The San Francisco call., 1908-08-23
DONOVAN SSIIARNARD TRAINFR

have thousand fairly good men thar
to possess but two or three who ar,
merely able to break records for tia
entertainment of the crowd. As a whole
Americans appear to me to be groxins
stronger. 1 believe that good coac5 lua
has had much to do with it"
Another trainer who has been vev
successful in preparing young men "a
take part in athletic events is John r
Moakley of Cornell university. His
ideas as to the progress of young
America are as follows:
The improved standard in track and
field athletics, and for that matter in
athletics generally-and I believe THAI
the standard is higher-seems to me ~
be due to more causes than one.
Schools, colleges, organizations Of thu
Young Mems Christian association and
athletic clubs are insisting that the men
who represent them shall be well
versed in sport The more symmetrical.
the development of the body the bettss
N-C RAOSRCNl1 LOL Improvement ID
athletics; hence more attention is being
given to the body building OF the am
bilious aspirant.
TO my mind there should be careful
handling OF the young in track athletics
and very little competition until the
boy has reached the age Of Is years.
The policy at the larger educational in
stitutions Of not permitting the fresh
men to compete on varsity teams was a
good move for better physical develop
ment. More attention is paid to a boys
physical development at college than at
school, for all freshmen are required to
submit to several examinations during
the year by competent physicians. IN
addition to that they have the advice
of a trainer who has been in athletics
and has had long experience in the
handling of athletes The fact that
there is no serious competition in his
freshman year, but sufficient to keep
him interested. is productive of slower
physical development at a time in his
life which means much to him. espe-
CAdAlS II ne leS ONtIQOuG DIT SCHOOL
I1TRACK athletics are the oldest
exercise in existence. as walking.
jumping and running are the
first things that the child attempts to
do after a thoroughly athletic fashion.
Running and jumping are the funda-
mental essentials for every athletic
sport II man does not possess sons
ability to run or spring in the air he
does not fit into the games of football.
baseball. cricket or tennis and others
that might be named
Il believe that the Americans are
progressing more rapidly than any
nation in the world in athletics.
think that it is due to good teaching
in part. to an Improvement in the racs
the fact that the Americans are so
quick to divine how to obtain the best
of everything and to ascertain what is
best for them to take"
William F. Donovan is a handler OF
athletes at Harvard. He has been with
athletes all his life in one way or an
other. He says:
Il attribute the good performances
which we are seeing nowadays in this
country to the larger number of ath-
Ietes who are profiting by good in
struction and who have found that
they are benefited by work which also
interests them
~GeneralIy speaking It seems to me
that young Americans are stronger and
better physically than they were some
years ago.
Now we find. especially at the col
Ieges. that in every fresh class which
enters there are not one or two. but
two-thirds or more who are in sound
condition and not averse to good exer-
else in some way or another"
Ernest Hjertberg of New York IS
best known for the good results watch
have followed his training in the two
largest athletic clubs in the metropolis
He has developed fair share of record
holders. His ideas are as follows:
I'VE are fnding better material
dhiOHS tHc yVNH5 'NSi- -
better in wholesale way than ever
we did. 1t is in part the result OF good
teaching and in part due TO competl-
ton. which begets interest and results
in large fields
organized clubs and leagues are
doing a great deal for the young men
of this country. Perhaps / should say
city. for it is here that 1 have had the
most of my experience I an certain
that we are producing better young
men. because 7 know that the men
whom l hare in my care are as. stu
dious in regard to following my In
structions as If they We're at a cOllegs
training table and were watched By