ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2156, 23 May 1914, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

[Br MercdetJ

Wflon is a Trophy Mot a Trophy? During tho week this following letter on a matter of some interest came to hand;— Wellington, May 21, 1914. Dear "Mercury/'—l notice that at tile last meeting of the Council of tho N.Z.A.A.A. the chairman ruled that a i-azor strop could not be chosen as a trophy. To bio, this seems rather a harsh ruling, as sets of rasofs am often' selected by trophy winners, and passed without question. What, then, is the objection to a razor strop? Of course, care Must be takon to eco that tho open-order system is not abused, but mistakes will occur,, and I, in common with other athletes, have sometimes wondered whether a certain article selected could he called a trophy. I should esteem it a favsnr if you would advise mo what does constitute a trophy "under, tho act."—l aai, etc.,

UTILITY. "Utility" has touched upon a very debatable matter indeed. The subject of tlio open order has been a vexed one in every country ami clime where it has been in vogue, and to this day many of the keenest and most advanced of athletic legislators aro as opposed to the system as they were at its inception some years ago. To the system, if carried out strictly to the spirit and jotter of the amateur code, no . exception can be taken. It has a lot to commend it-—particularly to the successful athlete, and to this club secretary. To tho former it moans that instead en; an accumulation of medals and a rmiltjiilicaiion of prizes, he can select articles that, while conforming with the proper amateur spirit, also" possess the value of being useful. To \ho secretary it saves tho trouble of purchasing prizes ready-mader-and tho choosing and pricing of trophies for a season's sports meetings is no light labour. In these respects tho open order is a booh—but it is open to abuse, and cases aro continually -cropping up of the selection, through aisapprehension, of prizes that require a very elastic imagination to include them in tlio amateur-trophy category. As. witness the set of false teeth and the hammer and nails .quoted by members of tli* New Zealand Council during a discussion on the subject at its last meeting. It' is only fair, however, to mention, that the order that was "cashed" in ! the hammer and nails was not an amateur athletic doouniGiit, but was issued by a body controlling another sport.

'Utility" asks what constitutes a trophy, presumably according to . the strict amateur definition? "Meionry"has to confess that the answer is bpvalid him. He'does not think it possible to give a wide definition that can meet every case.; It has been said that the article, to conform to tho amateur laws, must bo capable of being.engraved. To. a certain extent this meets the case, but the. writer remembers an instance where a runner pooled all one season's winnings to purchase a_ chest of drawers, with a». engraved Plate thereon. His indignation when the committee of his ciub turned down the idea, was gehuine. enough—he simply could' not seo why, and said so. Thus, "Utility" considers that if a set of razors is allowable, why not a strop? And then, presumably, if ,t strep, why not a supply of shading snap, and so on, ad absurdirti, In short, tho question is not arguable. For instance, if a. walking-stick is a proper trophy, as it undoubtedly is, why should not an umbrella be? And yet there- arc plenty—including the writer —who hold that an umbrella is not a legitimate amateur trophy. Also, if a rug faith an engraved sorvcr-plate affixed there-toi is'allowed, why not a pair of blankets? The settlement of these points must l«6 left fa> the responsible officials controlling the sport, and each case must be deckled upon its merits as it arises. | Thus, Mr. Marryatt has ruled out a [ razor strop, ft fid that settles it. "Utility" may consider the ruling a harsh one. Possibly it is, but a little harsh, nes-s is preferable to laxity in ft question like this. And, after all, it. is the winning of the trophy, rather than the trophy itself that counts with tho amateur athlete.

An Infafti Pf-odlgy. A.wocl; or two ago "Mercury" chron-' iclcd an cxtraordinai'y pertormaiice on tho part of a Colifornian High School hoy. This youth, by name Harry Livcrseclge, mad* a post entry for a, javelin-throwing went at a recent "meet." i.a San Francisco. Ho, had no've-r thrown a javelin in competition before—>i« fact, ono account said that ho had never handled Hotwithstanding, ho hurled tho miss-ilo by sheer brute strength aftd igftofanee toa distance of 171 ft. 3ijn,, and in doing so actually broke the, Anwrieon open record for . the event. According to tho latest Ateerieau letter to the Sydney "Beferee," it appears that young liiverscdge has "Ucmi at it again," and his latest effort is one that makes ono wonder where he will stop, Tho item in miostion runs; l —

•'Kccords in tlio hands of yeung Harry Liversedge arc litre valuable china in the hands of-the serving-maid. AVith one week's growth in the javclin- ■ throwiiiß,Bftßie, this High. School boy 1 mentioned in my last letter as someone •to b:> watcher], want out last Saturday and increased his own American record of 171 ft. 3}m. by hurling the spear 184 ft. n.J-in.. a point which places bile far above the level of 'Vnierican, athletes in this event. There was no wind; 5-n the record wii'l. ?io doiibt. be oficeptfd. . Like that of tlio previous Saturday, thi=. throw was made- by sheer strengtln the lad not yet having had time to develop javelin-throwing muscles. On the same occasion, the Stapfonl intor-«cholastic track and field uwt. R 1 Men Berry, of Redlamls Ficrh School, broke the world's inter-scholastic record for the mile, oonmletiiig the distance in 4mm, 2C'2-sscc."