Outlook Bright for Heavyweights As Love Tries Many Combinations

This may be the year the Crimson breaks Yale's run of five straight victories in the four mile race at New London. The heavyweight crew is big and deep, and has the physical potential to develop into the top boat in the country.

However, the varsity must improve considerably before attaining such heights. Coach Harvey Love has experimented extensively this spring and predicts further changes before the opening regatta with Syracuse, B. U., and M.I.T. next Saturday.

Love began this year with six oarsmen, including four juniors, from last years varsity eight which, for all its inexperience, had developed into the seconl best crew in the east, perhaps in the country. In addition the squad was augmented by seven sophomores from the undefeated Freshman crew.

In startling contrast to the situation last season when there was little strength below the starting eitht Love has plenty of depth this year. While depth does not guarantee a superior first boat it has provided inter-squad competition. The consequent pressure on individuals for a place in the varsity shell is a major element pushing the crew to its maximum capabilities.

The heavyweights have gained back the time lost due to the late start this year, partly because of the intensive work done indoors during the winter. Although conditioning will not be the cause of any Crimson defeats, the varsity is still quite rough and this is accountable in part to the weather, practices late in the afternoon, and the continued shifting between boats.

Much of the experimentation this spring has centered about the stroke seat. With three strong possibilities--Bob Lawrence, stroke of last year's successful varsity, Tom Nuzum, and Sophomore Perry Boyden--Love spent a long period before deciding upon Boyden, who not only has shown continual improvement in his bladework but supplies a large amount of the power in the boat.

Filling in the stern four behind the stroke will be veterans Jim McClenan and Tory Everett along with sophomore Ken Gregg. These men provide a strong base for blending the rest of the crew. The oarsmen in the bow four are still undergoing change as Love seeks to find a crew which has both the necessary grace and power behind the oar.

The present varsity line-up demonstrated that it can effectively generate considerable power by rowing an 8:51 time trial Wednesday over the mile and three-quarters course; a time which Love termed very encouraging at this stage.

The success of the varsity depends to a large extent upon its opposition. Yale lost its famous Olympic stern pair through graduation, and several other key men through injuries, but they too have a squad with a depth which could easily turn out a powerful varsity boat. On last year's performance both Cornell, which swept the IRA regatta on Lake Cayuga last June, and Pennsylvania must be rated as strong rivals.

If the Crimson "has a sufficiently successful season," meaning victory at the EARC sprints, Love reported it is likely that the heavyweights will obtain support to go to the Henley regatta in an effort to obtain the Grand Challenge Cup, which the Crimson last won in 1950.

The schedule for the heavyweights begins with the regatta on the Charles River next Saturday. The Compton Cup race on May 2 will also be on the Charles and features M.I.T., and Princeton, with B.U. and Dartmouth as invited guests.

The Adams Cup race against Navy and Pennsylvania on May 9 will be at Annapolis this year, while the EARC sprints will again be at Princeton a week later. The most important race of the season, the four mile row on the Thames, will be June 13.