The Washington times., 1902-04-20
Preparations at the Coli
scum for an Active
Season..
CRACKS ARE TRAINING HARD
Amateurs Will Be Encouraged-Tommy
Hall, Champion, and McFarland-Tim
Hurst's New Track-Speed Then and
Now-Winners of Last Year.

A small army OF nechanics Is at "orh
on the new bleachers and the new light
! ing plant at the Coliseum. Fourteenth and
| East Capitol Streets. and Manager Osgood
| is planning to throw open the doors OF the
| big cycling bowl on or about May 21. and
there will be program offered on Fri
days OF each week thereafter. and Tues
dayr, in addition, if there is demand
for it. On May 30. Decoration Day. big
card OF events will be run off.
! Followers of the intensely exciting
sport will find many new features ar
ranged for their comfort and the at
| fractions to be offered in the racing pro-
] grams will be the best that can be found,
and the racers will include from time to
time all the stars in America.
The fact that Tommy Hall. Champion.
| Floyd Mcfarland, and others have chosen
| this track for their training speaks vol
umes for its quality. and at once stamps
it as one of the fastest in the country.
| Amateurs Catered To.
! The management realizes that there are
| a number of clever amateur riders in this
city. who are simply awaiting an oppor-
tunity to test their racing qualities. To
these the management of the Coliseum
! will cater. and every opportunity will be
afforded them in the way of training privi-
| leges at the track, with locker and bath
| accommodations. Special races will be
arranged for them. and on each nights
program there Will be at least two events
open to amateurs
| The local cycling clubs. the Arlington,
Levant. Navy Yard. and others, are TAX
| ing decided interest in the game and al
| ready number are taking their practice
on the big bowl
Tommy Hall Favorite.
Tommy Hall has won Washington by
his early work back of the motors at the
| Coliseum. Hall is midget of the size
! of Michael. whom he greatly re-
! sembles back OF a motor His first train
| ing ride netted him ten miles at an aver
age gait of 1:41 2-5. quite a step toward
| the speed limit to take in the first go off.
Johnnie Eckhardt is conditioning Hall
and his team mate, Albert Cham
pion. and has Champion going fast
| er now than he ever travelled in his
| life before. Hall will remain in Washing
/ toh uAhAi nay ne SOcS flItS-
! burg to meet Lester Wilson in the OPEN
| ing race on Tim Hursts new track 1t is
probable that both Hail and Champion
will be seen in races here at the Coliseum
| track in May. Manager Osgood is deter
| mined to make the track paying invest
| rnent this season, and will give the best
attractions. besides. as already mentioned.
changing the lighting system and adding
cheap bleacher seats. Under the new
management. the riders will readily sign
for races at Washington, although their
experiences last season were not favor
able. Arthur Irwin believes that the
Washington track will be one of the most
successful in the circuit.
Is Training With Mcfarland.
Hall is being looked after at the Coli
scum by Floyd Mcfarland. in the absence
of Champion. who went to Boston to ride
in the big Charles River meet yesterday.
Mcfarland will ride at Vailsburg this
week.
Under Champion the little fellow show /,
ed great Improvement, and his pacing !
with Mcfarland will bring him up to tho |
top notch of condition He is not an ex- !
perienced pace follower, but he is great |
little rider as shown In the New York |
six day race. Two months of practice will |
enable him 10 perfect himself in paced |
work AT the outset the midget was |
slow to round into shape. but he gained |
rapidly when once started on the right !
track.
Mcfarland Matched With Walthour.
Floyd Mcfarland. who is at the Coliseum, |
will sign a contract to follow pace ex-
cIusively this year. Mcfarland mingled |
With aSt |
son. and found that either one injured his
chances in the other. AS an exclusive |
follower OF pace, the lanky Californian
will rank with the top notchers of the !
yea;
One of the most surprising results from
the training camps is the speed shown by |
Albert Champion, who had been considered
about through with pace following. Cham
pion is now faster than ever, and under
the management of James c. Kennedy,
and care of Johnnie Eckhardt, Champion
gives promise of developing championship !
form.
Tim Hurst's Track.
Bobbie Walthour and Floyd Mcfarland |
have been matched for race at Pitts
burg on May 80. Manager Tim Hurst will |
open his track with a race between Lester
Wilson and Tommie Hall. on May "a. and
Willie Fem will meet the winner of this
race early in June. Mr.. Hurst is book |
ing none but the strongest attractions for |
Pittsburg, and is entering the field early !
in order that he may secure the men |
wanted. The new track will be conducted
weekly. Work upon it will be started at
once. and it will be completed about the
middle of May.
Washington Race Nights.
Baltimore's meets will be held on Mon
day evenings this year. those of Washing
ton on Friday evenings. and Philadelphis
will run Thursdays. 1t is the intention of
Manager Arthur Irwin to run meets at
Atlantic City every night in the week at
the height OF the season. He will open
the new track May Is, on which date Bal
timore and Washington will both start.
Norfolk, Va, will hold regular Sunday
meets. Manager Prince will run his new
Trenton track probably on Wednesday
evenings and at Philadelphia motor races
will be held Saturday evenings. leaving
but one night in the week not regularly |
taken up, and as there will be meet at
Atlantic City that night, the entire week
will be filled anyway.
Irwin's Atlantic City Track.
Work has been started upon the seven
lap track at Atlantic City, and by his
Arthur Irwin has forever set
at rest any doubts about the construction
of this track. The seven-lap course will
have an angle Of forty seven degrees.