River, Marietta, Ohio — distance 15/16 miles.

What a grand contest it would have made if Harvard, Washington, California and Cornell could have met shortly after the Poughkeepsie Regatta at a mile and 550 yards in a race on Lake Carnegie, Princeton, where conditions are as ideal for shell racing as can be found anywhere in the world. A race at this 'Henley' distance or at 2,000 meters — the Olympic distance — is likely to be held only when we have the Olympic Rowing Try-outs or as might have been this year, the try-outs for the Pan American Games Regatta which are scheduled for 1942 at Buenos Aires, Argentina. A representative committee was appointed prior to the outbreak of War to arrange for try-outs and assemble a Rowing Team for the Pan American Regatta and this Committee will function if World War conditions permit. In any event both college and club rowing authorities have arranged a schedule to provide for a very active season in 1942 and have been encouraged to do this to maintain interest and benefit in physical development of the youth of our nation.