Kent School - Kent Yearbook (Kent, CT)

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1945 Spring Sports The 1945 Crew season was one of the most successful since the sport was inaugurated at Kent. Led by Captain Johnny Worthington, the First Crew was undefeated against the three prep school eights which it rowed. Defeat came only from South Kent in fours and from Harvard and M.I.T. in eights. Hut for the war, this crew almost certainly would have been good Henley material. Hopes for a good year were only average in the early days of spring. Captain Worthington was the only letterman returning from last year’s crew. Since there was no Second Crew last year, the potential First Crew had to be culled from veterans of last year’s form boats. Coach Hotter worth named a first eight on the basis of two weeks’ work on the machines in the basement of the Main Huilding, and this line-up was seldom changed. Art Nilsson rowed stroke and was followed in order by Harnwell, Iglehart, Seymour, Whiteford, Captain Worthington, Esmond, and Wickwirc. As the first contest was to be in fours against South Kent, a practice run was held the day before the race. The bow four, stroked by Esmond, was the winner, and thus entitled to race South Kent’s First Crew, while the stern four was scheduled to row against South Kent’s Second four. On the day of the race there was a light rain falling. In the first race the Kent stern four held their opponents even for twenty strokes, but South Kent soon pulled away to a lead of a length and three-quarters. The Blue and Gray shell put on two drives near the finish that cut their opponents’ lead to a few feet over a length. '1’hc winners’ time was .‘1:08 and the losers’ eight seconds slower. In the second race the South Kent four jumped into an early lead but was not ahead hv more than a quarter of a length until the half when they led by a length and a half. Again the Kent Crew shortened the lead, this time to an even length. South Kent’s time was 8:06, Kent’s 8:12. On Saturday, April 28, Kent was entered in a three-corned race with the Harvard and M.I.T. Third Varsities on the Charles River in Boston. For the only time this year the First shell raced over the Henley course of a mile and five-sixteenths. The race was probably the most exciting of the year. At the start. Harvard jumped into the lead, followed by Kent and M.I.T. in that order. From then on it was nip and tuck, the lead changing hands several times. Kent never gained the lead, but they were in second place most of the time. Near the end, however, Harvard and Tech put on sprints which the Blue and Gray could not match. M.I.T. and the Crimson were very close at the finish, the former winning by only six feet, with Kent a scant half-length behind. The time of the race was 7:27. Harvard covered the distance in 7:27.5, and Kent in 7:30. Playing host to two Shrewsbury crews on the Housatonic, the Kent First and Second boats swept to easy victories. The Second Crew was held even until the quarter when they began to pull away slowly but surely until they had a two-length margin at the finish. The First Crew had a much easier race, leading all the way to win by five lengths. The First Crew’s time was 5:08; Shrewsbury’s 5:82. The following Thursday the Second Crew traveled to Salisbury to race in fours. ’I'lie Kent crews both lost by three

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lengths to their opponents. The stern four field their opponents even until the half, but the how four was behind all the way. The return raee with South Kent was held in eights at Kent. With Whitelaw in the number four position in place of Esmond ,thc lllue and Gray jumped off to a quarter-length lead which they held until the three-quarter mark despite several sprints by South Kent. Then the smoothrowing Kent eight sprinted until they gained a one-length lead as they crossed the finish line. Kent's time was 1:55 and their opponents in 4:59. On May 19, the final day of the crew season, the Second Crew raced Salisbury in eights while the First Crew was pitted against Browne and Nichols. Salisbury jumped into an early lead at the start but Kent whittled this down to nothing and flic two crews matched stroke for stroke until the three-quarters when Salisbury pulled away again to win in 4:32, break- ing the official course record. Kent’s time was 4:35. Flic First Crew got the jump on their opponents and held a one-length lead until near the end of the race, when they put on a determined sprint which added another length to their lead at the finish. The course record was broken again, as the Blue and Gray shell covered the distance in 1:29. Browne and Nichols's time was 1:36. In the annual form regatta the Fourth Form won, bv virtue of a five-foot victory over the Third Form, in the exceptionally good time of 1:55. At the annual picnic on the Monday after tin season’s finale, lettermen met and chose Esmond and Wick wire co-captains for next year. Captain Worthington, Barnwell. Iglehart, Seymour, Nilsson, Whitcford. Esmond, Wick wire, Wheeler, Whitelaw. James, Bullard, Fox, Malloeh and Mercanton received letters, while Huffman, Wall, Biddle and Chapman were awarded K’s with crossed oar. THE FIRST CREW Chairman Mercanton, Wickwire, Whitcford. Captain Worthington, Whitelaw. Seymour, Iglehart, Barnwell, Nilsson, Coach Butterworth Kneeling: Coxswain Westerlund