TABLOID ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 144, 13 March 1920, Page 8

TABLOID ATHLETICS

WELLINGTON COLLEGE CADETS.

A tabloid athletic meeting, arranged on the svstem adopted for, Cadet training,, ivas held at Wellington College after school hours yesterday afternoon Meetings of this kind are to be part of the recreational training which is to i°>' u the nmior part of the rawing of the /Cadets in the future. The system was 'evolved during the war, and it proved so successful in Britain and I 1 ranee that, it has beon retained for peaco training. Tabloid athletics were a feature ot the work done by Staff Coips officers in Trentham Camp recently. Six teams of ten boys each competed. There were seven events, namely tile lens iump. the high junip, threofonvard. jumps, putting the weight 121b.. shot), 100 vards sprint, 50 yards backhaul ince, and relav race, and the programmo was completed in aboiit three-quarters of an hour. Excellent organisation and the hearty co-operation of the college staff ind the bovs with the Group officers madis this Tapid action possible. , . The'method of conducting a tabloid athletic meeting is of some general interest. Each/team appoints a leader, who is responsible for moving his men. from point to point as required, and getting them through the various events. The first six events are. taken simultaii- ' enuslv: the teams changing places as renuired, and then all the teams meet in the. relav race.' Military discipline is. maintained throughout the marching from point to point, standi „ at ease until their turn comes, and then falling in again in readiness for the next move. Thus there is-no confusion and no delay. Tho method ot scoring is designed to encourage a nigh average rather than to give an advanto exceptionally good competitors. In" the first four events the officers directing the' meeting fix a standard, and, each t«jm .member who reaches or exceeds the standard scores a point foi his team. With six teams competing tho team that secures the; most points in an event, is awarded G points, the next team snoints. and ?o on down to the last team, which gets one. point. The points gained .by the teams yesterday were as follow:—3so. lfram, 31| points: No. 4 team. 311 points; J*o. G team,2Bi points: No 5 team i>tt points; No 2 team, 18 points; No. 3 team,-_ 1» points. The relav race was the decisive, as-i± lh iir.®:/S£~ N K.P.S.. Lientenant E. _ R. Petrie, N.Z.S.C.. and Sersenu|-Ma]or Leadbrook, NZ.P.S. with the assistance of the ofhcers of tho Cadet corps. The Group officers expressed warm appreciation of the assistance thev received from Mr. Firth and the staff of the college, whose co-operation made possibly tho success ol the meetins. ■