The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-07-16

One Of the greatest contests in the
history of sport will mark the Franco
British exposition in London this
summer, when the Olympian games,
which have been growing feature
each succeeding year since their re-
vival, will be held. Thousands and
thousands of lovers of track and field
athletics will crowd this immense
arena, the largest in the world. 1t is
expected that the tiers upon tiers of
solid concrete seats able to accom-
modate $4,000 people will be filled,
that $4,000 more will fill the available
standing room, while down on the
cinder path the greatest runners and
athletes of the world will strain
every muscle and sinew to win glory
and honor, and it is confidently eX-
pected that American contestants will
give a good accounting of themselves
and will be able to carry off their
share of the prizes.
That this country has every reason
to expect great things of her athletes
one has only to consider the list Of
men who have been selected to enter
the contests. 1t is without any doubt
the best and largest body Of athletes
ever sent out by any country TO cap
ture the championship of tie wori5.
The success of the American team at
Athens two years ago surprised even
Its most ardent supporters. The vic
tory was clean cut and decisive. That
team was not the best this country
could produce. A new system of Sc
lecting men has been tried this year.
and the Stars and Stripes will be car
ried by the cream Of this country's
athletes.
There never was a time when Amer
lea could boast of such athletes as
she has at present. Now almost every
one, from the primary schoolboy to
the college senior, is interested in ath-
letics, and consequently rapid strides
have been made in running. jumping
and weight throwing.
Everything will favor the English
athletes. They will be on their own
soil, climatic conditions will be in
their favor and they will escape a long
and possibly rough ocean voyage and
Il week in which training will be car
ried on under great disadvantages.
The Americans must meet and over
come all these handicaps.
Will America win the Olympic cham
pionship? Nearly every one who has
followed track and field athletics at
all closely in this country will reply
in the affirmative and Immediately ask
"Who can beat u.s." More than sew
enty-five men will compose the Amer
lean team They will come from all
parts of the country-north, south.
east and west. Nearly dozen nation
alities will be represented an Indian
from the government school. Greek.
Germans, plenty of Irish, a Swede,
some French and Italian descendants
and a negro. The majority Of the
team will be nativeborn Americans
Americas greatest athletes seem to
be of Irish descent, and glance at
the names of the members will prove
this. Here are a few of them: Elan
agan, Sheridan, McGrath, O'Connell,
Morrissey and Hayes. And nearly all
of these will be point winners.
At the head of the team will be the
greatest physical trainer in this coun-
try, If not the world. Mike" Murphy,
who now handles the athletes of the
University of Pennsylvania. He has
spent lifetime in this work. and is
wizard in developing and determining
the ability of runner or jumper.
Mike" as he is known. will have a
big job attending to rs high-strung
human thoroughbreds, but there is no
man more capable of sending them to
the mark in the pink of condition than
he.
Many of the members of the team
are college men, both students and
graduates. Some of the universities
and colleges which will be represented
are Pennsylvania, Yale, Princeton.
Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth. Michi-
gan, Leland Stanford, Chicago. ILL
nois, Virginia and Swarthmore. Some
of the college athletes have Just COM
pleted their freshman year, while 9TH
ers are graduates of six years stand
ing.
Every man on the team is an ANA
teur with not the slightest faint Of
professionalism. In selecting the men |