ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1842, 30 August 1913, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

$ (By Mercury.) WHIP AND SPUR FOR ENCLAND. Letter from America. In the latest "Referee" to hand, Mr. It. Coonibi's publishes a letter received from the indefatigable Mr. Unmade, advising latest developments in connection with the selection of the American team that is to visit us next season. The loiter is too long for publication in full in the space at ".Mercury's" disposal, but tho following excerpts' contain tlio gist of it: — San Francisco, Cal., ■ July 27, 1913. Have just' received a dispatch from 0110 of cur Eastern Press Bureaus to the eft'cct that Mr. .las. E. Sullivan has invited James llosenbeigor, of the _bush-American Athletic Club of New York, and Homer Baker, of the New York Athletic Club, to mnko the tour to Australia ami New Zealand. ' These men havo been invited to fill the places of A. B. Kiviat and Piatt Adams, who are unable to go. Adams is to be married in a few weeks, and, incidentally, his two other brothers —all great athletes — aro to lie married on the same day. Piatt and '"Den" Adams both scored points in tho standing jumps- at Stockholm. Itosereberger is a sprinter of ability, nnd won 'his heat in the 400 metres at Stockholm in 50 3-ssec. Baker is a middle-distanco man, and last year took second, to Frick in tho National 830 yds. championships'. By to-day's mail I have heard from Mr. Brown, of the Boston Athletic Association, that "Jim"_ Powers, tho "big find 1 ' as a miler in, tho East, would bo glad to tako tiho trip if invited. Powers, in my mind, is tho coming miler and middlo-dis'-tance man of tile country. Ho lias repeatedly beaten Kiviat thisyear, and would hove beateiii Tabor in the National Mile ChampionslMp had he not been so intent in watching Kiviat and wanting to beat him. Tho consequenco was' that Tabor got them both napping, and won. Tho letter continues: —From what we :an gather at tho present, the ma.ke-up of the team will probably be\something like talis: — (1) Nelson or Rosonbcrger, sprinters. Both men good from 100 to 440 yards. (2) Powers or Baker, middle distances. At SSO and one mile both men aro crackor-jacks, though Powers is the best. At two or three miles' both men are fair. (3) Beesoii specialises at hurdles and liigli jump. Has.record of 15 l-sscc. for hurdles, and 6ft. olin. high jump.' Before confining. himself to fuurdles and luigh jump, ficeson was a good polevaailter, and got up to lift. Gin. Ho should be able to go round lift, on this tour. Ho can broad jiunp hotter than 22ft., and can put the shot about 38ft. (4) Tho fourth m,m will possibly bo Floyd I'ice, tho giant weight man of tho University of California, and now of tho Olympic Club of this city. Rice is 3ft. 6in., and built in proportion. One jf the most beautifully set-up athletes I have ever seen. Has a record of 46ft. 7tjin. with tho shot, and has douo ;loso to 48ft. in practice. Consistent at 44ft". Ho is good for 145 ft: with _ tho hammer. Being such a big fellow, it is impossible for liim to got thrfee full turns in tlio ring. He usually gets the hammer out with one turn, and when lie does get two good turns ho can, and lias, dono about 165 ft. With the discus ho is good for 125 ft., while he can. throw tlio javelin about tho samo distance or a Kittle better. Tims it will bo seen that there is no dtaibt whatever 'of the quality of the tourists, at any rate up to tho mile run. The American Weakness. This brings us to tho one weak point in the personnel of such a team as that proposed—tho absence of a really good three-miler. Any ■ combination that comes out should include one good performer at this distance, which is ontho championship list of all the associations affiliated to the A.A.U. of Australasia. No doubt those in charge of affairs at this end mil bring this matter undorthe notice of tho American organisers. Wake Up, England! English cable messages of lato liavo advised us that a stir is being ,made in tho Old Country with regard to the Old Country's representation at future Olympic Games. The Duke of Westminster, Eairl Grey, and Lords-Harris, Roberts, Rothschild, and Stratlicona have appealed for £100,000 to adequately train a British team for tho Olympic Games. The amount sought is not inoio ly for tho purposes of tho games, but it is hoped to provide an atihletic organisation resulting in permanent national benefit. The appeal for funds to provide a British team for tho Olympic Games states that the results at Stockholm' were a shock to everyono caring for British sport. "The Times" gave £500. Tho Duke of Westminster has given £1000, and the King has approved of tho British Olympic Council's appeal. The Dreadful English Slumber, v The English papers are devoting much space to the pros and cons of the matter. 