Climax at Start

Officially, the Washington v. California race starts the U. S. rowing season. Actually, it often makes more highly-publicized regattas that follow an anticlimax. Since 1921, with two exceptions, Washington or California has been either first or second in every Poughkeepsie regatta, against the best competition in the U. S. California crews won the Olympic championship in 1928 and 1932 but this year Washington's Coach Al Ulbrickson felt sure of eight sophomores he had retained as a unit from last year's powerful freshman boat. Said he, before the boats lined up last week on Oakland Estuary: "This is potentially the greatest crew I ever coached."

The two shells fought each other over every yard of the 3-mi. course with California a length ahead at the halfway mark. Washington, using a slower but more powerful stroke, gradually caught up from there on. At the finish, the bows were so close together that, while the judges were trying to decide who won, an unofficial announcement through loudspeakers rigged along the banks gave the victory to California by two feet. While the crowd was yelping too loud to hear it, judges announced the real result: Washington, by two yards.

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