Green Becomes Rowing Power with JV Victory at Syracuse
A HIGH water mark in Dartmouth rowing was achieved on Syracuse's Onondaga Lake on Saturday, June 18, when the Big Green junior varsity crew sprang the biggest surprise of many a year by winning the Kennedy Challenge Trophy in the 64th Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta.
This was the first victory ever for Dartmouth in the IRA regatta, which brings together the top crews in the country to determine the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman intercollegiate champions of the year. Last June the Green freshmen finished second, and five of the '68s from that boat were in the winning JV crew. Coach Pete Gardner, the happiest man at Syracuse, was one of the few who expected Dartmouth's . junior varsity to bring home a first.
The battle for the Kennedy Trophy developed between Dartmouth and favored Washington from the start over the three-mile course. After two and a half miles the boats were even, each crew taking a turn at the lead. Over the final half mile the Big Green overtook the Huskies and rowed away for the victory. The Washington crew had to settle for fourth behind Penn and Cornell. Washington was heavier, averaging 198 pounds per man to Dartmouth's 187. The winning time was 16:25.1. Penn, which closed quickly, was 16:30.0.
Dartmouth's winning spurt in the last half-mile was a switch on last year's script when the freshmen led up to that point and then faded to finish second to Navy, which swept all three races. Rowing No. 7 in this year's JV crew was "Bo" Andersen '65, who while on leave from pre-med studies coached last year's freshmen. He wasn't inclined to let his erstwhile pupils repeat that 1965 outcome.
Stroked by soph Pat Bremkamp of Oklahoma City, a solid 198-pounder, Dartmouth had planned a 31 pace, but the Indians went to 37 for the last three-quarters of a mile in the torrid stretch duel. They used the "Harvard style" of slow hands and a fast slide.
With Bremkamp in the Big Green victory ride were senior "Bo" Andersen (Vienna, Va.), senior Dick Smith (York, Pa.), soph Chuck Lenth (Minneapolis, Minn.), junior Dave Frechette (Keene, N. H.), soph Bob Lowd (Salem, Mass.), soph Dave Swift (Exeter, N. H.) and soph bowman Bill Ellis (Newton, Mass.). Junior Jim Brassfield (Arlington, Va.) was the coxswain.
Penn joined Dartmouth in the Eastern headlines by winning the freshman race. Wisconsin nipped Navy for the varsity title. Penn won the over-all Ten Eyck Trophy with a second in the JV race and a fifth in the varsity test. Dartmouth was fifth in the Ten Eyck standings among the 15 crews competing. The Big Green varsity had an off day and was 12th among 15 starters. The freshmen finished 7th in a field of 11.
"Intense intra-squad rivalry paid off," according to Coach Gardner. "After the Eastern Sprints we made some changes, revised our line-ups and came up with two highly competitive crews. We were struggling up to the IRA to see which boat was better."
The Dartmouth junior varsity was the heavier of the two varsity shells, but the younger boat couldn't defeat the older and lighter varsity oarsmen. In five time trials between the two the varsity swept the meetings. Prior to departure for Syracuse, however, the difference between the two crews had narrowed down to three seconds.
Dartmouth's JV Champs: (I to r) Pat Bremkamp '68, stroke; Bo Andersen 65, #7;Dick Smith '66, #6; Chuck Lenth '68, #5; Dave Frechette '67, #4; Bob Lowd '68, #3;Dave Swift '68, #2; Duke Ellis '68, bow; Jim Brassfield '67, cox (kneeling).
The victorious crew loaded down with shirts which by tradition they collected fromthe other crews in the race. Each Dartmouth oarsman got twelve shirts.
