Crew Has Chance to Avenge Loss, Race in European Championships

Harvard's heavyweight crew will race against its foremost American rival this weekend and also have a chance to avenge a stunning loss at last week's North American Championships.

Sunday afternoon Harvard faces Vesper Boat Club of Philadelphia--the crew which kept the Crimson out of the Olympics in 1964--and crews from New Zealand and Australia which finished first and second at the North Americans.

New Zealand and Australia will race in the tournament as guests, but the important competition will be between Harvard and Vesper who are competing for the title of U.S. Champion and the right to represent the United States at the European Championships in Vichy, France, next month.

Last July Harvard finally managed to pay Vesper back for its victory in the Olympic trials three years ago. Racing for the chance to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games and North American Championships, Harvard trounced Vesper by the substantial margin of six seconds.

Following that victory the Crimson traveled to Winnipeg, Canada, for the Pan American Games. The obvious favorite at the meet, Harvard had little difficulty in defeating all comers and winning the Gold Medal.

At the North American Championships, however, Harvard was dealt its first loss in two years. No one really expected that Harvard could win against some of the finest crews in the world, but the Crimson's performance was disappointing even to the pessimists.

After a strong start Harvard dropped behind West Germany and New Zealand and was never really in contention. And just a few hundred feet from the finish line the Australians swept past Harvard (and West Germany) to take second place.

All of Harvard's crewmen were disappointed by their fourth place finish, but most believe that they could have rowed harder. What the North Americans proved is that if Harvard's crew hopes to win this weekend, it will have to row a great deal harder.

Not only will Australia and New Zealand be just as strong as at the North Americans, but Vesper will also be much more dangerous that at the Pan American Games trials last July. At that time Vesper was undergoing some reorganization, and the crew was not in top condition for the race. By this weekend they should have recaptured much of their power.

The U.S. Nationals at Philadelphia this weekend will give Harvard a chance to show that they are experienced enough to bounce back from a crushing loss, and that they can defeat Vesper under any conditions.