The Washington times., 1902-03-23
Local Coliseum Will Have
Long Schedule.
GOOD SPORT is PROMISED
Fast Fields Are Unusually
Large to Open With.
TO FEATURE PACED EVENTS
Eddie Bald Again in the Game-Joe Mel
son Vegetarian - Willie Fem Will
Train Here-Stinson Has Troubles in
Paris-Maior Taylor and Kimble.

Paris-Major Taylor and Kirnble
Chairman Batcheder and c. Ross Klos-
terman, of the board of control. y. c. A,
returned from Jacksonville last week. The
latter stopped off here and gave the Coli
scum at Fourteenth and East Capitol
Streets a good looking over, and pro-
nounced ii in better condition and fas'er
than ever and predicted that many of the
standing records would be broken here
this season.
He expressed the belief that as good if
not better training work can be done in
this city and at the Coliseum than farther
south, and intimated that the next month
would find a small army of riders here.
preparing for the seasons campaign in
the North and West
The recent meets in the South. espe-
cially at Atlanta and Jacksonville. have
encouraged the promoters of the sport to
believe that this will be a most rrosplr-
GUS season in every way.
Many new aspirants for honors and
purses are coming to the front. and the
competition will be something fierce Old
timers will have to look to their laureIs
and il order to keep in the running will
have to adopt the very latest methods
to make showing against the up-to- the
hour human racing machine
Fast Fields in June.
So rapidly has the field of middle-dis-
tance riders increased that during the
early months of the year. May and June.
the battle for supremacy will be the
fercest ever known. Each year in June
the field is sifted down with race after
race, and when July I, or at the latest.
July T. has been passed, those riders who
are to battle for the championship have
been rounded up and others secure few
contests after that. During the present
season the tracks viii be more numerous
and more riders will emerge from the
June battles as favorites than last sea-
son. In July there will be still further
cutting down of the field, and in August
the race promoters will seek anxiously
contracts with the leading men. but in
September the field will be smaller still.
and the champions will have more work
TO do than they care to undertake
Sprinters Take Up Paced Events.
More recruits for the following
field have come forward this year than
was ever known before. Sprinters in /
great number have changed their allie |
glance. and mere promise to do so in the
near future. When the Grand Circuit
starts in July many of these will decide
that middle distance racing is not for
them, and viii return to shorter races.
thus relieving the pressure in the paced
ranks.
There is no reason to believe that be-
cause of the defections from the sprint
ing ranks the Grand Circuit will be any
the less important, as all OF the prom
inent amateurs of last season. with the
exception of Marcus Hurley, who is now
attending college, will be found in the
professional ranks, and hardy riders, too.
Grand Circuit Events.
The Grand Circuit will be more impor-
tant this year than ever, and will present
one solid array of meets from about July
] until the latter part of September, with
a Southern loop which will carry the
riders to Florida and ultimately to Ha-
vana. in all probability, where they will
ride until time to start the indoor circuit
of the North, after which they will find
steady racing in the South, starting with
March l.
Eddie Bald in the Field
Among the old-timers who were terrors
to all competitors several years ago was
Eddie Bald. He is coming back into the
game again. and hopes TO again become
a money maker. but he will have to work
to keep in line.
Chairman Batchelder believes that Ed
die Bald viii ultimately regain his old
time form. but says that Bald must start
at the foot of the ladder and take his
whippings early in the season. The CHAIR
man says that times have changed and
riders have changed, and that Bald re-
turns to the game to find men able 20
take care of themselves in a pinch and
able to battle with Bald in other ways
than speed Bald will no longer have the
riders frightened as he used to have them
and he will not have the race won when ,
he gets on his wheel
Joe Nelson Vegetarian.
There has been very little in the way
of athletic training which popular Joe
Nelson young brother OF the late Johnnie I
Nelson. has not attempted this season. /
Little Joe has sought out every means Of |
development possible, and has grown big {
and heavy under the work, gaining over {
twenty pounds during the winter. From |
a lad the size of Michael, Joe has grown F.,
to over five feet four inches and 40 I
pounds weight He is now exactly the I
size of his brother Johnnie and much $
stronger and harder than Johnnie ever i
was. Last week Joe started training in :
the Turnverein of Newark where he plays |
basketball the livelong day when un- {
able TO be in the outer air. Floyd Krebs
and Teddy Ellington train with him, and
the trio work hard every day.
Diet Has Made Him Strong.
He has taken on vegetarian ideas, and .
has practically abandoned the eating Of ;
meat Nelson has said little regarding :
The reasons for his change. Nelson fol- .
lows the footsteps of Marcus L. Hurley, !
The amateur champion Of the sprinters
last season. Hurley for years has lived
upon a purely vegetable diet, and has
grown big and strong while following an
active racing career. Years ago Sidney
B. Bowman of New York now success
'ul cycle dealer, and very rotund In ap 4
pearance, took up vegetable diet Bow
man was team mate OF Arthur thinner
man. Billy Corcoran was trainer of the |
cam. Bowman was more trouble to his
rainer than any other members of that i
lamcus team as he would eat nothing but | I
vegetables. Bowman is still following the
same bent. and laughs at anyone who eats I
faa. cfap linz aUaf arfa lat l II