11l a recent issue ot tho '.'Standard," "A Cambridge Blue" writes in a despairing strain of tho English outlook. Referring to a recent visit to London of a Swedish athletic team, ho says:— As an Olympic country, England is dying; foreign athletic experts now in London say she already is dead. It is generally agreed that tho fiascos of tho present season have already mado British defeat in tho next Olypipic contests a certainty, and tlie advisability of Eng- . land withdrawing from the competition altogether is actually being discussed by tho athletic clubs of tho United kingdom. Tho writer goes on to say-"Sweden, wbioh had not heard of modern training methods until three years ago, sends a small team of Olympic candidates on a tour, and trounces the London Athletic Club. For tho sake of a little practice, Sweden doubled tho More on her hosts, and the contest was a comedy." Ho also quotes Ernest Hjertberg, the Swedish Olympic coach, as saying:— "Having coached in the United States, my methods are substantially American, but wo are travelling everywhere and seeking new ideas and methods. The great trouble with .England is that she has clung blindly to amateur coaching, when only paid professional coaching can bring her out of tho evils of conservatism into which she has fallen." "Tradition-bound, cook-sure Methods ol England." Also, ho cites Major Peixotto, who it will bo • remembered toured Now Zealand two or threo years ago with a band of Californian schoolboys wlic was in London at the timo. Majoi Peixotto said to him: "England hn» absolutely no ehnnce to do oven fairly well at tha Olympic so long as she keeps on in her present tradition-bound, cock-3ure methods. Crusty con- ' servatism, lack of respect for a professional coach, weakness in field events and want of business enterprise on the part of the Olympic Committees aro blasting England's Olympic ambitions." Moro Caustic Comment. From another authority, E, K. Studd, chairman of the English Olympic Council, comos an even more scathing indictment of the present position iu England. W l'iting of the English A.A.A., he says; "It, as tho English athletic world knows to its sorrow, has done absoluf'

ly nothing, and no 0110 lias been able i to find a way to arouso it to activity. 1 In any other country the situation | would warrant our .sweping away this antiquated, inefficient machinery, but i in England this is practical} - impos- 1 sible. "Wo must work reforms through the ' bodies which are already in existence. So long as tlio Amateur Athlctic Associatio.i is in autocratic control of the athletic situation, is inert and moribund, tlicro is littlo reason for a social committee to mako any furthor efforts. Tho Amateur Athlctic Association is clogging all athletic movements in ' tlio United Kingdom." This caustic comment in tlio press is ■ anything but pleasant reading, but if 1 it has led up the forward movement , recently indicated by cablegrams, it has served a very good purpose, and ono can only liopo that the reform party will continue to apply tho spur and lash assiduously until it has achieved its purpose. Motes on tho Harriers. From Iho usual source comes the following harrier budget:—For all clubs tho week's work consisted of club runs On Saturday tlio inclemency of the weather was not allowed to interfere with tho scheduled events, b.ut it certainly had an effect on the musler rolls, which leads ono to suspect that the pleasure of running in raiiir storms and being buffeted by a "southerly" whilst ono is clad in a light and airy running costume is not altogether appreciated at its true worth by the harrior of to-day. Tho Brooklynites' outing terminated with tho usual "run-in," in which E. Shaw annexed first position, with L. Brown and J. Salmond in the places. Tho Meeting of the "Bills." The Wellington Club combined business with pleasure at Seatoun by preceding a social function at the local kiosk by-a club run in the form of a teams' race. Tho social affair consisted of an entortainment to tho rest of tho club by those membors thereof wliose Christian names are "Bill," and in tho teams' race referred to tho other members were soundly beaten by a combination of tho Bills, who thereupon entered upon their more arduous dutic-s as hosts and entertainers. To-day this club is to hold its annual b ten-mile handicap at Miramav. En- :> tries will be Tecoive'd up to tho time i of starting, and' in consideration of the adverse crticisni' of past years, the . committee 11.19 undertaken to eliminate . as much road running as is possible, . and thus mako tlio raco a true crosso country ono. e ii Mid-week Harriers. Tlio mid-week parade of the Central Club started from Oriental Bay, and r saw a very pleasing increase in the j muster of tho pack, and considerable speeding up in tho paco of tlio ran — for which the near > approaching club championship must bo field responsible. a Tho "run-in resulted in another win for tho very consistent secretary, C. q Duck, who was closely attended to tlia 0 finish by F. S. Meyers and M. Point-on, ,f in that order.