Crimson Varsity 11 Seconds Over Record in Time Trial

The varsity crew took its first time trial over the four mile New London race course Saturday, turning in a time of 20 minutes and 13 seconds--11 seconds over the upstream record. The Yale varsity, which has already been at Gale's Ferry for over a week, made its preliminary run on Thursday and was clocked at 20 minutes and 40 seconds by Coach Skip Walz.

All four Crimson crews took their first long workout since the start of exams last Thursday, their first day at Red Top. They have had long practice sessions every day since then, confining their rowing to the early morning and late evening. The middle of the day is still being used for final exams, but by tomorrow the full-scale training program goes into effect--20 miles a day.

Elis Have Head Start

The Elis have been taking maximum workouts for the last half week, since their exam period has already ended. Their time trial was considered "unsatisfactory" by Walz, who added, "we'll have to go faster." They rowed under ideal conditions, while the Crimson undercut them by 27 seconds with a slight following wind and an incoming tide. Bolles called his varsity's time "satisfactory under the conditions." The upstream record is 2 minutes and 2 seconds, set by Bolles' first crew in 1937.

An official announcement from Yale headquarters quashed the rumor that an observation train will follow the race this year. Before the war, a special railroad train used to run parallel to the river during the races, but the practice was discontinued because of the shortage of flatcars and the lack of wooden stands.

Coaches "Too Costly"

Yale authorities had tentatively planned to hire a regular coach train, selling seats by the window, but the plan was abandoned as "too costly."

The New York, New Haven, and Hartford will run special trains to New London from Boston and New York the morning of the race, returning that evening.

However, there will be no official observation stands provided.

The Harvard camp explained that an observation boat anchored near the finish line at Bartlett's Cove is for invited guests only. It was chartered by a group of Harvard students.