Walking Wounded Try to Run

Boland's Bogtrotters.

That's what coach Bill McCurdy calls this year's Harvard cross country squad. The Boland's come from the head surgeon at Dillon Field House--Dr. Arthur Boland--and McCurdy uses it because his runners have been doing most of their trotting to and from the training room for the last few months.

Buck Logan, a premier distance runner, one of the best in the East, and "certainly our best," according to McCurdy, is already lost for the fall due to an achilles tendon problem. While Logan is the only harrier sidelined for the season at this point, Harvard has few top-flight distance runners returning who have not been handicapped by injury.

Eric Schuler suffered a knee injury last year but rested the knee this summer and now appears healthy again. Felix Rippy, the Crimsons' top freshman last fall, was lost last winter and spring, also with a knee problem, but seems recovered. Junior Andy Regan has had an ankle injury. See the pattern?

Despite the injury bug that has plagued his squad, McCrudy is not willing to give up on the team's chances this fall. "We don't have a couple of people who are going to go out and run away from everyone," he says. "But we have enough people who have basic talents to come up with a good solid grouping, and that's what we're going to have to be. We're inexperienced or injured and we're going to have to come up with a solid group showing."

One key to that solid showing will be the performance of Adam Dixon. The team captain and a great athlete, Dixon is not a distance runner per se. Last year he burned up tracks across the East Coast in middle distance events with a powerful finishing kick, and it will be interesting to watch his conversion to the longer distances of the cross country season. Based on talent and potential alone, his coach is already expecting him to be the team's top finisher.

Another key, and a pleasant surprise at the squad's pre-season camp, is the showing of sophomore Andy Gerkin. Through the first week of practice, Gerkin looked very strong and showed obvious improvement over last year. Senior Peter Johnson was also singled out by McCurdy as improved over the summer.

Besides the injury factor, the conversion of Dixon, and the improved showings of other runners, the other unknown in the team's performance will be the arrival of freshman Cliff Sheehan.

According to assistant coach Ed Stowell, Sheehan, a high school star in New Jersey, has the best chance of any of this year's yardlings to help the varsity immediately.

As training camp reared its midpoint, McCurdy was pleased with the early times. "So far I'm encouraged with what I see. I'm full of enthusiasm and optimism, and the guys are working together," he said. "We ought to have an even chance against Northeastern."

Already the harriers have received one favorable omen. During the first week of camp, everyone started and finished every workout--no trips to the training room, no be stings, not even a scraped knee. McCurdy likened this to a miracle, and maybe a few more weeks like this will be the perfect miracle cure for Boland's Bogtrotters.