Both Heavy, Lightweight Crews Hope For Improvement Over 1962 Records

Plagued by abnormally high winds throughout their strenuous Spring Vacation training session, both the Heavy and Lightweight crews are settling down now for their last crucial weeks of practice before the races begin later this month.

With the first race still nearly three weeks away, little is certain about the makeup of the Heavyweight crews at this point except that there is a clear determination to do better than last year's unimpressive record. This seems a likely possibility despite the inexperience of the squad.

"The feeling is that they have worked harder and are in better condition at this point than they have been for several years in the past," said Coach Harry Parker, in his first year with the varsity. The high wind on the Charles during Spring Vacation has kept the oarsmen from rowing as smoothly as they might, but that is not a big worry with three weeks of practice to go.

Though there are only five seniors on the squad, the youthful group (ten juniors 15 sophomores) does not lack a veteran core from last year's first eight. Returning lettermen include Captain and Senior Nick Bancroft, who rowed six last year; Senior Doug Robertson (four); Senior Spencer Bordon, (two); and Juniors Harry Pollock (seven) and Mike Dennis (stroke).

The returning lettermen are expected to supply the experience, but the competition for seats in the boat is so great that on one yet is assured of a place. Last year's excellent freshman boat, which earned a 3-1 record and second place in the Eastern Sprints, has yielded a number of sophomores who figure importantly in the final first boat combination.

"The boat will probably have a balance of veterans and sophomores," Parker said, "but I'm not sure yet how it will work out." Parker mentioned Ted Washburn, a junior, as the likely successor to the coxswain's seat, held last year by Bob Goodwin.

Parker, who replaced Harvey Love as the varsity coach after the latter's death in January, coached the freshman for the last two years, and at the age of 28, could be the youngest head coach of crew in the nation. A varsity oarsman at Penn for three years, Parker was twice national sculling champion, and represented the U.S. in the Olympic games at Rome.

As the varsity coach, Parked will be gunning for Cornell and Yale, the two top crews last year and rated as the favorites again this spring. The Big Red oarsmen had the best freshman crew last year, and returning to Yale's squad this year are seven from the eight that defeated the Crimson in the heartbreaker at New London last June.

The 1963 schedule begins Saturday, April 27, with Brown and Rutgers here, followed by the Compton Cup, May 4, with MIT, Princeton, and Dartmouth, also here.

The Harvard Lightweight Crew will attempt to regain its previous four-year domination of the Eastern lightweight field, which ended last May at the Sprints. Last year's freshman coach Fred Cabot takes the varsity coaching spot from Laury Coolidge who has replaced Parker at the heavyweight freshman post, and inherits his own solid freshman crew, and 9 lettermen, some of whom rowed on last year's undefeated JV's.

Returning lettermen include Charles McClennen, Captain Rob Russell, Jim MacMahon, Marten Greenacre, Bob Clement, Chris Hamilton, Forney Hutchinson, Mike MacKenzie, and Dave Straus. The only seniors are Captain Russell, Clement, and Cox Hamilton. One of Cabot's primary pre-season problems was greatly relieved when junior Dick Masland, who stroked the varsity heavyweights early last season as a 168-pounder, decided to row lightweights.

With the wealth of material, the competition for seats is as stiff as it is in the heavyweights. But Cabot seems to have solved last year's greatest problem--finding a first boat combination obviously superior to any other. Though by no means the final word, the present first boat is as follows: Hutchinson, bow; senior Norman Weiss, two; McClennen, three; Straus, four; Captain Russell, five; MacMahon, six; McKenzie, seven; Masland, stroke; and Hamilton, cox.

Cabot pointed out, however, that this could easily change. He said that the high winds this last week had hurt the sophomores, and Greenacre, one of last year's veterans, is out momentarily due to illness.