The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-03-10
VASSAR'S ATHLETIC GIRLS.
A NEW RACE or WOMEN BEING EVOLVED
ny THE Gymnasium.
They Can Climb Fenocs, Swim like Mermaids.
do All Kinds Of Athletic Things, and Then
In = Trice Turn Themselves Into sedste
Young women Again-Ths Good Results.

The athletic girl who wants to keep her
muscles hard and her brain clear finds ways
OF doing It at Vassar from October OF her
freshman year until June OF her senior.
Vassar IL most fortunately situated to give
- students the greatest amount 81 freedom
without any unpleasant publicity. IL 10
set down In the midst Of the country. and IL
connected with P~oughkeepsie by only a one
track car line. which lands q car at the front
entrance every ten minutes Behind the
evergreen hedge the girls reign supreme
II Is their privilege TO say who shall watch
the games. the running. the jumping and
all the rest of 1t. Entrance under these con-
ditions Is difficult For while Vassar Is noted
for It's hospitality. II does not invite the out
Side public Unfortunately to see its ath-
letic contests. The college and a few chosen
guests are the only ones who watch the tcsts
Of skin and endurance which are as earnest
and vital to a Nassar girl as 10 any college
man who feels that the reputation Of his col
lege depends upon him
First In the round Of the college year comes
basketball The tennis tournament LIS held
In the fall also or course there are long.
Jolly walks. and excursions into the woods.
but the greatest fun for all, among the athletic
amusements taken purely for pleasure. IL
hare and hounds
A brigade OF girls In short skirts gather
for tho start. on goes the hare and a few
moments later. the hounds take up the trail
and away they go up hill and down. through
underbrnsh. and up to a fence.
Without a moments hesitation over they
scramble There Is not a troublesome man
for miles around. to watch how they do IL
In short skirts and out OF range OF specta.
tors. the run makes them feel as II they wers
- a - In II MAI I'll -
When the game IL over and they get back
TO their rooms breathlsss and laughing. halt
an hour transforms them into sedate. graceful
young women. clothed In dainty garments,
trailing their skirts behind them. looking as
II their only knowledge Of running and climb
ing fences came from what they read In books,
That Is the delightful part about u vassar
athlete No matter how strong she Ia. nor
how many championships she gets, nor what
records she breaks. a short thirty minutes
viii reduce her TO as feminine "a woman as
the most conservative could desire She
Is never stamped athlete" so that you could
pick her out in a crowd II sho were tho
athletic directors Of tho college would lie
awake nights worrying about it Their
object Ia 70 develop a girl physically, as much
"a she Is being DEVELOPED mentally, but never
at tho expense Of her wnmsnlinnss
swimming has come TO be ono Of the useful
pastiincs Of tho fall since the swimming tank
has been AZ the disposal OF the students.
Last fall the gymnasium presented q seashnrs
who could swim plunged in to cool OF after
basketball or tennis. and girls who couldn't
were 50 anxious TO learn that the swimming
teachers had thelr hanis full The novices
learned the arm motion and the proper way
~ clicking: they did them both separately.
tried them together. ducked. came ~ again.
sIluttered, shook the water ont uf their eyes
and hair. and then went at 1t again. Most
OF tho candidates learned - out through tho
V-atar lila r,avtNatIa haf,ra tla s,usAp uaa
over. Next summer they expect 10 have
great sport trying their new accompli shnant
IN, something less oircumscribed than a swim
Golf. Of course. Is popular at vassar, No
college now. for men or women. could get
along without IL Moreover, II has q cham
pion-hip attached. Miss Margaret Calhoun.
who has had enGugh athletic honorSD make
half q dozen girls happy. walked on with Il
last year. She also has the distinction Of
slandi1g at the top OF the list Of the strong
tnlis 81 The the e9iid " Just eamp SI PbS y Niiss
Hnrriet Ballantyre and her assistant. Miss
These tests include lifting with the arms,
back and legs, clearing the bar aud work on
the dying ring Just az IN a college for men.
Miss Calhoun excei.ed In them all
In ms Ey.t"tn 81 nlgasliroment- there /,
20 particular. competition and no, special
inI ren,1 cddhhaa,, ,inhf sstii SHa AZ d ma ss,s '4 sar
~ win dashos and Jumps and throws, IS what
their class cares about, and 80 this preliminary
test IL usually n very quiet affair. and sirls
do not know where they stand uutl Miss
Bulnntyre posts a notice giving the names
Of tn" girls IN each class who are best IN total
strength. who have the greatest lung capacity
aud who have tho most generous supply OF
inches.
The sargent system Of gymnastics is used
at Nassar llrll IN the gymnasllin Ia begun
Comparatively early in the fall and lasts
tho Eassar girl i Required 70 spend one period
each week IN class work, when, she learns o.
. .Tlqs m a4MHs'i If G Hcr EE1dd'SG by y'P Il. o q4d nj ats
exercise. while the piano PLAYS the proper
Rhythm and makes her feel that she is doing
gymnastics for pleasure and not BECAUSE
In addition she. takes two periods each
week for individual WORK with the apparatus.
working at the bar. yaultine rowing vieor-,
any II the other hundred and one things
that NAV b. better for her.
and dh ibs sF .afc "s u" aff f]Gadirrs IS sy m 1sG eating tHss
physical condition Of tho girls Indeed i
womcu's colleges keep up the good work.
the twenty-Hr-t century Will have a race OF
women to show VIII will not know what
headaches and Indigestion are.
The NuSsnr girls records compared with
those Of College men stand as follows.
Vdgsdr C0'hs.' Mems Colleges,
:2pYAnp DASH.
50 SECONDS MS seconds.
RUN~I"o HGu JUMP.
RUNNING BROAD JUMP.
- feet 3 inches 2. feet ~ inches.
STANDING BROAD imp
: feet c inches. 10 fee, . inches.
PRINCE vAvIT.
4 Zee, ~ Inches, e. ..
,~RAsEETnAlL THROW.
90 Zee, O., inahes. o.
DASEBALL THROW
100 Tee, 5 inches. s79 tee a., inches,
as fee, inches.
Tho record TO- the Ioo-yard dash, 10 49,
seconds. belongs To Miss Louise Sommor
Hol'nquist, 1901 But no one In college has
c,galled yet the record ~ 3. seconds Tor the
.2l-rtrd dish. 4 Miss Isabel Adams, 'gS
The running high jump Is II tie between
Miss Ruth Wells. who was graduated last year,
and Miss Elsa ". White. 1902 The record Of
4 foot J., inch &c for the fence vault was won
hy Miss Bessie /. De Gran. 1900. and Mis-,
Kowena Reed. 1900, holds he college record
II ~ feet 3 inches In Ia" running broad Jump
Miss Emma Bradley. 1900. made the baseball
throw of I7u feet , Incl". and her record VII
Irobably remain undistIrhed for some time.
Miss julia reidru look wood. lgUI, the
President 81 tho Athletic Association. So Tar
holds the reCotl Of u - second, for tho
i:0-yaid hurdle Iler performance T. q
thing If beauty ~ We'll a. n snill. She runs
grtoo'Gllv. holding herself erect, with her
arms well down ~ IN" SIDE and IA" SKINS
over tn sticks just hign enough t. tdao
th"m. land. NIX as lightly H. Il ,h" "erc rua,o
N,s.Caihoun. 1901. ndds tpher ether athIcuc
honor. tn" record 81 ! ieHt q iu,Ar, IA the