THE AMATEUR, HIS HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION.
The old theory of an amateur was that he was a 'gentleman,' and that the
two were simply convertible terms. The amateur of old might make rowing
his sport, so long as he did not actually make it his ostensible means
of livelihood. The Leander oarsmen who matched themselves against
University crews between 1830 and 1840 did not consider that they lost
caste by rowing for a stake.
In 1831 Oxford and Leander rowed at Henley for 200_l._ a side, with
watermen steering them. Much later than this it was not considered
improper for two 'gentlemen' to row a match (or race one) for a mutual
_stake_ (not a bet). Until 1861, when the conditions of the Wingfield
Sculls were remodelled at a meeting of ex-champions and old competitors,
it had been the custom for all entries for that prize to pay a fee of
5_l._, and the winner swept the pool! No one dreamed of suggesting that
this was in any way derogatory to the status of an amateur.
But as rowing became more popular, and more widely adopted as a pastime,
it began to be felt that it was invidious to leave the question 'Is he
an amateur?' to the local opinion of the regatta committee, before whom
such a question might be raised. Oarsmen came to the conclusion that
some written definition of the qualification was necessary; some hard
and fast rule, prospective, if not retrospective. Till then, various
executives had adopted various opinions as to what constituted an
amateur. One year, about 1871, the Henley executive declined to
recognise one of the local crews engaged in the 'Town Cup' as
'amateurs;' and on this ground refused to allow them to start for the
Wyfold Cup. It was not alleged that any of this crew had ever laboured
as a mechanic, or rowed for money. The allegation of the Henley
executive was that this crew were not 'gentlemen amateurs,' and as such
they declined to admit them. A few days later another regatta executive
freely admitted this same crew, and none of the recognised amateur clubs
opposed to them raised any objection to the local crew's status.
This variety of opinion led to consultation among certain old amateurs
whose ideas were universally respected, and as a result, on April 10,
1878, a meeting was held at Putney, at which there were present--
FRANCIS PLAYFORD, L.R.C., _Chairman_.
T. EDMUND HOCKIN, Secretary, C.U.B.C.
T. C. EDWARDES-MOSS, President, O.U.B.C.
F. S. GULSTON, Captain, London R.C.
HENRY P. MARRIOTT, for Secretary, O.U.B C.
C. GURDON, President, C.U.B.C.
JAMES HASTIE, Captain, Thames R.C.
M. G. FARRER, Captain, Leander B.C.
C. D. HEATLEY, Captain, Kingston R.C.
ROBERT W. RISLEY, O.U.B.C.
FRANK WILLAN, O.U.B.C.
J. G. CHAMBERS, C.U.B.C.
EDWARD H. FARRIE, C.U.B.C.
JNO. IRELAND, L.R.C.
H. H. PLAYFORD, Vice-President, L.R.C.
E. D. BRICKWOOD, L.R.C., _Secretary_.
These gentlemen drew up and passed the following:--
_Definition of an Amateur._
An amateur oarsman or sculler must be an officer of her
Majesty's Army, or Navy, or Civil Service, a member of the
Liberal Professions, or of the Universities or Public Schools,
or of any established boat or rowing club not containing
mechanics or professionals; and must not have competed in any
competition for either a stake, or money, or entrance-fee, or
with or against a professional for any prize; nor ever taught,
pursued, or assisted in the pursuit of athletic exercises of any
kind as a means of livelihood, nor have ever been employed in or
about boats, or in manual labour; nor be a mechanic, artisan, or
labourer.
In the following year the Henley executive drew up a definition of their
own, much to the same effect, but slightly different in phraseology
(this was on April 8, 1879). It read thus:--
No person shall be considered as an amateur oarsman or sculler--
1. Who has ever competed in any open competition for a stake,
money, or entrance-fee.
2. Who has competed with or against a professional for any
prize.
3. Who has ever taught, pursued, or assisted in the practice of
athletic exercise of any kind as a means of gaining a
livelihood.
4. Who has been employed in or about boats for money or wages.
5. Who is or has been, by trade or employment for wages, a
mechanic, artisan, or labourer.
