CANOEING. 



AMERICAN CANOE ASSOCIATION 

 1897-98. 



Commodore, F. L. Bunnell, Brooklyn, 

 N. V. 



Sec'y-Treas., C. V. Schuyler, jog Sixth 

 Avenue, Brooklyn, N. ]'. 



PURSERS. 



Atlantic Division, Win. M. Carpenter, 

 Main St., Sing Sing, N. Y. 



Central Division, Laure?ice C. Wood- 

 worth, Gouverneur, N. Y. 



Eastern Division, F. J. Burr age, West 

 Newtown, Mass. 



Northern Division, Edgar C. Woolsey, 

 37 Charles St., Ottawa, Can. 



Annual dues, Si ; initiation fee, $1. 

 Date of meet for 1898, Aug. jt/i to iplh, 

 Stave Island, 1000 Islands, N. Y. 



A. C. A. MEMBERSHIP. 



Applications for membership may be 

 made to the purser of the division in which 

 the applicant resides on blanks furnished 

 by purser, the applicant becoming a mem- 

 ber provided no objection be made within 

 fourteen days after his name has been offi- 

 cially published in Recreation. 



AS TO CHANGES IN RACING RULES. 



Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Editor Recreation: If there be any 

 change needed in the constitution of the 

 A. C. A., it is to provide for the formation 

 of a permanent committee,, to have control 

 of the racing regulations in much the same 

 manner as the board of governors control 

 the association finances. 



It has been the custom of the outgoing 

 regatta committee to recommend, to the 

 executive of the Association, that certain 

 changes be made in .the racing regulations; 

 and for members to publish proposed 

 amendments in the association's official 

 organ. These proposed amendments then 

 come before the executive committee for 

 action at its annual meeting, when there is 

 so much business to be transacted, in its 

 one day's sitting, that the matters relating 

 to changes of the racing rules, or to the 

 constitution or by-laws, are left for atten- 

 tion at the last moment, only to meet the 

 fate which awaited them last year, when 

 there was a large mass of conflicting pro- 

 posals to be acted upon in a short space of 

 time, and this by some 20 men, selected, not 



in consequence of a knowledge of the re- 

 quirements of racing, but because of their 

 fitness to generally represent their respec- 

 tive divisions. 



The result of this method of procedure 

 has been a demand for many changes, each 

 year. Last year the committee unknow- 

 ingly changed the old-time maximum limit 

 of beam, for the sailing canoe, while in- 

 tending to change only the minimum beam 

 of the paddling canoe. This result was en- 

 tirely unlooked for and undesirable. 



A permanent racing board, as suggested, 

 should be composed of one representative 

 from each of the 4 divisions of the associa- 

 tion, each elected for a term of 4 years, ex- 

 cept for the first terms which would be one, 

 2, 3 and 4 years, respectively. The mem- 

 bers of this committee should be racing ex- 

 perts. They should carefully consider the 

 racing regulations as a whole, and submit 

 to the executive committee, from time to 

 time, such changes as a careful considera- 

 tion of the matter would lead them to deem 

 advisable, after having published the pro- 

 posed changes as now provided for. The 

 executive committee could then either 

 adopt or reject the proposals as submitted. 

 Appeals from the ruling of the regatta com- 

 mittee would also come before them for 

 final decision, which would result in a great 

 saving of time at the annual meeting of 

 the executive committee, and insure the 

 prompt settlement of such appeals. 



This plan, if carried out, would fill a long 

 felt want and would undoubtedly stimulate 

 the interest in racing, through a stability in 

 the rules and regulations which cannot now 

 be depended upon for any length of time. 



The proposed programme for the 1898 

 Meet, considered as a whole, is far from 

 satisfactory. The double blade paddling 

 men are at a loss to know why this com- 

 mittee has dropped the tandem paddling 

 event, for decked canoes, which not only 

 has the merit of being an exceptionally 

 good race, but has also been well filled dur- 

 ing the past. It is to be hoped that it will 

 be on the completed programme, as it has 

 much in its favor, and seems to promote 

 club entries. The argument in favor of the 

 tandem single blade event should hold 

 equally well for the decked canoe. If the 

 total number of events is to be reduced, 

 either the swimming race, tail end race, or 

 the tournament might better be spared. 



The open canoe has one sailing and one 

 combined event. There seems no good 

 reason for making a change in the distance 

 of the combined event, from one mile to 

 V/2 miles. It is the intention of the com- 

 mittee to have this event around the tri- 

 angular 1^2 mile course. 2 sides of which 

 may be covered under either sail or paddle: 



