The Association began to tire of its nomadic life, and the regatta of 1880 went to Philadelphia with the idea that, if all were satisfactory, the Schuylkill should have it annually ; but the ar rangements did not happen to please every one concerned, and the regatta was not permanently located. The increased interest in large-shell racing, due to the college competition, had caused the addition of a six-oared race in the previous year, and now a race for eights was also added.
The races of the regatta were not exceptional aside from that in senior singles, where another nasty job occurred. Holmes did not start, and the real race was between Mumford and W. Murray of the Elizabeth Boat Club, who had won the junior singles in the previous year, although a senior at the time. Murray's conduct in the race was quite in keeping with his record, and he fouled Mumford several times in the most deliberate manner.
Although rowing was exceedingly popular and the National Association well administered under the presidencies of T. E. Parsons (1873), A. F. Dexter (1874-1876), O. M. Remington (1877— 188o), and Henry Whiting Garfield (1882-1894), yet the professional tactics of many of the competi tors and the feeling that one might row against men who did nothing but row, and who were professionals in all but name, caused the better men gradually to abandon racing ; it was not a sudden movement, but slowly the gentlemen began to be seen less and less in the annual regattas.
Many associations had been organized ; the Pacific Amateur Rowing Association had the control of the coast clubs, and in the South was the Virginia Association of Amateur Oarsmen, the Louisiana Association of Amateur Oarsmen, and there were also regattas in Texas, while the holding of the National Regatta in Washington in 1881 further stimulated the Southern rowing interests. The clubs of Troy and Albany or ganized the Upper Hudson Navy, and the Kill von Kull Rowing Association also came into ex istence at about the same time.
The Hillsdale four, with three championships to their credit, had a clear title to go to England and meet the best of the fours there ; and, in 1882, they started abroad, and soon were quartered on the Thames and showing wonderful speed. The Shoe-wae-cae-mettes, well meaning but crude, had not been entirely desirable guests a few years before, and the Hillsdales were treated very shabbily on the faith of the " Shoes" conduct ; as a matter of fact, the members of the crew were absolute amateurs and represented a much better type than was then prominent in American rowing. The English Amateur Row
ing Association inquired into the status of the men, asked for various vouchers, which were supplied, and then declared that the men could not be considered amateurs. It was a decision founded on prejudice rather than fact, and one opponent shrewdly reasoned that these men must be professionals because they wore silk handkerchiefs about their heads in lieu of caps, and this was a habit common among professional oarsmen. The Hillsdales rowed at Marlow and won easily, but they were refused at Henley and in several other regattas where their entries had been solicited before the action of the Amateur Association. Finally, the men sent a challenge to the Thames and the London Rowing Clubs, and the former club accepted, but a few days later reconsidered their accept ance and declined to row. At length, however, the match was arranged, though the English opposition was very violent, and came off on September 15, 1882, over the Putney-Mort lake course. Hillsdale led from the very start, and had four clear lengths at Chiswick Church, when bow broke his slide ; he threw it overboard and rowed sitting on the runners. Thus handi capped, the Michigan crew lost a great part of their speed, but kept bravely on and finished only fourteen seconds behind Thames. Thames would not row another race, nor could a contest be had with any crew, and the Hillsdales, after their three months' fruitless stay, sailed home again. The attitude of the English Association was not popular even in England, and in America it caused the deepest resentment.
This same year witnessed the birth of several rowing associations ; the success of the Colum bia Club of Washington inspired the formation of the Potomac River Regattas, and the Green wood Lake Association also came into being.
A regatta of some size was held at Philadelphia in connection with the Bicentennial Celebration, and the Western influence again took the National Regatta out to Detroit, and again Michigan sus tained their record for champion fours, winning with the Centennial four of Detroit. In the fol lowing season, the new Pacific Coast Rowing Association held their first regatta, and rowing increased through Pennsylvania, several regattas being held on the inland waters. Eight-oared rowing so grew in popularity that a Philadelphia gentleman founded the Sharpless Cup for annual competition in eights on the Schuylkill River, a race that has brought from time to time all of the best club eights in the country.