This definition, with a further slight verbal alteration, will be found
still embodied in the rules of Henley regatta, which are given at p. 48.
This new definition was adopted by the 'Amateur Rowing Association.'
This latter body arose in 1879. The original object of its constitution
was to found a general club which could comprise all the best amateur
talent of Britain, and from which, in the event of any foreign or
colonial crew, composed of the full force of its own country, coming to
these shores, could be put forward to represent the honour of the mother
country; so that the individual clubs of Britain should never hereafter
be in danger of being attacked separately, with forces divided, by the
concentrated resources of some foreign or colonial country. The
association was first called the 'Metropolitan Rowing Association,' but
eventually it took its present name. The rules of this association are
here given _in extenso_, and sufficiently explain the _raison d'etre_.
RULES OF THE AMATEUR ROWING ASSOCIATION, LATE METROPOLITAN ROWING
ASSOCIATION.
_Committee._
The President of the Oxford University Boat Club. }
The President of the Cambridge University Boat Club. }
The Captain of the Dublin University Boat Club. }
The Captain of the Dublin University Rowing Club. } _Ex_
The Captain of the Leander Boat Club. } _Officio._
The Captain of the London Rowing Club. }
The Captain of the Kingston Rowing Club. }
The Captain of the Thames Rowing Club. }
JAMES CATTY, T.R.C. | F. S. GULSTON, L.R.C.
H. J. CHINNERY, L.R.C. | JAMES HASTIE, T.R.C.
F. FENNER, L.R.C. | Rev. R. W. RISLEY, O.U.B.C.
J. H. D. GOLDIE, C.U.B.C. | S. LE BLANC SMITH, L.R.C.
_Hon. Secretary._
S. LE BLANC SMITH, Esq.
_Head Quarters, pro tem._
LONDON ROWING CLUB, PUTNEY.
1. That this Club be called 'The Amateur Rowing Association.'
2. That the object of the Association be to associate members of
existing amateur rowing clubs for the purpose of forming
representative British crews to compete against Foreign and
Colonial representative crews, in the event of such entering at
any regattas in the United Kingdom, or challenging this country.
3. That the government and management of the Association be
vested in a committee of fifteen members (of whom five shall be
a quorum), with power to add to their number, who, except the
_ex-officio_ members, shall retire annually, and be eligible for
re-election.
4. That the Presidents of the Oxford University Boat Club and
Cambridge University Boat Club, the Captains of the Dublin
University Boat Club, Dublin University Rowing Club, Leander
Boat Club, London Rowing Club, Kingston Rowing Club, and Thames
Rowing Club, for the time being be _ex-officio_ members of the
committee.
5. That no one be eligible as a member of the Association unless
he be a member of a recognised Amateur Rowing Club.
6. That candidates for election must be proposed and seconded by
two members of the committee, and unanimously elected by the
committee.
7. That, when members of different clubs are selected to form a
crew, they must, for the time being, place themselves
exclusively at the disposal of the Association.
8. That general meetings of the members be summoned by the
Honorary Secretary at such times as not less than five of the
committee think fit, and that committee meetings be held once,
at least, in every three months, and as much oftener as a quorum
shall, from time to time, decide.
This Amateur Rowing Association began modestly, and without any
assumption, to dictate to the rowing world. It was content to take the
patriotic part of guarding national amateur prestige in aquatics. But
all leading clubs so fully recognised the value of the new association,
that pressure was often put upon it to make a _coup d'etat_, and to take
the sceptre of amateur rowing and the control of amateur regattas, a
position analogous to that held respectively by the 'Jockey Club' on the
turf, the 'Grand National Hunt Committee' in steeple-chasing, and the
'Amateur Athletic Association' on the running path. To some extent the
Association have followed the course urged upon them, and last season
(1886) they propounded a code of regatta rules, which will doubtless be
adopted by all regattas that desire to entice first-class amateur
competitions on their waters. These rules read thus:--
AMATEUR ROWING ASSOCIATION.
