Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-17
CLIMBING UP A ROPE.
The Best Exercise to Develop the Upper
Fart OF the Eody-A Trick bout Getting
Down-CIimbing With One Arm-The
Records.
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.1

Down-CIimbipg With One Arm-The
Records.
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsrArcH.l
You boys who have been sprirting and
running across country all spring and sum-
mer, and playing football during the fall
have probably decided that it is about time
to 60 into gymnasium quarters for the win
ter. Your calves and thighs, thanks to the
exercise you have given them, have de-
veloped in most gratifying manner, and
you notice with great deal of pride that
after forcing the air out of your lungs you
can expand your chest like pair of bel
lows.
But what about your forearm and biceps?
And have you any muscle worth mention
ing on the back and chest? If not, then
don't begin your indoor work with rope
climbing. Or, if you prefer, do try it, but
the chances are that trying is as far as you
will get. To "skin" up a rope, hand over
hand, requires q considerable degree of
strength, and no boy should attempt it be-
fore he is able to chin himself on horizon
tai bar at least three or four times So,
unless you already have q fair muscular de-
velopment above the waist, you must re-
strict your work for a while to light dumb
bells and chest weights, before you can be-
come rope climber.
just as Hard to Come Down.
Even then you must proceed slowly. And
never make the mistake of seeing how high
you can climb until you have learned how
to come down, else you will be worse off
than the kitten when she climbs her first
l. Iz1-
one to bring her back to the ground Of
course the kitten could come down without
help, and so can you only too easily when
your muscles are so tired that you can't de-
scend hand over hand as you ascended, and
you haven't learned the secret of taking
twist in the rope with your leg and sliding
slowly.
still remember, very clearly my own
first experience in climbing q rope. 1t was
only about 20 feet long and it seemed q very
simple matter to skin up. Half way, and 1
got very tired, but the jeers and laughter
of the fellows who were watching me kept
me at it. did finally reach the top, with
every muscle aching and my arms feeling
as long as a baboon's. would have liked
it very much if some one had brought
me ladder, but I knew that was
out of the question. I couldn't hold
fast any longer SO I started to come down.
And couldn't stop myself by the friction
of my leg on the rope for Il wore o running
suit and my legs were bare below the knees
So came down very fast. Ny, how hot
that rope did get! When had six or eight
feet more to go, most of the skin was rubbed
off my hands and let loose Of course, by
this time the blood had settled in nv feet,
and you can imagine my feelings when I
alighted with great thump on the, hard
l,,,S L
thy from the onlookers, either. They
seemed to regard it all as an excellent joke,
and even asked me to give the exhibition
again.
Developing the Upper Body.
There are few exercises that will more
quickly than rope climbing develop the up
per part of the body. The forearm, biceps,
and the large muscles of the chest and back
will be increased in size. All |
athletes who practice this game much have
powerful arms. Robert Stoll |
and Frank Hartshorne, of the New York |
Athletic Club, for instance, easily "chin'
with either arm. Stoll, in |
fact, hanging at arms length from |
q bar or ring, can bring up the chin |
even with the hand six times. One might |
suppose that such heavy work would de-
prive the muscles of all their snap, and
'io0S eAiSAA oAo"s OuCu, uOHcFcIy uOcS uOt
appear to be the case, for both Stoll and
Hartshorne are very clever gymnasts,
branch of athletics which requires the
greatest agility. Stou was at one time one
of the best half-mile runners in America,
and Hartshorne still runs quarter mile in
close to 81 seconds
Rope-climbing was first introduced on the
programme of the Amateur
Athletic Union in 1888. The rope is usually
% feet long, and is suspended from a beam,
70 which is fastened bell or tambourine.
The athlete grasps the rope with one hand
1t a point less than feet from the floor.
He is told to get ready, and then, at the re-
port Of pistol, up he goes, kicking and
until he looks lire frog. Soon
rs he gets to the top he slaps the bell or
.ambourine. The time keepers start their
#atches with the pistol and stop with the
bell The climber who can s'skin up" in
.he least time is, Of course, the winner. At
'he first competition Stoll climbed % feet in
3-5 seconds-time which has never been
beaten in championship contest At
Princeton Stoll once climbed 80 feet in
70 l-5 secondA WALTER G. DoHM