Harvard Heavies Crush Elis at Red Top Reunion

There's something Inherently traditional about a Harvard-Yale sporting event: always a pervading "It's anybody's ballgame" atmosphere, Need I recall this past year's football or hockey games?

However, since 1962, when Harvard crew coach Harry Parker arrived on the dock of Newell Boat House that atmosphere and tradition has failed to hold on the water. Saturday afternoon, in New London, Conn., was a case in point. Parker's varsity eight flexed its cars shortly into the start of the 110th Harvard-Yale race and cruised up the Thames River, leaving the hapless Elis splashing it out some 11 lengths behind in a furious wake.

The two crews returned to the four-mile Thames course after a one year absence (the race was held in mid-May last year on the Charles due to the change in the Yale calendar). Despite the fact that the Crimson was just coming off exams the result wasn't much different from the last encounter in 1973, which Harvard won by a whomping 46.5 seconds.

Yale jumped out to a short-lived lead at the start, but by the half-mile mark the Crimson had edged out to a half a length margin. By the first mile Harvard was up a length and moving. "Our strategy was to break Yale and then go for a margin. But we had a tougher time breaking them than we expected," said stroke Al Shealey.

It wasn't too tough though: when Harvard crossed the finish line at Bartlett's Cove in the time of 22:07 it had to wait some 42 seconds before it could claim the blue and white Bulldog racing shirts.

"Yale must have blown it out at the start," said Captain Blair Brooks. "They basically rowed a mile race."

The estimated crowd of over 3000 and the 100 plus boats anchored near the finish line have dwindled slightly during the Park dynasty with lack of competition in the race being a major factor.

What excitement there was in the first mile of the varsity race was not to be found in the three-mile J.V. affair. The Crimson moved in front after just 30 strokes and had gained a length lead by the first half mile. Number four man in the boat, Dave Bixby, summed up the outing. "There wasn't much to it actually. It was just a good solid row and we gained a length about every half mile," he said.

The only contest that was especially exciting was in the freshman ranks. Ted Washburn's charges, thanks to some post-Sprints boat shuffling, finally came together. The shell set up with Peter Reynolds at stroke. Tom Howes at the seven seat, George Altken at six, and Roy Stevenson pulling the Pocock in the five position.

The bow four finds Andre Picard at four, Steve Klein at the three seat, Dave Boghassian at two and Terry Smith balancing things out from the bow position, Jeff Rothstein is the coxswain.

The freshman race was two miles long and Harvard took off right from the stake boats. By the first half mile the Crimson held a fairly commanding eight seat margin, but Rothstein was not content to sit on the lead and he called for a power 20.

With a mile to go Reynolds and Co, were enjoying a two length lead. The Elis however saw to it that enjoyment was just a momentary pleasure as they raised their cadence to a 36 and began to close in on the Crimson bow. However, Harvard held on to win by a safe four-second margin. The Crimson was clocked at 11:01, Yale at 11:05.

Parker said Saturday. "I was particularly pleased with the performance of the freshmen. While all our crews rowed very well the freshmen have especially come on since coming down here."

Harvard will continue its stay at the Red Top training camp to prepare itself for a rematch with Western Sprints Champ, Washington. The encounter with Washington will be similar to the Yale regatta with the Varsity going four miles, the J.V. three miles and the freshmen two.

Harvard has already beaten Washington this year in the San Diego Classic but Parker pointed out that they have had some changes in the boat since then and they also won the Western Sprints by an impressive II second margin. But he is by no means awed by them. "I anticipate some very hard racing and we're looking forward to it in a very positive sense."