It Takes Athletic Skill to Be a Crew Racer

Those who support rowing appreciate that The Times ran two stories on the UCLA crew classic. They no doubt will ignore Bob Oates’ opinion that “it takes virtually no athletic skill to row a boat.”

Perhaps he speaks from experience in a rowboat on a fishing trip. Certainly not from any time spent in a racing shell where timing, coordination, balance and blade work spell the difference between victory and defeat. Must an athlete hit, throw or catch a ball to qualify for an Oates skill rating? If so, where does that leave all of track and field?

TOM SCHOBACK

Los Angeles