On Track and Field

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 131, 24 August 1927, Page 11

On Track and Field

Amateur Athletic Notes

By

"SPARTAN"

THE SEASON’S FIXTURES The following is the season’s programme of the Auckland A.A. and C. Club: Next Saturday.—Winter Competitions (continued); 14th meeting of series at Outer Domain. September 3.—Winter Cup competition. September 10.—N.Z. Amateur 50 miles cycling road race championship and Auckland 10,000 metres cross-country championship at Alexandra Park. September 17.—Auckland 50 miles amateur road race championship, and five-mile steeplechase at Alexandra Park. October I.—Joint meeting with Franklin A.A. and C. Club at Pukekohe. October 24.—Labour Day sports at Domain. November s.—Auckland Provincial amateur championship meeting. * * * POSTPONED AGAIN The race for the Fifty Miles Auckland Provincial Amateur Cycling Road Championship and the supporting programme arranged for next Saturday at Alexandra Park, Epsom, has been postponed till September 17 on account of the state of the grounds, preventing the grass being mowed. These conditions would not affect the cycle race, but would prevent the supporting programme from being carried out. * * * THE OLYMPIC GAMES Notification of the dates on which events will take place at the 1928 Olympic Games has been received by the New Zealand Olympic Association. They are as follow: Hockey.—May 17 to 26. Association football. —May 27 to June 15. Weight-lifting.—July 28 and 29. Athletics. —July 29 to August 4 and 6. Fencing.—July 29 to August 11. Wrestling.—July 30 to August 5. Pentathlon. —July 31 to August 4. Yachting.—August 2 to 9. Rowing.—August 6 to 10. Cycling.—August 3 and 5. Swimming.—August 4 to 11. Gymnastics.—August 8 to 10. Equestrian sports.—August 9 to 12. Korfbal and lacrosse demonstration. —August 7. TIM BANNER IN FORM Readers may be interested to know that Tim Banner, Australian and world professional sprint champion, has been running well during the winter and is expected to be in fine form for the coming season. His best performances to date over distances from 100 yards to 220 yards are as follow: 100yds., Yarram (Vic.), February, 1927, 9 11-16 sec. (Victorian and Australian record is 9 3-ssec., held by Jack Donaldson and done on Melbourne Exhibition Oval, 1912); 110yds., 10 5-Bsec., done at Warracknabeal (Vic.), April, 1927 (Vic. and Australasian record); 130yds., 12 6-16 sec., done at Horsham (Vic.), 1926 (Victorian record). While in Scotland last year Banner ran 100yds. in 92sec. Recently he was credited with 22sec. for 220yds.—his fastest run to date over this distance—in Sydney. A WIN FOR ENGLAND England practically swept the board at the triangular international athletic gathering held at Winchester recently. The points scored were: England, 235: Ireland, 8S; Scotland. 1. D. G. A. Lowe covered half a mile in 1.53 4-5, a competition record. Lord Burghley, by throwing out his chest in the last stride, inflicted the first defeat this season on F. R. Gaby, in the 120yds. hurdles.

which, if not used, becomes dry and stiff and loses its powers of stretching. Until the muscles are restored to their complete elasticity by careful treatment their efficiency is poor, and there is danger of breakage. Therefore an athlete must get his muscles free of any sign of stiffness. The best way to do this is by gentle jogging round the track, and for the first fortnight the runner should never do more thajn a mile of alternate slow jogging and walking. By jogging is meant a very slow, easy gait of four to five miutes for the quarter-mile, slightly slower than a walk. It is necessary to keep well “rugged up” in “sweat clothes” 6f flannel trousers or long woillen underpants, and sweater during early, training. Every runner should always come out on to the track in “sweat clothes” over his ordinary togs, and should warm up in them before starting his serious training. As soon as he is finished he should slip them on again, in order to keep warm until he reaches the dressing room. “Sweat clothes” are a necessary part of the modern running kit, for it is most important that a runner should keep warm.