Best in the East

Each Olympic year--and usually in the years between--West Coast crews manage to show their wakes to the best in the East. With the Olympic rowing trials only seven weeks away, the East last week took a look at its chances. The best in the East--undefeated Navy, Pennsylvania and Harvard--raced in Boston's choppy, windswept Charles River Basin for the Adams Cup.*

Navy, up & coming since veteran Coach Rusty Callow took over the helm two years ago, was the crew to watch. Just a week before, the Middies had upset Wisconsin, 1951 collegiate champions, by 2 1/2 lengths. Coach Callow was inclined to pooh-pooh the victory: "Wisconsin rowed 31 [strokes a minute], and we had to row 33 to beat them." Callow did not even seem impressed with Navy's winning time, only 2.8 seconds off the course record. Said he: "You can't tell anything about records. Wind and tide make too much difference." But by the time last week's race was over, Callow was singing a different tune.

Navy, off to the standard racing start (40 strokes a minute), quickly spurted to a length-plus lead, then slowly settled down to a 32 beat. As the three shells slipped under the arches of the Massachusetts Avenue bridge up to the mile mark, Navy had a fairly comfortable two-length lead, with Penn and Harvard, never more than half a length apart, fighting it out for second. So they finished, with Navy under wraps (a 36 beat), and Penn nipping Harvard's sprint finish (38) by two feet. Navy's time for the mile and three-quarters: 8:51.4, three-seconds off the course record.

Callow, who coached Penn for 23 years before going to Navy, was frankly jubilant. "I've been trying for ten years to beat Harvard," he crowed. Harvard, which had won every Adams Cup since 1937, was understandably glum. Said Harvard Coach Harvey Love, echoing what every crewman now knew: "Navy certainly is the top crew. They're the ones to knock off--if anyone can."

* Donated in honor of onetime (1929-33) Navy Secretary Charles Francis Adams.

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