Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-20
PICKING WINNERS
Some Gossip About the Inter
scholastic Games.
WHO WILL WIN THE SHIELD ?
It's Permanent Ownership To Be
Decided This Week.
Hopkinson Seems To Be the Favorite, but
Worcester High and Boston English
High Have a Fighting Chance.

w no IS gong TO WIN the lnterScholaS-
tic sports this year?
This is what the schoolboys of the
state, as well as many others interested
in athletics, are asking of each other
just now.
The games are to be held Saturday
afternoon in the Mechanics building in
Boston, and will be the last set in sthe
series that the Boston Athletic Associa-
ton inaugurated nine years ago and has
since maintained so successfully.
Upon that day the athletes of all the
leading secondary schools of the state
will meet in open competition again, to
determine the question of indoor athletic
supremacy. More is perhaps involved
this year than ever, as upon the result
Of these games depends the final disposal
Of the costly silver shield which has been
competed for annually since the games
were started.
Hopkinson at present holds the lead,
having won temporary ownership Of the
shield for two years and tieing with
'RoXbury Latin for first place third
year. The Worcester high school and the
Boston English high school each have
landed the championship twice, while in,
the very first year of the competition
Roxbury high and latin walked off with
the trophy. That effort, however, seemed
to kill the school as it has not been really
prominent in the games since that time.
Hopkinson appears to have the best
chance of getting the final and perna
nent possession of the trophy. To wrest
1t from her either Boston English high,
Worcester high or Roxbury Latin must
win the games this year. The two Bos-
ton schools are out of the race, as even
the students there themselves admit
Worcester high may win, but on paper,
at least, Hoppy seems to have the
strongest team this year. If any of the
other schools, who have yet to get their
name engraved upon the shield as the
champion for a year, win this winters s
meeting, will mot affect the final re-
suit. Hopkinson will still have two flrsts
and a tie to her credit, and will win.
The games this year promise to be as
interesting as ever. so far as individual
events go, but the fields do not comprise
so many men with regulations upon the
track as at some former games. In the
nine events upon the program, only
three of last years winners are entered
as competitors this year, while none of
those who now hold the best records at
the various events will be seen upon the
floor. They have all been graduated from
the secondary schools, and many Of
them are maintaining their athletic rep
.utation in the colleges they are now at
tending All this makes it more difficult
than ever to pick individual winners Tor
the coming meet
Boston English high won the meet in
'97, but that school is not considered in
the race this year. Last year they fairly
swept the board, winning 241a points as
against 10 for Worcester high, and 91a
for Hopkinson. But there have been big
inroadS into the ranks OF the u. II. ,.
athletes The school has lost Duffy to
Worcester Academy and Converse to
Hale's school. These two fellows will
come pretty near winning Is points to-
gether, which with the few other points
the r. H, S. would naturally secure
would be enough to win the meet ana
the shield.
The boys have Jack Moakley as their
trainer, and he is with them three times
week. With good material at hand,
and the proper conveniences, MoaKley
would have been aa5le to get out good
foam Rlt he has had neither the ma
terial. much less the facilities. The men
have to train in the drill hall in sneak
ers. on a track that is 81 laps to the
mile. and the floor is as slippery as that
Of a dance hall. The 800 and 1000 yard
men have to run around the block on
a public street with sweaters and long
trousers This is not conducive to de-
veloping arecord-breakers.
If Worcester Academy's material were
as good as her training facilities, Pouch
Donovan would be more than likely to
take down team of sure winners
Donovan knows the same of athletic
training from A TO u and has every
thing in the way Of a track and gym
nasium for his men But Worcester
Academy like the Boston English high,
is not likely to cut much OF figure
next Saturday Things looked rosy for
the athletes of the red and the black a
month or so ago. There we've fast men
AMI experienced men in the school. But
for some reason or other three of the
Atademy's best men have parted COM
pany with the school, never to return.
With their departure, a good dozen
points fioated out of reaching distance.
In consequence, Donoyan's lahors have
been almost entirely with green men,
barring a few exceptions. There Is
Duffy. of course, who ought to win the
40 yards dash He is in prime A con-
dition, as his racing at the B. A. A.
games two weeks ago showed. Ii he had
the strength, he would also do well in
the 300. Duffy is the only man on the
Academy team that won points at the
meeting a year ago. The majority of
the Academy's other entries are untried
men, some of whom have speed, but
lack the experience that counts for SO
much in close race.
The boys at the high school are feel
ing rather blue. Some of them will not
admit it, and are keeping up clipper
countenance: but for all that they real
ize that Worcester Highs chances this
year are not what they might be. Three
weeks ago it looked as if the high school
was going to send down little band
Of athletes that could easily reclaim
the championship the school Won in "a
and '95 Today, however, the men are
far from being in good shape, and If
they are to make fair showing Sat
urday, they will have to undergo a big
improvement during the few days that
remain.
The high school team has not had any
regular trainer this year, which in a
large measure accounts for the fact that
five days before the games some Of the
men are either stale or on the very
verge of it. Before Jerry Delaney went
to Exeter to train the men there, he
performed a labor of love for the high
school team, and was with them every
afternoon. Under his eye the progress
was rapid, and when he left them for
Exeter two weeks ago, prospects were
bright. The men were rounding into
form, Butler, Green and the rest of the
prospective champions all giving prom
Use of fast work.
Soon after Delaney left Frank Bige-
low captain of the Harvard team, came
to Worcester for a week. and he gave
the team the benefit of his instruction
whenever he could spare the time. Since
then, however, Captain Butler has been
Ethrown upon his resources, and it is too
much to ask of any man 10 keep him
self in the best condition and also look
out for every other member of the team