Washington Wakes

In last year's Intercollegiate Regatta at Poughkeepsie, Washington scored a clean sweep. Had Washington sent no crews at all, last week's Poughkeepsie Regatta would still have amounted to a demonstration of Washington's rowing supremacy. Every shell on the Hudson except Syracuse and Columbia used the Washington technique of a short "layback" and a swift catch. But none could flip the blades back faster than Washington's oarsmen, who concentrated their strength in the middle of the stroke, made most headway even in choppy water.

In the freshman race Washington led from the start, won without raising one-half beat until the last half-mile. The Washington junior varsity finished first, cutting the three-mile course record by 34 sec. In the varsity race Washington entered the same eight stalwarts--with a new coxswain--who triumphed at Poughkeepsie in 1936 and went on to take the Olympic sprint title. This time the Huskies got away late as Navy skimmed out to lead for the first mile and a half. Washington upped its stroke gradually, nosed ahead at two miles, easily won by four lengths in record-breaking time, with Navy and Cornell second and third. Gloriously climaxed was the career of Washington's eight varsity regulars, U. S. and Olympic champions, the greatest crew ever produced by proud Coach Al Ulbrickson.

To scholarly Alvin Martin Ulbrickson the rise of Washington on the water is a matter of lifelong personal interest. He was born within sight of the Husky boathouse four years before the late famed Hiram Conibear became crew coach in 1907. He grew tough rowing daily two miles across Lake Washington to and from high school in Seattle. Entering Washington in 1922, he at once turned out for crew, rowed in the freshman shell that took second place at Poughkeepsie the following spring. Sophomore year he stroked the Washington varsity to victory at Poughkeepsie. He captained Coach Rusty Callow's greatest Washington crew to an-other Poughkeepsie victory in 1926, sharing honors with Sanford, Sonju and James Matthews, who now helps Callow at the University of Pennsylvania. At graduation Al Ulbrickson was appointed freshman coach at Washington, was made head coach next year when Rusty Callow left for Penn. Ever since, Washington has always finished at least third in the varsity races at Poughkeepsie except in 1930 when their boat was rigged too low, sank before the finish.

Handsome, reticent, unexcitable, Coach Ulbrickson never reprimands his men; they learn their faults from his good-natured, critical banter. He rarely smokes, never drinks, forbids swearing during crew practice. He methodically records the conditions, time and distance of each day's rowing. To avoid overtraining he ceases coaching a week before the major races. His favorite starting-line goad: "It doesn't mean anything to think you're good--go out and prove it." Upon seeing Washington complete a second sweep at Poughkeepsie last week, Rusty Callow, seated nearby on the observation train, grabbed Al Ulbrickson and kissed him. Harvard as well as Yale has a Washing-ton-trained coaching staff this year. From Poughkeepsie, Al Ulbrickson and Rusty

Callow journeyed to New London, Conn, for the Harvard-Yale Regatta, joined Harvard's young, bespectacled Tom Bolles in the coach's launch as he put the Crimson shells through final practice Spins. Thus fortified, Harvard's varsity next day launched into a low, calm, powerful stroke, let Yale spend itself in a gallant first two miles. Midway up the Thames, Harvard led by a length, was gaining at 30 strokes to the minute. At the three-mile mark Yale frantically went to 34, then to 36, but Tom Bolles's first Crimson crew, ably stroked by Jim Chace, plowed impressively on to victory and a new course record of 20 min. 2 sec. for the four miles upstream.

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