Adams Cup-A Cup Up for Grabs

It was raining Thursday afternoon in Cambridge. Harry Parker emerged from the boathouse and strode onto the slippery Newell dock with a smug smirk on his lips.

Expecting the poor weather, he had fooled Mother Nature by sending his heavyweight crews out that morning for their final workout before today's Adams Cup showdown with Penn and Navy.

Seconds later, after locating his master, everfaithful Ralph bounded into the puddles this typically beautiful day Boston was providing. Parker's grin broadened and Ralph responded by misplacing a few well-intentioned black paw smudges on Parker's trousers.

They both sat down. Harry on a bench, and Ralph on a white towel he had brought out for just such an occasion. Parker stared out at the grey sky and heard a jet pass somewhere overhead. The smile faded to a blank and then there was a dead silence.

This is the big race and as Parker was perhaps contemplating with Ralph on Thursday, it is radically different from any previous Adams Regatta.

Again, Penn and Harvard are going into the race undefeated but for the first time since 1961, the host Midshipmen are a real threat to upset one if not both of the major powers. Navy had an excellent plebe (freshman) crew last year, which won the Eastern Sprint Championships. This year coach Carl Ullrich has incorporated four of these oarsmen into his varsity boat and five into his second varsity (J.V.) eight.

The Middies have lost only one race this year, a heartbreaker by two-tenths of a second to Princeton on April 10. Both Penn and Harvard have beaten the Tigers by three seats and a length respectively. "But you must realize, in that race with Princeton, Navy had a horrendous Iane." Penn coach Ted Nash warned.

Last year in the Adams Cup, Navy was a little over three lengths behind the winning Quakers. But the Middies think this is their year and the whole Annapolis campus is appropriately psyched. "This race means -more to me and to Navy rowing than anything that has ever happened or anything that may happen for many years." Ullrich said emotionally last night.

"I think on the basis of what has been done so far. Harvard has to be the favorite but we're gonna row our own race." Ullrich predicted. "And we're a good enough crew to win, " assistant coach Ensign Robert Parish bluntly added. They are indeed psyched sky-high.

Aside from the improved strength of Navy this year, the other major difference in this year's Adams Cup stems from the present rowing situation at Penn.

For the past few years, the mention of Ted Nash has struck pain into the blistered calluses of oarsmen up and down the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The former flight instructor, juvenile judge of traffic, guerrilla warfare teacher and resident lifeguard on the Schuylkill the recently saved two people from drowning there is as much a legend around Penn as Parker is at Harvard.

Since he took over the head coaching job from Joe Burk last year, Nash has been subjected to much criticism from crew enthusiasts and sometimes his own oarsmen for his long and hard training methods. At the start of this year, in backlash to this Marine-style approach, two of Nash's premier rowers, Olympians Luther Jones and Rick Crooker, decided it might be healthier not to compete.

Now with only captain and stroke David Young remaining from last year's boat, Nash has undergone a complete metamorphosis, And in switching his approach to practice he has also switched his crews rowing style this season.

"We've switched to a cyclical style of rowing like the East Germans use." Nash said. "As far as practice is concerned the atmosphere is a lot more voluntary. It's much more wholesome and we're all happier. Unfortunately, this new approach has left us 750 miles of practice rowing short of last year, but at this point our rate of improvement is extremely fast."

Indeed, it has been very fast. After beating Princeton two weeks ago, the Quakers beat a strong Vesper, Boat Club eight stroked by Jones and Yale both by over a length last Saturday at New Haven.

However, in preparing for today's Adam Cup, Nash has had nothing but trouble. "Two of my men are sick but I don't want to make that sound like any kind of excuse." Nash said. "My six man has a case of. I guess you'd have to call it the runs, and my two man, Mike West, has a muscle strain."

This week at Harvard, everything has gone according to Parker's plan. The only change he plans in the crew from last week's win over Princeton is a switch between Will Scoggins and Dave Mitchell, who are now at five and seven respectively."

Every race today, from second freshmen to varsity, could go right to the wire, but most observers favor Harvard in the varsity. Navy in the J.V. and Penn in the freshmen.

Princeton coach Peter Sparhawk, who has rowed all three crews, thinks the race will be three boats all the way. "Penn's got everything, Navy has the manpower and can't be overlooked, but I would have to favor Harvard. It's another typically good Harry Parker boat. It's as simple as that."