The Washington times., 1908-01-26
English COllegianS
Are Warned Against
American Methods
Our Athletes Take Things
Too Seriously, Says
"Old Blue.

Oxford and Cambridge athletes have
had a lengthy sermon preached 20 them
by "Old Blue" fearing that they may
adopt the American methods Of train
ing.
He says the Yankees take things too
seriously and consequently get very
little real pleasure out Of their track
and field sports. The danger Of mental
alteration is pointed out IS the result
Of excessive enthusiasm. The dear old
gentleman gives advice If a man is over
trained and his prescription is a liberal
desc OF champagne.
He says: "Our transatlantic cousins
and rivals laugh at the Oxfo~d and
Cambridge methods of trailing. which,
among other things, they dub careless.
Compared with their own drastic sys-
TEN. I dare say there is something in
such a contention As a matter OF fact.
their methods read like a page out Of
Plato's Republic Leading athletes are
nursed at the public expense, and under
divers penalties must conform to a sys-
TEN Of training which can only be de-
scribed as overdone. Preparation on such
lines, extending over many months, may
bring about the end In view. hut of it's
worth in the long run expert opinion
differs considerably. / hope il will never
be- emulated by Light and Dark Blues.
Automatic Training.
American athletes are trained as
though they were mere machines and
not men. whereas English athletes all
ways try To get some fun oct Of their
preliminary work while spariug no pains
to get thoroughly nj. This was demon
strated clearly at the last international
universities meeting preparation held in
this country. A striking difference in
the general methods at daily practice
was noticed oxford and Cambridge
men took things leisurely. There was
no fussing, no immediate hurry to get
to the prescribed work OF the day At
least an hour was spent in larking
about the track until they had definite
~ settled down 10 serious work. Per
contra, the Harvard and Yale men set
about their work in grim earnestness
right away Yet IL by no means fol
lows that the sister Blues were, as al
legged, careless.
one noticed a serious air about the
American athletes which implied the
possibility of disaster. This is a bad
feature. No trainer worth his salt has
half done his work who allows his men
ever to get out of spirits or 10 C0mtem-
plate this possibility. And no athlete
can be training on well who, allows
himself to dwell upon possibilities Of
defeat or INDUCES in gloomy forebod-
inEs.
Don't Worry Over Result.
such alterations would greatly dis
turb the equanimity of c.. y. Jackson.
the O. L. 4. c. mentor. and even more
so old Jack White. the c. T. A. c.
trainer. They would at once insist upon
a reasonable respite and incidentally
the adoption of a champagne refresher
Earnestness in training is right enough.
but 20 harhor no thought during train
ing except how to best harden nerve
or muscle is downright folly.
"Carelessness has never been 2 fall
ing Of oxford and Cambridge sportsmen.
In running, rowing, and kindred pas
times training they invariably follow
fairly elaborate, if, according to
American minds, elastic system. What
IS more they do quite as much II not
more actual work than their adversar-
les.
The difference IS this. English
sportsmen train on the principle that,
to be pIeasurable, any sort of sport
should be pleasure and not business.
In the main, American athletes err from
excess Of enthusiasm i'm all such mat
ters. They make business Of pleas
ure. Ordinary success TO them is hard
ly worth having. As the result they
arc apt to Overdo sport. and this in turn
begets other evils, of when one need
hardly speak now The fact remains"