The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-05
SWISS ATHLETICS.
SWINGING" IS THE NATIONAL SPORT
or THE HARDY RACE

I People Of Switzerland Take Great Inter
est in All Kinds of Outdoor Exercise.
How a Great Wrestling Tournaments Ii
Conducted in the Open Air.
A traveller in Switzerland who does not
at once rush mp INTO the high mountains,
! but fingers on a little in the towns, will bA
| struck with the attention which the Swiss
! give TO physical sports
The youth Of the towns, during the good
weather, seem to devote every moment OF
| leisure to some form OF physical exercise.
| In the schools. gymnastics is recognized
! part of the training both of boys and girls;
/ and in whatever direction you go in the
| country, You may be sure TO find school ex-
| cursions, some OF Them for long distances.
| | met one day at the station at Basel.
! about thirty boys and youths, alt looking
| like young athletes, the very picture of
| health-dressed in white flannel shirts,
! knickerbockers and loose coats, and all
carrying knapsacks and alpenstocks. One
/ of their teachers told ne that the school
had hired a house in the mountains and
| that during the summer each class went
there regularly for fortnight or three
weeks at time, spending the whole of
.
ing at night.
At all times Of the day youths may be
seen in gymnasium dress or turner cos
tune. Public opinion allows much lati-
tude in this respect and young man in
knee breeches and jersey, with bare arms,
strikes one as nothing extraordinary
either in a crowded street or in the pu bic
vehicle.
The Swiss are by nature gregarious and
nowhere else do clubs and associations
thrive so much as among them.
Every summer day in a large town like
Zurich seems a festival, for at almost the
first turn of the street you are likely to
hear the music of band and then meet a
procession gay with banners, wreaths and
badges.
A GREAT SWISS SPORT.
The greatest of all Swiss sports is I'M
doubtly wrestling, and the wrestling
match is the central point OF interest in all
contests. The mountaineers have prac-
tiCed for ages peculiar kind of wrestling
known as schwingen, or swinging. OF
late years this has been taken up by the
turner's and town gymnasts and they are
beginning to compete with their teachers.
Between the 1.-THE townsInan and the
solid, heavy mountaineer it has become al
most question of agility against strength.
Great was the interest all over SwitZer-
land when it was announced that there
would be at Zurich a wrestling match OF
all Switzerland between turner's and noun
taineers, especially as the gymnastic so
cieties of east Switzerland had not taken
part in these matches.
The ground for the games could not have
been better chosen. 1t was the rifle range.
where there is target practice every Mon
day afternoons broad, green plain, sur
rounded by trees, above which rose at one
end the spires and towers of Zurich, while
at the other doomed up the ridge Of the
Uetliberg.
The thousands OF spectators, standing OF
seated, formed large oval in the middle
of which. during the wrestling match, was
the ring. Around this lay or sat on the
ground the c0mbatants and their friends.
while at table were seated the judges
and the umpire.
Alpine wrestling or swinging differs
from other forms of this sport, in the first
hold being compulsory and not voluntary.
The wrestlers wear short trousers of thick
cloth, which are survivals of the old noun
taineer peasant costume, but which are
now put over their other clothes, buttoned
tightly around the waist and rolled up on
the thigh to the utmost. Each wrestler
must with his right hand take hold of the
band of the others wrestling trousers and
with the left hand the roll on his oppo
nent's right leg.
This position once taken. the choice OF
hold becomes voluntary, except that either
one hand or the other must, if holding at
all, grasp the trousers of the opponent. No
throw counts unless the fallen man touches
the ground with both shoulders or with
the length of his back; and if both parties
are incapable of further movement for
certain number of seconds without being
thrown, it is counted draw.
CONTEST OF EXPERTS.
At the opening Of the contests two names
are called out, and instantly hush of Gu
riosity and expectation comes over the
great assemblage. On one side rises
1.-THE, slender built young turner, and on
the other young peasant from Emmen
thal-a picture of health and strength,
with muscles and sinews like those of an
OK. They hastily don their wrestling trou
sers, look at each other for moment, shake
hands and take the conventional hold
At first they stand as far apart from each
other as they can, with heads down like
two butting animals, each feeling, as it
were, for some sign of yielding on the part
of the other. Suddenly, with quick
movement. the Emmenthaler has succeeded
in getting the turner's head under one OF
his arms This lasts but for a moment;
for the turner sinks first on one knee, then
gradually lies at nearly full length on the
ground, easily eXtricating his head and
attempting TO pull the Emmenthaler over.
The Emmenthaler changes his hold, and
while still grasping the waistband with
one hand. seiZcS the turner around the
body with the other. and endeavors to roll
him over. But it is impossible. The tur-
ner supports himself on the ground with
his hands and toes and seems immovable.
Finally the peasant lifts him bodily from
the ground and tries TO throw him. amid
the loud cheers of his hackers. But no;
the turner's hand reaches the ground first,
and he simply spins round On it Ike bal
let dancer on one toe.
Finally the decisive moment comes, but
to the surprise OF every one, for it was diff
cult to see how the feat was done, IL was
the Emmenthaler who was PROSTATE on
again and go back to their places
Another pair was called out, and then
another, and so on. with varying fortune,
until the original contestants began again;
for 1t was necessary to have two throws
out of three TO constitute victory, and after
that yicrOrS had 70 y-reStle with victors in