Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
BUSHNELL ON
COLLEGE ATHLETES
Very Little Bidding for the An
nuaI Intercollegiate
Meet.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

letes of America emphasizes once more
the poor athletic equipment of the leading
large universities of the east. At this
meeting the association viii have to de-
termIne the location for the thlrty-fourth
annual track and field games to be held
the last of May. AS has been the case
since 1903, when the games were last held
In New York there will be but two can
didates for this honor-Harvard and the
University Of Pennsylvania. PROBABLY
both institutions will do a certain amount
of eIectioneering before and during the
meeting.
This yearly lining up Of delegates IN
favor of one or the other Of these two in
situations could all be avoided II Column
bia Princeton or Yale had suitable faciii-
ties for holding the games. Pennsylvania
does not care for the games for them
selves. but disiikes to take a team to the
other end of the country. Harvard shares
the same feeling The Quakers have sew
eral times urged Princeton to apply for
the games but the Tigers have never
shown any willingness to make the i'm
provements In their field necessary for
holding them Similarly Yale could have
the games for the asking. but the ELS
have never taken the steps necessary.
Harvard and Pennsylvania are both ad-
mirahly situated for holding the games,
though both are on opposite sides or the
intercollegiate circle. Both institutions
have excellent Quarter-mlle tracks, ana
are otherwise we'll equipped for entertain
ing the visiting athletes. Harvard IS ham
dicapped by having such narrow track
that it IS necessary to decide the nam.
mer throw in another field which none OF
the spectators can see: Pennsy Nv M. >
only disadvantage is that the 22o-yard
dash and hurdles finish in a chute though
not out OF sight of the spectators
When the games were taken away from
New York it was the expectation that
they would rotate around the college
circle. After Pennsylvania and Harvard
had both held them, the other COLLEGES
seemed to prefer not to take them. being
content that they should rotate between
Philadelphia and Boston. There Is
popular msapprehenSion abroad tnat the
games are held where the receipts are the
largest This motive has very little IN
auence on the association. which Is now
comparatively rich organization. ana a.,
cIares a dividend every year that would
make some Of New York's plutocranc
fnanc,ers Jealous. The rivalry between
Harvard and Pennsylvania for the honor
Of managing the meet has always neen 50
intense that 1t is Impossible 10 COMES VI l .
at this distance which institution Will sel
them for 1909 Both colleges are evenly
divided in the matter of supporters among
the minor institutions, and the nsht -
sure to be a keen one. They Will Do Wen
managed. no matter where helo.
Collegians Want a Five-M1le hun.
In y;aw Of the tremendous interest now
being taken in Marathon and long-dis-
tonco running there is a desire on the
part of several colleges in the 1. C. A. "A.
A A to have a fve-mile run added to
the regular track and field program. At
Ia longest
event The demand for the longer run
is made on behalf of the cross-country
squads at the different universities. 1ese
men are now Obliged to compete In the
| two-miIe or not at all. There are many
| distance runners who are not fitted for a
| two-mile run, and consequently train oaly
| for the cross-country race in the 1all. IL
| Is to keep them on the team in the spring
| that the five-nile run is wanted. The
| English colleges run three. four and five
| miles regularly. and there should be nc
reason why the Americans could not do
| the same
| Trainer Mike Murphy Of the University
of Pennsylvania is opposed to the add
| ton of q five-nlile run. His contention Is
| that the college term is too combining on
students to permit them to train for q
race OF this length, particularly since
the championships are held during Or just
previous to final examinations lie con
| tends that the two-mile event gives the
distance runners all the work they need
|
| in the spring.
The history Of our progress In distance
| running, however, is pretty conclusive
proof that the "intercollegiates'' will soon
see some distance race longer than two
miles. For many years the one-mie
event was the longest event on the pro-
gram. Then when there came demand
| for longer run the association substt-
tuted the tWo-mile run for the one-mile
walk. IF a five-mile run is eventually
| added the chances are that 1t will come
| as substitution for the tWo-rnile event
! Or the association may deem 1t safer &c
approach the longer race gradually and
substitute for the twO-mile q three-mlle
| run, increasing 1T as the demand grows
| for the longer distances. Trainer Muir
| ply frequently expresses regret that the
| mile walk was eliminated. He contends
| that this event was one of the best on
the program for developing all-around
| ability. and that it brought out dozens
| Of men who could excel at 1t and who
otherwise would not try for a team.
Don't Like Hammer Throw.
| Another event which is subject to an
nualy increasing attack is the hammer
throw. The objection to it is the danger
| by which it is surrounded. In proportion
to the number of men who engage in II
there is more danger attached to it than
to foot ball. Not year passes that does
not see one or more persons either fatally
or seriously injured by it. 1t is also true
| that there is but little interest in the
event. The number of candidates for ii
| is hardly a tenth OF the number that re-
port for all the other events. The inter
est Is likewise small among the specta-
tors The nature OF the event is such
| that the spectators cannot observe SUI
| periority when watching the perform
! ances They must wait until the throws
| are announced, and this sort of informa-
| ton is no more satisfactory than reading
| the results in the newspapers. The trou-
BILE is the difficulty of finding a suitable
substitute The fifty-six-pound weight Is
advantage Of being less dangerous.
British Collegians Won't Row.
| It is evident that both Oxford and
Cambridge have only mediocre Fights this
year This conclusion Is warranted by
the announcement that both institutions
have expressed a determination not to ar.
range a race this summer with the win.
ner of the Harvard Yale match at New
| London in June. Several weeks ago there
was much elaton in Harvards rowing
! circles over the statement that If Har-
| ward won from Yale she would immedi.
| ately challenge the winner of the OK
| rd-Cambridge race. AS Harvard re-
| CARDS her chances as exceptionally gooG
| for a victory over the Ellis the Crimson
| oarsmen considered the trip to England
| as settled There is now much diSap.
pointment at Harvard over the disinclina
| ton of the English to meet them on the
| water.
| When 1t is remembered that this Is the
| second rebuff for Harvard, it is strange
| that the Americans should show such
willingness to meet the English cole