Page:Boating - Woodgate - 1888.pdf/114

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88
Boating.

of their club, and though the L.R.C, were entered for the international regatta on the Seine. Mr. Gulston was nearly, probably quite, as good an oarsman then as in his very best days ; but his light, though not hid under a bushel, was openly disregarded by his club. ‘Fhrough the minor regattas of the summier he took refuge with an ‘Oscillators ’ crew, and shoved three inferior men behind along at sucha pace that next scason it was impossible to ignore him. He became stroke of the L.R.C. Grand Challenge crew in 1868, and won the prize casily:

A. president of a U.B.C, has not the responsibility of Jooking after recruits for his club, He has only to see that he does not overlook the merits of those who are in it, among the hundreds of young oarsmen who come out each season in the torpids, lower divisions, and college eights. ‘The ‘trial eights’ of the winter term have to be made up by him, Each captain of a college crew is requested to send in the names of ten or more candidates for these trials ; but it is not safe for a president to rely entirely upen the lists so furnished to him, He is morally hound to give a fair trial to all the candidates who are thus officially submitted to his notice ; but he ought also on his own account to have taken stock during the summer races of the promising men of each college crew. The opinions of college captains as to who are likely to make the best candidates for University rowing must not always be rclicd upon. It has often happened that better men have been omitted than those whose names have heen sent in to be tried,

We have known a watchful president ask of a college captain to this effect :

‘What has become of the man who rowed No, 6 in your torpid ?’

‘He played cricket all the summer, and did not row in the summer eights.’

‘You have not sent in his name ?’.

‘No, I thought him too backward ; he has never been in a light boat in his life, and he only began to row last October when he came up as a freshman.’