150-lb. Crew Readying for First Race 3 Weeks Away

"You can always tell when spring is here," say the rowers at Newell. "Spring is here whenever Bert Haines takes his fifties downstream for the first time." Last Friday was The Day, and for Haines' four boatloads, The Day hasn't come any too soon. The varsity 150's open their season just three weeks from tomorrow.

If the results of nine seasons can be taken as any indication, Haines is bound to turn out a strong varsity 150-pound crew this spring. The genial Englishman has consistently built championship lightweight crews, and has lost but one race--to Princeton last year--in the past three seasons.

Haines has what he thinks will be a strong boat this year, but just like the varsity hevies' first eight, six of the slides are filled by upstart sophomores who have beaten out two of the four returning lettermen. Stroke Jack Smith and number five Dave Clark are the only returness.

Reading from how up, the current number one boat is composed of Sam Allen, Bob Menslage, John Bordman, Dick Grosvenor, Dave Clark, Sutton Potter, Ted Barrett, stroke Smith, and cox Chuck Osborne. Three of these men--Allen, Menslage, and Barret--had never rowed in a shell before coming to Harvard.

These listings are by no means final, Haines makes it known. Besides the first boat, there still remain three others, one of which will have to be cut by the end of the week. Until time trials are held and the rowers reach racing stroke. Haines won't be absolutely certain on the makeup of his first shell.

Bert thinks his rowers will be in good form when they meet MIT Saturday, April 23, thanks largely to the early outdoor start the mild winter allowed. There was plenty of outdoor fall practice, as well as winter workouts in the tank, but it's the springtime work on the Charles that means most. During spring vacation Haines three shells plan to row twice daily.

Two successive Saturdays of dual races with MIT open a four-week season. The Engineers should not press the Crimson too hard, since practice hours at the Institute cannot start until labs are out at 5 p.m. The outings against MIT, however, are the Crimson's only races on the Charles this year, and they will certainly be the easiest.

On May 7 the 150's travel to Princeton's artificial Lake Carnegie for the Wright Cup Regatta against Yale and Princeton.

One week after the Wright Cup race the Crimson heads into the championship Eastern Association of Rewing Colleges Regatta, also scheduled for Lake Carnegle. In this race every lightweight crew in the country will be on hand. This means the Crimson will have to beat Columbia, Cornell, Penn, MIT, Yale--as well as Princeton--If it is to regain the Goldwaithe Cup that traditionally signifies 150-pound crew supremacy.