The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-10-08
ONE FOOTBALL PLAY.
Nenard Praetieed Three Months For
Ten Seconds Work.

"Bill" Reid. Jr.-eN-full back ana
football coach-te.ls many interest
ing and enlightening stories OF foot
ball strategy i'm the American Maya
zine. one story he tells Is as follows
When Victor Kenard of Harvard
kicked he drop kick which won the
Harvard Yale game last year. many
people called il luck. That drop ki,k
was really started early in the spring
OF 1908. when kennard. IN anticipa'
ton of just some situation rs this.
began to school hinselt mo master
OF drop kicking
"Al during July. August and Sep
TENDER he practiced. stniying the de
tail of the kick. and perfecting the
fundamentals. He had someone pass
the ball 10 him. so as 10 increase MS
speed and accuracy In handling AZ,
and in quickening mp his foot-work,
for speed is essential in drop kicking.
Then in the evenings he took his ball
home with him and made a detailed
study OF the art OF dropping il so
that il would rebound accurately and
at the right distance from mis- foot.
He spent periods OF twenty minutes
at time standing against a wall
and swinging his leg alongside OF II
in an effort To develop an absolutely
straight and accurate leg drive When
he returned 20 college he had so far
mastered these details that on one
occasion he kicked sixty successive
goals from within his limits. and at
another fftyfve. To be sure this was
not done under pressure.
"Kennard was given three opportu
mites TO try for goals in regular
games. The first chance came in the
opening game of the season-that
with Bowdoin, i'm which he failed OF
an easy goal His second try was in
Springfield Training School game. at
a distance of thirty-fiye yards. and he
made it, His bird try, which came
in the Indian game. at a distance of
forty-five yards. and from point
close to the side lines. was failure.
only. however. because tine ball did
not have the necessary carry The
direction was good. but the kick fell
five Yards short Nothing further de-
veloped until the team went 10 Fal III
ington and then HaughtOn told Ken
nard that IL had been decided that In
case Harvard got the ball inside of
Yale's 25-yard line with the third
down and more than > 10 gain. that
he was TO be given a chance 70 drop
kick
"Kennard told Nourse that if he
were called on for kick he did not
wish the pass delayed any Longer
than was absolutely necessary for him
10 get his position and allow the p o.
tectiye backs To get the r.. Nothin :
was said 10 the rest of the team
about IL but every detail was carefully
worked out. rehearsed and perfected.
Ii was decided that in order 10 save
every fraction Of a second and thereby
make the surprise OF The Yale team
the greater. upon going on the field
Kennard should walk backward into
his kicking position in order that he
keep NOurse always in line with the
middle point Of the cross bar. making
unnecessary any further al ustment
except that OF distanC,. Then. that
there might be no visible sign by
which any vigilant Eli might surmise
what was about TO happen. kennard
and Nourse agreed upon a private
signal for the passing of the ball A
slicM movement OF two fingers IL was,
and preparation was compete.
Then came the fale game Ken
nard. sitting on the side lines. saw
Yale carry the ball down 10 Harvard S
Il ward line: he saw Harvard rally
take the ball away from Yale and
then start on a steady rapid advance
towards Yale goal line. now 80. now
1 so. now 30 Yards away. The teams
! line up; IL is first down-the signal Is
I given. the play is of. and Harvard
/ has made no gain The second play
( brings four yards. and il is the third
| down with six 20 60 on lales l.
yard line. and with the ball just few
yards outside of the lefthand goa
| post Cutler starts 10 give his signal
! everyone is anxious-Harvard mer
| for fear their team cannot make ths
/ distance. Yale men. for fear that they
will. There Is a momentary pause, Z
/ slight cOmmOtiOn on the side lines
something is ab1it TO happen Ken
nard's opportunity has come. Out hi
trots. glad Of the chance. ready TO
Il in every detail. confident and cool
He backs carefully into position. tive
fingers on the right hand twitch, an'
before the astonished Yale players
realize what has happened. the bal
has been sent straight and true he
tween the cross bars. and kennardi
years work is done