Ogden Daily Standard | 1914-04-04 | Page 10 | Rice Opposes Four-Mile Race

RICE OPPOSES I FOUR-MILE RACE Gruelling Contest Too Severe For American Oarsmen and Training Time Too Short. New York, N. Y., April 4. Jamc3 C. Rice, coach of rowing at the Columbia Colum-bia university since 1906, is continuing contin-uing his fight against the four-mile race at the intercollegiate regatta, held every Juno over the Hudson river riv-er courso at Poughkeopsle. Rico's opposition to the four-mile race, according to a statement he recently re-cently Issued, Is due to .the fact that American oarsmen get but little time to train for such a gruelling contest and as a result are not In the proper shape to row such a distance without Borlous injury. In contrast to this condition -here, Hlce called attention to the situation In England. There the men train for years, the bpys learning to row while in the grammar schools. As a result when they enter en-ter the university they are finished oarsmen, trained and hardened to withstand long races. Here the men have but a few months' preparation and moBt of tho men never row a stroke until they enter college. Too Arduous for Boys. Rice says that younger men are now found on the crews than was formerly the rule. In fact, most of the members mem-bers of the crow are mere boys, who have not yet attainod their full matu. rlty and tho arduous season of training train-ing culminating in a race which calls for every ounce of physical exertion he Is able to put forward does more Injury than good to the lad. The fact that the regatta always comes In Juno is another thorn In the flesh of Rice. Ho argues that June is very often the hottest part of the summer and that a man cannot do his best work with the thermometer thermome-ter around 90 degrees. The great English races come in March or early April, when it is coolor. Rice's plans to reduce the race to threo miles and hold it earlier In the year Is not approvod by the coaches of othor colleges, who send their crews to tho regatta.