10 Varsity Boats Race Mile This Afternoon

Some time between three and four this afternoon Tom Boiles's "ready all, Few" will send ten Varsity eights driving over the mile course in the Basin to end the official fall rowing on the muddy water of the Charles.

The six heavy and four 150-lb boats are so evenly matched that naming the favorite would be like picking the winner in a stork derby, for as every year, Boiles expects all six of his charges to cross the finish line within a few seconds of each other.

The four lighter crews will probably not do as well through sheer lack of weight, but anything can and has happened in a crew race, and they will undoubtedly give their larger opponents a run for their money.

Times A Secret

After watching the strokes same their crews by a complicated system of choosing a week ago, Boiles retired to a position of advisor, leaving the seatings and coachings to the individual strokes and coxswains who have been driving their eights up and down the river with relentless ferocity this week.

The results of the sneak time trials Wednesday, when each boat found a free moment to slip over the mile unwatched by their opponents, still remain a dark secret in the boathouse. Each crew is confident of victory and will really show 'em this afternoon.

On paper the odds are in favor of Bus Curwen's or Carl Seligman's bunch of huskies, with Johnny Abbot and Frank Cunningham leading the field in the lightweight division. Last year's Varsity stroke, Curwen has behind him a string of four men who rowed on their Freshman eight, while Seligman, who paced the second Yardling boat two years ago, also has four ex-Freshmen sweep-swingers.

Seven Weeks Practice

Climaxing seven weeks of practice, today's race finds the remains of last year's undefeated Varsity and Jayvee eights scattered throughout the six boats With real power evenly distributed the winning time ought to run between five and five and a half minutes.