Word: oarsman
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Undefeated since their Goldthwait Cup loss to Harvard a year ago, the Princeton oarsman are the defending champions. And besides the Wright Cup possession they also claim laurels from last July's triumph in the Royal Henley Regatta on the Thames River in London...
...oarsman's problem is to move his craft not only with power, but in such a way that all motion other than forward and in a straight line is eliminated. it is this process that takes months of training, as well as natural ability. Any number of things can go wrong during a stroke, because every pull involves the use of the entire body in a precise sequence that must not vary if that all-important smoothness is to be maintained...
...instance, at the beginning of each stroke, the oarsman must flip his writs to turn the oar so that it enters the water absolutely perpendicularly. The slightest variation from a 90 degree angle will cause the oar to "knife in" and dig too deeply into the water. When this happens, the handle of the oar is apt to come up suddenly and hit the unsuspecting rower in the stomach, often lifting him unceremoniously out of the boat and depositing him in the river...
Reading from stern back, the first 150-lb. boat is composed of stroke Jack Smith, a veteran oarsman, Ted Barrett, Sutton Potter, Captain Dave Clark, Dick Grosvenor, John Bordman, Bob Menslage, and Sam Allen. In the cox's seat will be Charlie Osborne, who shouted at most of these rowers last year in the freshman 150 boat...
...doesn't make the difference either, although an oarsman usually doesn't hit his peak of physical efficiency until his early twenties. (Bolles thinks the large number of older crewmen account for the high level of competition in postwar rowing). But Ted Anderson's presence in this year's boat seems to provide ample evidence that this rule is not infallible...