ALUMNI NEWS - eCommons@Cornell - Cornell University

ers left to go with these good freshmen
and should make for a good team."
Eddie Moylan: "Overall squash picture,
slightly improved. Tennis: much
better depth, slightly improved."
Scotty Little: "Elevation of our present
freshmen to varsity status and the
return to good standing of those on 'pro'
could put into the tank next year the
strongest swimming team in Cornell
history. Our divers, Dave Hawk, Craig
Markham, and Norm Brokaw are the
best in the East. It looks, too, as though
we have some real fine freshmen enrolling
next fall."
Raoul Sudre '60: "Our varsity fencing
team will be better next year than it was
this year and we had a good one this
year (8-3 in dual meets)."
So, there it is. Merciful Gilmour
Dobie! What in the world is the profession
coming to? Pray, dear friends, that
they are as accurate in their brave new
role as they were as prophets of despair.
Mighty Day on the Water
And a tennis star who beats the best
BY THE
• A not unusual situation exists in which
the oarsmen dominate the Cornell spring
sports scene, but the margin is wider
than usual. Not only are the oarsmen
better than usual but the other teams,
for the most part, are below average.
In fact the Cornell oarsmen are the
best in the East and are likely to remain
that way. The heavyweight and lightweight
squads have overcome the handicap
of persistently windy conditions on
Cayuga Lake this spring, among other
things arising to work out at 6:30 a.m.
on several mornings to escape the inevitable
heavy breezes in late afternoon.
The heavyweight varsity crew had but
three time trials on the lake before winning
the Eastern sprint regatta.
There are some talented performers
in the other sports but there are few
teams of prominence. Baseball is so
aware of its own shortcomings the players
voted there was no "outstanding
player" to be awarded the Al Sharpe
Award this season.
Rowers on Top
First competition for the big varsity
was the Goes Trophy regatta with Navy
and Syracuse on peaceful Lake Onondaga
at Syracuse on May 4. The Big
Red won everything. And with relative
ease.
SIDELINER'
All races were at two miles. The Red
varsity won over Navy by three and onehalf
lengths, the jayvees won over Navy
again by three lengths, and the freshmen
took their race by four lengths, with
Navy again in second place. Syracuse
was third in all three races. Only time
Syracuse was better than third was in
an unofficial race between second freshman
eights. Cornell won this one too
and Syracuse trailed by eight lengths.
Navy did not enter.
Time of the varsity was 10:35.2;
junior varsity, 10:55; and freshman,
11:21.1.
Cayuga Lake was no respecter of the
amenities on Spring Day, May 11, when
the Carnegie Cup regatta came to Ithaca.
It whipped up that day same as it
had been doing all spring. So to hide
from its lashings the regatta was moved
to the Inlet and the distance was reduced
from two to one mile for all three
races. Normally this would be bad news
for the long- and smooth-stroking
Cornellians. But not this year.
The varsity won over a good Yale
crew by ! 3 /4 lengths in 4:48.2. Princeton
was only a deck length behind Yale.
The Red jayvees had a more difficult
time. They placed third behind Yale
and Princeton. The Elis won by % length
in 5:01 and Princeton was about fifteen
feet in front of Cornell. The freshmen
won by twenty feet over Yale in 5:00
and Princeton was about l l /2 lengths
behind.
Now came the Eastern Association
of Rowing Colleges' sprint championship
at Worcester, Massachusetts, on
Lake Quinsigamond on May 18. Cornell
has been rowing in competition for
ninety-two years and has a legendary
record but this was one of its most glorious
days. There were six races for
heavies and lightweights and Cornell
won four and was second in the other
two. There were fourteen colleges represented.
Our two freshman boats took
second to Harvard.
The 1960 Olympic and 1962 world's
champion eight, Ratzeburg Rowing
Club of West Germany, was an unofficial
entry. Unbeaten in three years,
this high stroking crew was startled to
be beaten by the Cornell varsity in the
morning trial heat and almost taken by
Wisconsin. It was raining and there was
a twenty-mile wind blowing. Their
shovel oars and high stroking w r ere not
so effective.
In the afternoon the winds became
less strong but the rains continued. The
Germans won over the Red by a length.
The Ratzeburg crew drew a prize position
against the high bank on the inside
No. 7 lane. The water was calm there
in the lee of the shore. Cornell v/as out
in the middle in No. 4. It faced the wind
the whole way.
"It switched from a head wind to a
quartering wind off the Shrewsbury
shore," said Coach R. Harrison Sanford.
"The Germans had it made for
them and they made the most of it.
They hugged the shore all the way. I
wish they had been in an adjacent lane.
It would have been quite a race."
The Germans got off to a flying start
and took a lead of a half length over
Cornell. Yale and Wisconsin tried to
stay on the pace but it was too much.
The Red dug in at 35 to the Germans
42 and gradually brought the Cornell
shell even. With 500 meters to go it
looked as though the Red might pull it
off. But Ratzeburg, rowing beautifully
and strongly, brought the stroke up and
a partial crab in the middle of the boat
temporarily slowed the Cornellians.
That was it. The margin increased to
a length. The Cornellians found it
heavy going and were tired but they
closed dynamically at 37, while the Germans
were up to 44 at the end of the
2,000 meters.
Biggest surprise was the junior varsity
victory. Beaten rather easily the week
before by Yale and Princeton, the jay-
20 Cornell Alumni News