Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-22
WINNING A VARSITY LETTER
College Initial Means Much to Student
Athlete.
NOT ALL CAN SPORT ONE OF THEM
How IL f. Awarded 60 Successful
Competitors I'm Athletics-Phi
Bette Kappa of Physical
Endeavor.


In the colleges the biggest athletic
premium IL the varsity letter; that is, the
initial Of the college name To persons not
familiar with universities and their Gus
toms the value that college men put on 1t
is hard TO understand They simply ex-
pect that any man who goes TO a college
should appear later on picturesduely clothed
in a sweater (other clothes, tool marked
with a big initial. and smoking the In
evitable pipe.
Nowadays when school boys are well ac-
quainted In advance with college customs
there Is little chance OF any entering lad
doing as one did some years ago. lie
bought himself a sweater the day he
learned he had paused the entrance ex-
aminations for Cornell and put on It a
big c. He wore It until about an hour
after he arrived in Ithaca Then from an
upper class man he learned better.
The customs which concern the wearing
OF the varsity letter differ in the various
colleges, but In the main the privilege is
hound by the sam rules. In colleges
where there is owing Il IL given without
further question for the four major sports.
These are foot ball. basket ball, track and
crew.
The eight men and the coxswain OF the
crew who take part in an intercollegiate
regatta get the letter. In base ball in most
colleges the nine men or more who take
part in 90 per cent of the seasons schedule
get the letter. Sometimes 1t depends OF
participation in a certain few important
contests at the end of the season. sotalso
In foot ball. Many big colleges make the
winning of the letter depend upcu taking
part In a single game.
Minnie IL Enough.
Al Yale, for instance. playing for a min
ute only against Harvard Or Princeton is
enough. Terry often a player works hard
for four seasons on the scrub, never being
good enough to deserve a place on varsity.
AS a reward for faithfulness he is sent in
at the very end OF a game. perhaps only
long enough TO get in one play, but that is
enough to entitle him to the letter. 1t is
the great prize OF athletics. the Phi Beta
Kappa key Of sports.
Track depends more on individual condi-
lions than on fixed rule. Any college gives
a letter for a point earned in the big inter-
collegiate meet. First. second, third or
fourth place gives that.
There are some dual meets which give
the letter. Once upon a time Columbia
n en- got the C for any place in the dual
meet with Princeton. Princeton, on the
otf err hand, did not give the letter for any
piece in the meet with Columbia. For a
meritorious performance in that meet a
Princeton man might get his A p A, stand
ing for Princeton Ati letic association.
Harvard gives the II for any place in
the Harvard-Yale meet. Yale awards the
Y only for first or second place. A curious
Harvard regulation is that any man conf
peting for the Crimson on the track may
wear the uniform shirt. white with a
crimson courier's stripe across the chest
with a small II on it.. This letter may be
won by any one, but for occasions of COM
petition only.
stripe, Too, at Cornell.
At Cornell a man winning a first in the
intercollegiate games gets, besides the c,
a courier's stripe running from left to
right. For a first in the cross-country
race a stripe from right to left is awarded,
80 that a performer like Warren schutt
was entitled to wear his G and crossed
stripes for both such flrsts.
Some colleges of the New England group
give a letter for breaking a university rec
ord. whether in interclass or other games.
All letters look alike to the average per-
son, but actually there may be a differ
ence. Some colleges have separate styles
OF letter for various games. At Cornell,
for instance. a small block c goes for row.
ing, in red on a white Jersey or worn with
crossed oars on the left upper pocket OF a
coat.
A large block c.. rather flattened down,
in white on a red sweater, means foot
ball. A white sweater with a block c In
between the crew and foot bail size is for
track. Base ball gets q round red letter on
Jersey or sweater.
At Yale rowing gets q regulation Y In
blue on a white sweater. Foot ball gets q
white lafter On n hlue aweatar. SYRACUSE
color is orange, but as It gives a Letter
in blue for track. for instance, the Inn
preston got abroad that there were two
colors.
A man who knows about these regula
lions can in a minute pick out the spor
for which an athlete won his letter. "A
Harvard the hat bands worn by athletes
show this.
Aside from the bis sports, letters coca
sionally are given for the minor sports. 4
man who wins for his college q champion
ship in golf. wrestling. fencing, lawn ton
mis-. swimming OF gymnastics. gets the let
ter ordinarily by courtesy. Every on
knows II takes more than usual practie
TO come up 10 the degree Of excellence re
-quired, and as such victories reflect mucl
credit on the eollege, It is considered onl.
fair to give some reward.
In many colleges. however, objection
made to this as cheapening the letter. TIL
standard reply Is that dozens OF men &c
the letter out OF foot ball or other sport
who do not deserve It as much as a hard
working gymnast who spends years acqudI
ing the skill he needs to win a cham
plonship.
Yale only recently adopted a rule this