The Gunnery School - Red and Gray Yearbook (Washington, CT)

Page 86 text:

l-N V3 4,1 L4 XL' a wit? ,mv lt After having the races postponed for a week due to bad weather, Gunnery's oarsmen met the Poughkeepsie boats on the Hudson. Once again Gunnery rowed to a decisive victory with its first, second, and third boats winning their respective races by five, two, and two lengths. Gunnery's success continued unbroken at Wallingford where the Choate boats were beaten by two, one, and a half length lengths respectively. For the final race of the regular season, the Red and Gray set out to match oars with Salisbury at Salisbury, Connecticut. A highly spirited Salisbury first boat managed to edge out Gunnery's first boat by a deck length. The second and third crews took their races by one half and two lengths respectively. The second and third boats thus com- pleted their second straight undefeated season in regularly scheduled competition. Salis- bury's victory was Gunnery's first boat's only defeat in two years. At Lake Quinsigamond, Massachusetts, Gunnery's first crew came within a tenth of a second of the course in its qualifying heat of the New England Rowing Championships held on Lake Charogoggagoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamaug. ln this regatta, the first boat beat Salisbury, Brown and Nichols, and Exeter. The second boat was third in the morning heat, losing by only one-tenth of a second to Exeter. ln a consolation race, they were edged out by half a length for first place by Brooks School. The third boat came in fourth in their heat, being beaten for third place by Pomfret. ln the first boat finals, Gunnery's chief opposition came from the undefeated Brown and Nichols crew which had broken numerous records on the Charles River. Until the last quarter-mile, Gunnery, Exeter, and Brown and Nichols were abreast, with Brooks trailing by a length. At this point Gunnery pulled away from the others and went on to win the New England Four-Oared Rowing Championship by half a length. Prospects for T957 seem good with eleven returning lettermen and Ralph Hughes as Captain-elect. The Gunnery first boat's success led Mr. Beebe to enter the crew in the U. S. Olympic Trials held at Syracuse June 28-30. After several weeks of practice at Lake Waramaug in Washington, the first boat journeyed to Syracuse where it qualified for the semi-finals. Competing against crews from Navy and the Detroit boat club, the Red and Gray oarsmen placed second in the preliminary trials, crossing the finish line barely two-tenths of a second behind Navy. In the semi-finals a day later, Gunnery came in fourth to miss qualifying by two places. Princeton, Cornell, and Dartmouth took the first three places respectively.