Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-08-29
THE KANGAROO START.
orfain of the Crouching Position As
sumed by Foot-Rncers In
Athletic sports.

| persons who witness college or other
athletic sports. probably not one in
a hundred thousand persons knows
bow the peculiar crouching. or kan
CARGO" start of the sprinters orig
mated. says the New York Times.
Eleven years ago every Splinter
| stood up TO the mark with one arm
extended. At the crack of the pistol
he brought his arm down hard and
leaped forward. This start was con
sidered the proper thing. Now not
one Splinter in a score uses this
method. Instead they crouch with
hands as well as feet upon the
| ground. This start was discovered
by accident In May, 1890, by Tom
my" Lee, at that time one Of the
crack sprinters of the New York
Athletic club. Soon afterward he
became the champion OF the world.
and several Of his records made IN
Canada still stand as records Of that
country.
one sunday in May Of the year
named Lee and a number Of sprinters
and middle-distance men were timber
ing up on the grass az Travers Island
from the effects OF hard Saturday.
racing. Lee was so much faster AZ
getting away that there was no fun
in the shoe dashes for the other
men. So Lee. who was a fellow q
much originality as well as the life
Of the Trayers Island training camp,
said he would handicap himself
With this object in view he got down
on his hands and knees. then on hi.
toes and knees, and finally he struck
on the start as now used.
This proved 10 be anything but a
handicap. Lee got away quicker than |
before. gaining yards on his com
panions IN several instances. The |
next day he showed his start q
George Goldie. then the clubs coach |
and proved 20 him that the new start
was better than the old After a
week Of practice Lee tried the start
for the first time In public The \
y A. c. men bet on him. and when
he lost they ieered at him for bis
fool dog start" and laid his defeat
10 H. Lee. however. says: II was
beat because I could not run fast
enough, and but for the start would
have been beaten worse"
4 month afterward, on June 2s
1880. Lee proved the efficacy Of his
start by defeating Fred Wrestling for
the eastern championship in a 220-
yard dash at Staten Island. This was
The first championship ever won with
The start. At that time Wrestling was
he champion Of America. Canada and
England. so practically the champion
u the world He was noted for the
thickness Of his starts. vet with his
fool dog" or kangaroo" start Lee
rot away az least two yards ahead %
rim. Westing's efforts 10 catch the
y. y. A. c. man pulled his cork" in
he parlance OF the cinder path. and
zee beat him after a desperate finish
In 1899 the value Of the start was
lroyed to the satisfaction OF every
me. II was In the open carnival OF
ports at Manhattan Field. Cary.
Who had a record OF 0:oa as for the
90 yards. and who was remarkably
asst starter, was on scratch. Lee had
handicap Of yard and a half. Cars
an his trial heat in the announced
ime Of 0:09 2-5. which would make
i'm cover in ten seconds 100 yards I
nd 20 feet while a ten-second man
ras covering 100 yards. Lees start
ave him such an advantage that
then he had covered IS yards be was
our yards in the lead. or more than 7.
ouble his handicap. lie won the
ace.
This was enough for other sprint. &
rs, and they began to use the start. u
'ow it is in use all over the world 4,
nglish, French. Australian. Cana
ian and American sprinters use il. I
man who stands erect now Is =
,ered al as Lee was when he first II
ppeared with his fool dog start" "
he value Of the start as expressed .
! Lees own words Isl:
The beauty Of this start is that a
here can be no false motion. ne "a
step. when the pistol =,
racks, You dig your holes for your =
81, and place your fingers on the -
ark and lean all your weight upon =
TEN. with your upper body out over -
lie mark. The instant you lift Your =
ngers from the mark you begin TO =.
III forward, and you must run. and n
IN hard. or you viii fall on your ~
ice. That it is the natural and prop =.
way to start its universal use
owes"
II is said that certain professionals
lex in the early seventies used n,
ouching start unlike the Kangaroo m
art" and useless except for the N
lrpose used. That was to get into 10
position so that they could look Isl
lex between their legs and start fe
it'll the fash Of the pistol which "a
ecedes the report. One amateur. az
larles II. Sheriff.. 100-yard Ameri- NJ,
n intercollegiate champion from On
- TO 1890. was so unsteady on his a
ct and was so often penalized that III
aN0naA l