Sport: Moving Middies

When Rusty Callow went to Annapolis four years ago, after 23 years as crew coach for Pennsylvania, he found the wide-open waters of the Severn River and twelve boatloads of brawny oarsmen. Coach Callow made the most, of it. His freshman crew that first spring in 1951 had tough luck at the intercollegiate rowing regatta: they capsized at the starting line. Since then, that same crew, still almost intact, has shown its wake to the best crews, become the Olympic champions of 1952. On the Potomac last week, in the Eastern Sprint Regatta championship at the Olympic distance of 2,000 meters, Navy aimed at a record unparalleled in rowing history: 25 straight victories.

Navy promptly made it No. 25 in a trial heat, setting a course record of 6:00.5, then went right on after No. 26 in the final, meeting the cream of the twelve competing colleges (Penn. Cornell, Yale, Harvard and Wisconsin). After the starter's cry of "Ready all . . . row!", Navy's lanky (6 ft. 2 in., 178 Ibs.) Stroke Oar Ed Stevens quickly brought his crew up to the standard 40-strokes-a-minute racing start. Stroke Stevens, who likes to have the opposition trailing him so that he can keep an eye on them, held it at 40 until Navy had a half-length lead. Then he let his huskies settle back to a 33 beat, holding it there while Navy gradually pulled away. It was no contest. Navy won No. 26 handily, beating Yale by half a length, Penn by two, with Harvard, Wisconsin and Cornell trailing. Coach Callow, 63, was elated but still claimed to be worrying about his alma mater, Washington, which last week whipped its top West Coast rival, California, by six lengths. Navy, now the Eastern sprint champions for the third straight year, faces two more tough tests: the Western championship (without Washington) at the end of this month, the Intercollegiate Regatta (with Washington) in June.