The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-10
CAPT. ROCHETALKS
Tells Of Track Ath-
letic Prospects This
Year at Harvard.
BRIEF TRAINING.
Crimson Has Several Dark
Horses to Surprise
Yale.
BRIEF TRAINING.
Crimson Has Several Dark

Capt. James T. Roche, Jr., of the
Harvard track team, was in Worcester
yesterday to spend the day at his home
on Lincoln street. Mr.. Roche has dom
ned the light shoe for the first time
since injuring his leg nearly two years
ago and looks to be in excellent con-
dition. His conversation on the athletes
of Harvard shows that he has great
confidence in their ability and he hopes
to add another to Harvard's long list
of victories when the rival athletes meet
at New Haven, May 10.
The Harvard men have a stronger
wish to defeat Yale in the dual games
than to win the intercollegiate cham
pionship at the games a week after the
contest with Yale Naturally they hope
to win both, but if but one victory is
to be their share and they could have
their choice, they would prefer to win
at the dual meet. They are preparing
for the annual competitions with Yale
with great gusto. The men enter into
the spirit of the rivalry fully as much
as the officials and can be relied on to
spare no efforts to bring about the best
results.
Harvard's athletes have been train
ing out of doors for nearly two weeks.
The season is later than usual partly on
account of the length of the winter and
partly because Capt. Roche decided not
to use the board track for the training
for outdoor work. In this he made a
departure from the practice of pre-
vious years Training for compete
lions during the winter takes place on
a large board track built out doors De-
spite the cold weather of this climate,
outdoor training in winter has proved
a success. The practice at Harvard has
been to make the first start for spring
work on the outdoor track as training
has begun before the cinder track was
in good condition. BY making a change
this year and emitting the practice on
the board track the length of time for
training has been shortened two weeks.
What the results of the change win be
is yet uncertain, but the change should
be beneficial. The men are coming
around in good shape and the time for
preparation is sufficiently long. There
have been athletes at Harvard who APP
peared rather finely drawn when the
competitions were reached and short
ening the preparatory season will pre-
vent men reaching too fine condition.
The reason for the change however was
to give the men practice on soft foot
ing alone instead of hard footing first
and sudden change to soft. Running
on the cinder track alone will keep the
limbs of the athletes in good condition
and prevent the men being muscle
bound which continued training on the
board track might cause.
The crimson athletes are so deter
mined to reach their best condition for
the competitions with Yale that they
win not take the full vacation with the
remainder of the university. The va
cation begins Saturday. It will last a
week for the college, but for the track
athletes it will last few days only.
They are under orders to report on the
18th, when they will take their places
at the training table for the first time.
Capt. Roche says about 20 men will be
sent to the training table at the outset.
Others will be added according as they
develop and show an ability to make
the team. He expects that the athletic
team will consist of about 29 or 30 men
when 1t is finally formed. Mr.. Roche
will have full authority in the training
of the men, even at the training table.
Trainer McMasters will have general
supervision of the food with which the
table for all athletes is supplied, but
Mr.. Roche will look particularly to the
table of the track athletes. He will
exercise his own judgment in many
things.
The two mile run, which has been
added to the program of the intercOl-
legiate games, is not receiving much at
tention at Harvard That event will
not be on the program at the dual
games this spring. 1t will be added
next year, however. Yale wanted to
add the run this year, but Harvard OBJ
jected because it had no long distance
runners, and the time was too short in
which to develop any Even now, with
the knowledge that the two mile run
will be on the intercollegiate card, Har-
ward has not advanced in developing a
distance man to any considerable ex
tent Dick Grant is yet attending Har-
ward, but he is not eligible to compete
as he does not take a sufficient number
of studies to come under the rules
which have been adopted recently.
Grant is in the medical department
and is not studying for degree, as
the rules require.
Thomas e. Burke, who holds all kinds
of records for the quarter mile and
other short distances, is training hard,
and will be relied on to win either the
quarter or half and maybe both Burke
will undoubtedly cut 40 seconds for the
quarter, and may do the half better
than minute S. seconds if he is obliged
to. Nobody knows how fast he can run
the half. He has gone the distance in
fast time, but he was never pushed to
his limit. Another star performer, who
is now in training, is Rotch, the high
jumper. He has cleared the bar at 6
feet inches in practice indoors. A
man usually does better out of doors.
Harvard has dark horse or two,
whose PAGES may be disclosed in class
games which are to be held Wednes-
day. Yale holds similar games April
%. Little chance will be offered to COM
pare the merits Of the respective teams
by these contests. The best men are
not in good condition yet, and win be