ROWING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 954, 22 October 1910, Page 12

ROWING.

' '■:. (By Mp,nooKT.) \., , SHED' WORKERS AND DRONES.' Lucky Petone "Wet 80b5.." '■,-".' The harbour, so far this season, has not been a rowing-man's paradise. Especially is this-tho case as regards the two town clubs, the cause being the vigour of the northerlies' that have haunted -us sinoe' the official' opening. The Petone Club is better.suited; so muoh so, in fact, that, while their oity brethren have been twiddling' thoir thumbs ashore and endeavouring to think up new adjectives and' adverbs to 'fittingly express .their opinion of "Rude" Boreas ("Rude" seems so hopelessly inadequate), the suburban "wet. bobs", have, actually finished, their first club race. •-, ... ', ~-'".'

Things look".bright' for the young club. It has - successfully weathered'the squalls that always beset a rowing.club in its .infancy,, and it faces the present season for the -first, time"with a regatta record at its back,,,., In fact, its history ha 6 commenced.' It has an enthusiastio roll of officers, good, up-to-date plant, the moral and. praotipajlisupjoit, ofi the. township to' rely on, and, best. of. all; a cheery optimism in tho ranks of its.members that promises for a good .passage ahead., '•',.,.. : .'j "Mercury" has received a newsy letter, from a correspondent in the Petone Club, 1 from whom he hopes to hear often. The following excerpts therefrom as to' the club's prospects and doings should prove of .interest:—"ln the first place,' I may state that the club has secured the services of a good coach, in whom the mem-' hers take great" interest, and he in them. ,We"are" enrolling'new members every week, and everything points to a successful season.:, The first ■ club race was got off- on Saturday-last—the : , Trial Fours. There were.a good many nominated, and a really good'afternoon's racing resulted." [Details of the"-racing in this event have already appeared in: the'daily columns.] . ,■■.'•'. ~ ,;, "Wo are holding a bazaar on Novem-. ber 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, to'put the'club on a good financial footing. It will be a monster affair, and the ladies on the committee .deserye ; credit for the enthusiasm' shown-in working up the different stalls. Mr. Tremain,'bazaar secretary, and members of the olub are also giving the affair their whole-hearted support. "We are now negotiating • with Mr. Geo. Norton for a best-and-best racing four, and the crew, which is getting into work for the senior.events, should, with a good schooling at,the game, do very well . indeed. . .The orew is: XV,Drummond (st.), D, Byrnes (3), P.vArrowsmith (2), H. Parrant (bow)—three, of our last. year's youths,; who won, at the .Hawke's :Bay regatta. The coach has his eye on several members, whom he intends to tako inland for regatta work." At the City Boatsheds, ■.For'reasons' hirited at above the work on the water of the c'r.ews engaged in the Wellington and Star Clubs' races, now' up for settlement, has been very intermittent. Consequently remarks 'on the form shown so,far are hardly in order. The Star men, with their better equipment for land work in their running path, gymnasium, and rowing machine, have tho better of the deal and, in the main/are making the best,of a bad business. After fivo.. o'clock the boat-house hums like a beehive with the busy ones boxing, skipping, running, and using all available devices to capture the elusive "condition," the Iwhile the, drones lookon and criticise. Fortunately the drones are few, but still' they aro too many—a fact which compels the following words of wisdom:—Rowing form can only be acquired by work in the boat, but physical condition can always be obtained-by the intending: oarsman and it is the man who starts the rowing "fit" to whom the "form" comes soonest and easiest. ,It is not given to every man to make a good oarsman, but there is no excuse for the oarsman'who ondeavours to row unfit. All of which is trite, and, platitudinous, but it is'the gospel of rowing, and as such must be read, marked, learnt, 'and, inwardly digested by Mm who aspires to become a successful ! oarsman,- and not a miisance to his fellows in the boat. ~ Aquatics at Christchurch. It will be regretted that ' that wellknown Canterbury club, tho Christchurch Amateurs, has fallen-upon evil.days, and has disbanded. -'It-Is. understood that many of its late members are joining- tho already-powerful Union Club, and that there is a probability of tho Avon Club, which has outgrown its present quarters, taking the Christohurch Club's boathouse. ' ' :

A movement is on foot in Christchurch to inovo the venue of the usual .regatta from Little River to tho estuary at Sumner. Such an'innovation would be extremely popular with outsido. clubs.; Tho trouble and .expense,'of sending crows and boats out 'to, the lake, and the inglorious uncertainty of boiug able to,race after all the inconvenience .of'getting ..there,, has bcentho bane of the. Christchurch fixture for seasons past, and any step to remove those disabilities will make for the good of _ the regatta—from a', visitors' viewpoint. Says the "Weekly. Press":—"A,t a meeting of,the Aknroa Regatta Club, Mr. M. G. Daly (Whelch's backer)'placed before tho committee an'offer,'of £W for a sculling race at the local regatta on December 10 from Dr. Thackor, on the occasion of Arust's victory ■ at -Aknroa Inst Easter, and again mentioned by Dr. Thackor when writing Mr. Daly from the Zambesi. As no conditions accompanied tho offer, the secretary was instructed to write and inquire the wishes of the donor, as tho committee could not accept the gift' if intended for a. professional event."