The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-03
Interest in the Great Sport Never 80
Intense in Indiana Ia Prom
ises to BE Ihis Year.
PROSPECTS OF THE SEASON
WHAT MANAGERS AND EXPERTS SAY
ABOUT THE TEAMS.
First InterschoIsstic League-Locai
High schools to Play Here on
Thanksgiving Day.


or more, but there soon will be numerous
practice skirmishes and, possibly, some
casualties, too. Ambitious youths-candl-
dates for the varsity, college and nigh
school teams-are permitting their hair to
grow as protection against injury mot as
q fad, as the uninitated suppose) and
few. on cool days. are practicing drop
kicks and punts and running around mag
mary ends, while others are going up
against the tackling machine as If their
lives depended on bearing the dummy fig-
ure to the ground. To nothing does the
adage, practice makes perfect" apply
better than football. Physical strength
helps in scrimmage or in a desperate con-
test Of endurance. but it is the skillful, sci
entifc player, who has learned by practice
all the fine points Of the game, and has the
head to make use of them at the proper
time that wins. No dullard at studies ever
succeeds on the gridiron. He may do fairly
well at practice. but when the crucial test
comes in a close game he is found wanting.
Another potent reason why the dull stu
dent does not succeed is that faculties call
a halt when examination marks of mem
bers of athletic teams fall below a certain
point.
There is a growing tendency among
the athletic spirit is rife to supervise sports,
I'm the interest of both the school and the
student AS result, there will be less criti-
cism OF athletics. especially football. Some
institutions, even now, will not permit
student to play football unless he be al
most physically perfect and stands high in
his studies. This action is resulting in
bringing to the front boys who have been
trained in gymnasiums, and is lessening
the chances Of accident for the trained ath-
lete runs less risk on the gridiron than the
youth whose muscles have been unevenly
developed. The rules of the game, too. have
been changed until the danger attending
scrimmages has been reduced TO the mini
mum.
PROSPECTS IN INDIANA.
The interest in football has grown stead
fly in Indiana during the past five years.
Nearly every high school now supports one
or more teams and many OF the grammar
schools have elevens that later will furnish
recruits for the high schools. just the
high school and other preparatory school
leaps furnish material for the college and
varsity elevens. Many Of the candidates for
places on school teams are practicing this
week and others will begin in earnest next
Monday. Most of the state colleges dc not
managers, captains and coaches report an
increased interest in the sport, as shown by
numerous letters from students who prom
Use TO be on hand a week or two before the
fall term begins and participate in the pre-
liminary practice
Locally interest centers IN the work of
the two high school teams, both of which,
in past years. have played as strong game
0f he
ridge High School is unfortunate in losing
some of it's best players of last season. but
the school has the ''never-die' spirit that
surmounts all obstacles and ii is believed
there is enough good material left to form
one OF the strongest elevens that ever
wore the schools colors. No practice work
has yet been done, except by a few stu
dents who are candidates for kicking posi-
tions.
Manual Training High School also has
lost its best players by graduation, but the
athletic spirit runs so high among the stu
dents there Is no fear that any position on
the team cannot be filled. over seventy ap-
plicants for permission TO practice already
have been made TO Captain kittle and he
candidates for position on the team there
will be material husky and skillful enough
TO supply the places vacated by such ex-
perts as Hotz, Pickett, COval and others.
Candidates for few of the positions began
practice yesterday. and seventy or eighty
OF the boys will be on hand next week for
general work.
LOCAL GAMES
The local Thanksgiving day game this
year will be between Shortridge and Man
ual Training High Schools. and il is safe to
say IL will draw the biggest crowd ever
gathered at Newly Oval to witness a grid
iron contest. The school athletic associa-
lions are not organized with the view of
making money, but they like to come out
even at the end of the season, and DO not
object 10 having a balance in the treasury
Therefore, the prospect of heavy Thanks
giving receipts is not viewed with dismay.
and some of the students who have con-
rributed a good deal each year &c the sun
port of the various athletic teams will vel
come the possibility OF a bank account for
the associations.
Besides the Thanksgiving day game there
will be other opportunities to see the high
schools play. A four-team league mas been
formed by indianapolis Manual Training
High School Shortridge High school,
Louisville Male High School and Louisville
Manual Training High School. This is some
thing new In football and its results will he
watched closely by other teams The nur-
pose OF the league Is 10 make a systematic
arrangement of the schedules and TO elm
mate all superhuous games. The contract
between the teams covers two years. Both
OF the Louisville elevens will be here this
season and the two India ma polls teams will
play In Louisville. The Wabash College and
Champaign, Ill, High School teams will
play with NJ. T. n. ). in Indianapolis next
month. indianapolis University also has
several games booked for this city. This
viii give admirers OF the sport an OpDor-
tunity TO witness more games than have
been played In Indianapolis for several sea-
sons
Special reports from Indiana University
Purdue, NOtre Dame, De PAW. Wabash
Earlham, Franklin. Rose Polytechnic. Han
over and Ntncennes show that all the uni
versities and colleges will be represented bv
strong teams. Some OF the normal schools
also will make bids for gridirOn honors and
the academies. notably Culver Military In
stitute Will show UP strong Colonel Fleet
OF Culver. believes his school has one of the
best teams in the State. and the past work
or Culver teams supports his statement
Among the high schools. Muncie Anderson
NobleSViile. Columbus. Hartford civ
Lebanon, Frankfort. Washington Greens
burg, Goshen. Elkhart Connersville. New
Albany. CovingtOn. Rochester Marion
Greenfield, Danville, New Castle KOkomO
Huntington. Seymour Rensselaer, Port
land. Madison. Franklin. Warsaw Peru
Bloomington, Charlottesville. MartinsviIle
Greencastle, Winchester South Bend Shell
byville. Lafayette. Upton. Liberty. Evans
vile. Terre Haute. Wabash. Salem Rich
mono and Button expect 10 have one or
more good teams. These high schools have
schedules partly completed.
An Indication that the football fever il
spreading In this State is the fact that
South Bend will have an independent team
composed OF some OF the best talent in the
West ~
All the state teams have not yet definitely