150-lb Crew Opens Today; Thinclads to Battle Brown

Bo Anderson, the lightweight varsity crew coach, is a cautious man, but he is even more cautious than usual when he talks about his squad's prospects for this season.

The lightweight crew makes its bow today against Columbia and Rutgers on the Harlem River. And it is obvious that this crew is going to have to prove itself more than most crews at Harvard in past years. The competition is stiff.

Last year at the Sprints, the Harvard hightweights suffered a humiliation of the first order, and the three crews which did the Crimson dirt last May--Cornell, Pennsylvania, and Princeton--will provide the acid test for the Harvard lights this year. M.I.T., especially strong this spring, has to be added to the list.

Cornell is not only the traditional lightweight crew powerhouse of the East, but has snatched an exceptionally fine stroke from last year's freshman heavyweight crew. Penn will be drawing on the talent of last year's remarkable freshman lights. The M.I.T. lightweight varsity has been beating its heavyweight counterpart in work-outs so far this spring.

Potential

Which is not at all to say the picture for Harvard lightweight crew this year is completely bleak. Anderson says that his squad has "very good potential for the end of the season." The crew will undergo intensive preparation during the next two weeks, and prospects are that it can shape into a formidable contender in the East.

So the lights will be shooting for Cornell and Penn in the Sprints, May 11; M.I.T. in the Biglin Bowl here on the Charles, April 20; and Princeton in the Goldthwait Cup at Princeton, May 4. If all goes well, the oarsmen are thinking about Henley, the Western Sprints on the Coast, and perhaps even entering the IRA's in June.

Harvard should have no trouble whatsoever in today's races against weak Columbia and Rutgers boats. But the results will be interesting because last week Princeton beat Columbia by three lengths and Penn downed Rutgers by four lengths. Harvard's relative success against these schools will give an indication of what can be expected for the Crimson's season.

A Natural

Joe Bracewell, a junior, will stroke the varsity. He has been described as a "natural" and won his seat in a close struggle with Ken Moller and Terry Considine. Bracewell has only had a week in the key post. He was number four man in the third boat last year and has put in a fine performance to earn the position he holds this year.

The varsity boatings: captain Brian Sullivan, cox; Joe Bracewell, stroke; Bill Braun, 7; Rob Wolff, 6; Ken Moller, 5; Fred Fisher, 4; Jim Garrity, 3; Bob Baker, 2; and Chris Cutler, bow.

Lightweight captain Brain Sullivan describes this year's freshman crew as "the best ever." Their prospects look extremely bright with Bob Larson as stroke. Dick Moore is captain.