Evening star., 1908-01-12
MANY RESPOND TO
CALL FOR ATHLETES
Promise of Phenomenal Year
in the CoIIeges-0Iympic
Games the Stimulus.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

nomenal year in the history of American
college athletics began this week when
the athletes OF every university and col
lege of the whole east and middle west
started indoor training with a rush. From
the advance reports Of the number OF
men responding to the call for training
at all the principal universities 1t Is evil
dent that in numbers. at'least the squads
for the different major sports among the
institutions Of the big five" have broken
all records. At Harvard there are al
ready something like 800 men training
for the track team and the limit has not
been reached yet. At Yale. Pennsylvania,
Cornell and Princeton there has been a
correspondingly large turnout of track
candidates. though the number at the
latter institutions never reaches the huge
total 1t does at Harvard. All of these
same institutions are extremely busy In
basket ball and the other minor sports
All of the major sports will be In fun
swing within the next few weeks.
The primary cause for the great ac-
tivity In track athletics is the knowledge
that the American team to the Olympic
games next summer is to be selected
solely on the basis Of merit as shown In
actual competition. Under intercollegiate
rules all freshmen and first year men are
debarred from representing their uni
versities but this will be no bar to their
membership on the Olympic team. All
that is required is that they be bonafide
amateurs and win their places. For these
reasons college trainers will have no
trouble in getting out the full strength
of their freshman material.
Where Will Intercollegiates Be
Heldp
College men are now deeply interested
in the selection Of a field. for the holding
of the intercollegiate track and field
championships. The Harvard stadium is
out Of the question this year by reason
of the fact that the meet was held In
Cambridge in 1906 and 1907. There are
ont three possibilities viz. Philadelphia,
Franklin Field of the University of Penn
sylvania: New Haven, the Yale Field.
and Princeton, N. J. OF the three Frank
lin Field is by far the best equipped. but
since the Quakers have held the me-
vice in the last four years they would in
lerpose no objections If Yale or Princeton
year as though they would make bid
for them. but the matter has not been
ag;tated since. If it should come down
to a contest between Yale and Princeton
the chances are thatsthe Tigers would
be awarded the games, because Princeton
is more centrally located. Princeton men
have been urged repeatedly to apply for
the privilege of holding the big games.
but the Tigers would be obliged to
straighten out their track before so i'm
portant a meet could be held there.
II neither Yale nor Princeton make an
effort to get the games they will undoubt-
idly be held at Franklin Field This
field Is probably the best equipped in
America for such a meet, and If It is Sc
lected the choice will be popular one.
Another incentive which is likely to in
auence the selection Of Franklin Field
is the fact that the American committee
which must select the team to be sent
TO the Olympic games next summer has
the holding of the elimination trials on
June 6, the week following the inter-
eollegiates. Inasmuch as the collegians
will have tried out the track at their
5wn championships they will feel more
at home here when they have to win their
places In competition against the best
club athletes and former college men.
College Graduates for Olympic Team
It has been made evident within the
asst few weeks that the majority of the
rack and field stars who graduated last
June will resume training as early as
possible and become candidates for the
American team to the Olympic games.
r'rom Michigan 1t is announced that John
iarrells, the best all-around athlete since
The days of Kraenzlein, will get to work
at once under the direction of Keene
Fitzpatrick, his old trainer. This is good
news, for Garrells is not only the finest
nurdler In America, but he is the best
discus thrower we have and stands but
little below Rose and Coe in the shot
put. Another graduate star who will
MA, who last year made new inter-
Collegiate record of 6.O3A in the high
Jump. Trainer Mike Murphy thinks that
Ioffett can come close to the record of
Pennsylvania. and he will do everything
in his power to have him in top-notch
form.
There are a number Of other men who
are expected to become candidates for
his team. among them being Marshall
Of Yale, who was second to Moffett last
year; Parsons, also of Yale, who still
holds the intercollegiate record of 1.56
or the half mile; Megoffin Of Cornell,
and Eisele Of Princeton, both exception
ally good distance runners. and number
Of other men who are far from being has
oeens."
In view Of the fact that the Olympic
games schedule will contain a five-mile
run instead of the two-mile event 1t will
not be surprising if a request is made
oy some of the colleges that a five-mile
event be added to the intercollegiate pro-
gram in order that some of the long
lance runners may have some incentive
to try for this event on the Olympic
team. Otherwise Americas representa-
lion in this race will be otly from the
athletic clubs.
Michigan Not Likely to Return.
Although some enthusiasts are inclined
to the belief that the University of Michi-
gan will shortly be enrolled as an active
participating member Of the western
intercollegiate conference there seems to
be little likelihood of this when all the
facts are taken into consideration. 1t is
true that at the meeting of the faculty
representatives week ago that body by
five to four vote agreed to a seven
game schedule for foot ball, instead OF
five games as at present. This was one
Of the conditions laid down by Michigan
before the Wolverines would consider
return to the fold. But it was the only
concession the faculty would consider In
addition Michigan wanted a training
table and four years of eligibility tor all
athletes, two propositions promptly voted
down. q
It is altogether unlikely that the c. Il
ference will be able to have the sevt n
game rule made effective. One of the
rules of the conference is that If Any
against a measure it must be passed b.
trrn ri of int "a