University of Virginia Library

Captains Foresee Best Season Yet

Optimism: Big Factor In Crew's Success

By Bruce Franzel
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Crew, the oldest collegiate sport
in the United States, has had a new
beginning at the University and if
present dedication and determination
continues, its future can only
be bright. Not only has their skill
won them the respect of some of
the best crews in the nation but
they have also deservingly received
the Seven Society Cup presented
"to the organization contributing
to a more meaningful University."

Last season, the crew opened
their first full year of competition
by defeating. East Carolina
University by 2½ lengths, establishing
a new course record with the
victory. As the season wore on, it
became evident that Virginia's crew
was more than just a group of
novices simply out to gain experience
against the more established
crews in the nation.

Following the East Carolina
regatta, Virginia ran away from RPI
by ten lengths in Charlottesville and
then went to Washington and
finished second in the George
Washington Regatta.

At the close of the 1968 season,
the Virginia crew traveled to
Philadelphia to compete in the Dad
Vail Regatta, the largest eight oared
regatta in the world.

Against 72 crews from 31
different universities the Cavaliers
overcame the experience and size
disadvantage and qualified for the
Consolation heat. They finished
fifth in the Consolation heat and
placed 11th in the regatta.
Georgetown University won the
Cup in record time.

The Rivanna Reservoir, home
waters of the Virginia crew, has
been hailed by many as the finest
rowing water in the East. The
"smooth as glass" water and the
beautiful Albemarle scenery
surrounding the Rivanna have
attracted such fine crews as Yale
University and most recently, the
Dartmouth oarsmen. The Yale crew
came down from the cold New
Haven waters last Spring vacation
and they were so favorably impressed
they will return again for a
two week stay beginning on March
14.

Last year Yale left the novice
Virginia crew an eight-oared shell, a
set of oars and some much needed
rigging equipment. Virginia also
gained a great deal of experience
rowing under the watchful eyes of
Yale coach Jim Rathschmidt, one
of the finest crew coaches in the
world.

The members of the Virginia
crew attribute much of their
success last year to the fine and
dedicated coaching of Tim Kerr.
Kerr attended Marietta College
where he was the assistant crew
coach. He then started a crew
program at Marietta High School, in
much the same fashion he started
one here. The year after he left
Marietta High, their oarsmen
finished third in the National High
School Crew Championships.

An anonymous donor has given
the crew $500 towards
the purchase of a single scull.
Although it is customary to name a
shell after its donor, the anonymous
benefactor felt it would be a
fitting honor to name the scull the
"Timothy Kerr".

Virginia will have three upper
class and two first year crews on
the water this season. Only two
oarsmen were lost from last years
crew, Pratt Remmel through graduation
and Chip Helmetag through
transfer.

As the crew goes into their first
week of practice on the water,
there are eleven men competing for
the eight positions in the varsity
shell. They are: fourth-year men
Robert Tuke (co-captain). Jon
Woodall, Bill Castle and Pete Luke
(co-captain); third-year men
Harrison O'Connor and Steve Plott;
and second-year men George
Peterson, Jack Plackter, Rich
Davisson and Tom Lincoln.

Competing for the varsity coxswain
position are second-year men
Bill Roderick and Buddy
Sydenstricker and third-year men
Peter Tilghman.

There are 21 first year oarsmen,
four of whom have had a good deal
of high school experience and
should be a great asset to the future
of the crew. Jessie Davis stroked for
the Washington and Lee High
School eight, Henry Miller rowed
for Choate, and Mike Hacskaylo
and Tom Buchanan went to Henley,
England for the High School World
Crew Championship with Jeb
Stuart High School of Falls Church.

The first-year crew is coached
by Leo Keyser, a third year law
student who coxed the Yale varsity
eight in 1966. The crew also relies
heavily on Van Waddell the assistant
coach and Charlie Magee the
rigger.

Crew is a newcomer to the
South. There are only 11 collegiate
crews below the Mason Dixon Line
and Virginia is the first Atlantic
Coast Conference school to organize
one.

The Virginia crew opens its
season on April 5 on the choppy
waters of the Potomac.

The only two home regattas of
the season will be on April 12 and
19 with the crews competing for
the Rives and Easters Cups, respectively.

The goals coach Kerr and his
crew have set for the season don't
sound like the aspirations of a team
only in its second year. While in
practice they will concentrate on
the finer points of rowing technique
and style, they hope to finish
among the six finalists in the Dad
Vail Regatta in Philadelphia.

Co-captain Bob Tuke may have
been overly optimistic when he
said, "By 1972 we should be
competing to send a crew to the
Olympics in Munich", but he is just
voicing the determined optimism
which the crew displays each time
they take to the water.

Crew Club Holds Regular Practices On Reservoir For Opening Regatta Early In April

Seven Society Recently Presented Club With Award For Organization Doing Most For University