_Established 1879._
(Hon. Sec, S. LE BLANC SMITH, Esq., Coombeside, Sydenham, S.E.)
Cambridge University Boat Club--Cambridge.
Kingston Rowing Club--Surbiton.
Leander Club--Putney.
London Rowing Club--Putney.
Oxford University Boat Club--Oxford.
Reading Rowing Club--Reading.
Royal Chester Rowing Club--Chester.
Thames Rowing Club--Putney.
Twickenham Rowing Club--Twickenham.
West London Rowing Club--Putney.
Marlow Boat Club--Marlow.
Henley Rowing Club--Henley.
_Rules for Amateur Regattas._
1. The committee shall state on their programmes, and all other
official notices and advertisements, that their regatta is held
under the Rules of the A.R.A.
2. No 'value' prize (_i.e._ a cheque on a tradesman) shall be
offered for competition, nor shall a prize and money be offered
as alternatives.
3. Entries shall close at least three clear days before the date
of the regatta.
4. No assumed name shall be given to the secretary unless
accompanied by the real name of the competitor.
5. No one shall be allowed to enter twice for the same race.
6. The secretary of the regatta shall not be permitted to
divulge any entry, nor to report the state of the entrance list,
until such list be closed.
7. The committee shall investigate any questionable entry
irrespective of protest.
8. The committee shall have absolute power to refuse or return
any entry up to the time of starting, without being bound to
assign a reason.
9. The captain or secretary of each club or crew entered shall,
at least three clear days before the day of the regatta, deliver
to the secretary of the regatta a list containing the names of
the actual crew appointed to compete, to which list the names of
not more than four other members for an eight-oar and two for a
four-oar may be added as substitutes; provided that no person
may be substituted for another who has already rowed a heat.
10. The secretary of the regatta, after receiving the list of
the crews entered, and of the substitutes, shall, if required,
furnish a copy of the same with the names, real and assumed, to
the captain or secretary of each club, or in the case of pairs
or scullers to each competitor entered.
11. The committee shall appoint one or more umpires, to act
under the Laws of Boat Racing.
12. The committee shall appoint one or more judges, whose
decision as to the order in which the boats pass the post shall
be final.
13. Objections to the qualification of a competitor should be
made in writing to the secretary of the regatta at the earliest
moment practicable. No protest shall be entertained unless
lodged before the prizes are distributed.
14. Every competitor must wear complete clothing from the
shoulders to the knees--including a sleeved jersey.
15. In the event of there being but one crew or competitor
entered for any prize, or if more than one enter and all
withdraw but one, the sole competitor must row over the course
to become entitled to such prize.
16. Boats shall be held to have completed the course when their
bows reach the winning post.
17. The whole course must be completed by a competitor before he
can be held to have won a trial or final heat.
18. In the event of a dead heat any competitor refusing to row
again, as may be directed by the committee, shall be adjudged to
have lost.
19. A junior oarsman is one (A) who has never won any race at a
regatta other than a school race, a race in which the
construction of the boats was restricted, or a race limited to
numbers of one club; (B) who has never been a competitor in any
International or Inter-University match.
A junior sculler is one (A) who has never won any sculling race
at a regatta other than a race in which the construction of the
boats was restricted, or a race limited to members of one club;
(B) who has never competed for the Diamond Sculls at Henley, or
for the Amateur Championship of any country.
N.B.--The qualification shall in every case relate to the day of
the regatta.
20. All questions not specially provided for shall be decided by
the committee.
With these safeguards, and with the guidance of this leading
Association, it is to be hoped that the status of amateurs in England
will be preserved at that high standard which alone can properly
demarcate the amateur from the professional.
Foreign crews which seek to compete at our regattas are often of a very
dubious character as regards amateurship. The imposture of Lee, the
Yankee professional, at Henley regatta in 1878, was not discovered until
too late; and his case has been by no means an isolated one. The Henley
executive now impose certain conditions upon foreign countries, which
enable our own authorities to make timely inquiries as to the real
status of proposed visitors. These conditions will be found under No. 4
of the 'General Rules' of Henley (p. 49).
[Illustration: WINDSOR.]