Boxing tournaments, station championships, and army-navy
championship bouts were given with crowded houses everywhere.
Early in the winter Commissioner Camp gave directions for standardized
sets of instruction in both boxing and wrestling, and as a result, in
every camp in the country the groups of navy men were taught the same
methods of rudimentary boxing for their value in a military sense, as
well as their value as recreational sports.
Soon after the thousands of young men began gathering in the navy camps,
the discovery was made that not half the number was able to swim. For
men destined for sea life, this was a vital handicap, and early in the
spring of 1918 a campaign was launched to increase the number of
swimming instructors and the facilities which were available for the
instruction of the young men both in sea and river, as well as in pools
and tanks, and it was decided to hold station tournaments, races, and
all varieties of swimming events during the season, in conjunction with
such individual instruction as it was necessary to give novices in the
art of swimming.
Rowing was developed during the season of 1918 to the extent which was
made possible by the presence of cutters in the different stations.
Wherever possible, crews were coached in the rudiments of rowing by old
oarsmen. Racing between the cutter crews in whatever station was ordered
for every available date, and sometimes as many as twenty boats were
lined up abreast, and were shot away for the brushes between the cutter
crews in some of the larger stations, furnishing a variety of sport
comparable only with the brilliant scenes at the inter-collegiate races
over the Thames course at New London, or the Hudson at Poughkeepsie.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189