The San Francisco call., 1897-01-04
A VARSITY TEAM
TO Be SENT EAST
Funds to Be Raised by
the Pacific Amateur
Association.
The Winning University to Get
Proceeds of a Great Meet
in April.
Multnomah, Olympic, Reliance, Stock.
ton and Other Athletes Also
10 Compete

Track and field athletics are to be
doomed this spring, and the winning uni
versity team is to be sent East partly at
the expense of the Pacific Association oil
the Amateur Athletic Union.
A great coast mpionship field day,
to be held in this City some time in April,
will be the means of arousing unusual in
terest in true amateur outdoor sports and
at the same time of raising funds for the
Eastern tour.
The Multnomah Athletic Club of Port
land, which is practically an aggregation
of all the best talent of the Northwest As
sociation, will be invited to participate in
the contests. The northern men never have
competed down here. but their perform
ances are well enough known to entitle
them to particular consideration by the
best local cracks
1t is not likely that they will neglect the
opportunity to demonstrate their ability.
Berkeley, Stanford, Olympic, Reliance,
the Stockton Athletic Cub, the Academic ic
League and other organizations that have
spriniers. runners, jumpers, weight
throwers and vaulters, will be encouraged
TO enter their best men and as many OF
them as possible, for points will count for
first, second and third places in every
contest.
The idea of this field day with It's ulti-
mate purpose is the conception of several
mem hers of the board of managers of the
Pacific Association and w. F. Hum phrey,
president of the association. They wish
to give greater encouragement to amateur
games and at the same time arouse the
interest that shall result in the develop
ment of young California athletes to their
best possibilities.
They believe that the material is here
and has only to be found out and devel-
oped for this State to assume and maintain
high and recognized rank for her fine
young athletes, rank that shall be es-
tabIished not here alone Dy records which
the doubling East has long persisted in
questioning, but by performances in the
East in competition with the crack
athletes of big Western colleges and anna
teur clubs.
One of the new features Of the coming
field day will be the introduction of discus
| throwing as regular event now recog-
nized in amateur track and field sports in
America since the revival al Athens last
year of the old Olympic games.
The latest reports OF the Amateur Ath-
letic Union describe accurately the weight,
size and composition of the discus, SO that
clubs of the union and indiyid uals wish
ing TO train privately for the event may
! have discus made. 1t Is likely, now
ever, that sporting-goods stores will sup
ply the demand, as the dinner plate like
| metal disk IS being made in the East pur-
| posely for the new event.
| For the last few years California weight
| throwers have practically outclassed the
| great majority OF the weight-throwers in
! the Eastern colleges.
1t is believed that when djscus-throw
| ing shall have been practiced by the
young athletes of this coast the records
! in this particular event of the athletes OF
ancient Greece will not appear beyond the
abilities of the youth of California.
Princeton University, with an athletic
| team inferior TO that of several other ami
versities of America, competed in the in
ternational games at Athens last year and
not only took first rank long the teams
entered, but in many cases the American
! boys beat the best Grecian athletes in
events that were strictly CIR clan.
| Definite pre- parations for the athletic
season will be determined upon by the
| board of managers of the Pacific Associa.
| ton at its meeting next Friday evening
| A particular feature OF the plan is to en-.