Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-01
NEEDED REFORM IN
TIMING METHODS
Records of Crack Sprinters
Doubted on Account of In
competent Timers.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

i'm a movement in both this country and
England to bring about a badly needed
reform in timing methods. Within the
last decade there have been at least four
men who have been given credit for run
ming 100 yards in 80 seconds or bet
ter. These are Duffey, the former
Georgetown Splinter. who received credit
for his mark at the intercollegiate meet
in 1902: Dan Kelly of Portland. Ore,
reputed to have done the same time at
Seattle in 1906: r. E. Walker, the South
African. and winner of the 1O0-meters
dash at the London Olympic genes. and
finally Nelson, Washington state youth.
whom Pacific coast timers have been
haling as wonder.
Among men who have been following
athletics for years there is a well ground
ed belief that not one of these four
men ever made the time credited to him.
The only possible exception to this is
Arthur Duffey, who was undoubtedly far
superior to any Splinter of his day or
since. These same critics are unanimous
in the opinion that incompetent timers
are solely responsible for these alleged
records. In fact. the lax methods of
allowing records has stirred the athletic
authorities of both this country and Eng
land to action.
There has just been formed in New
York a Timers Club, which has charged
itself with the duty of seeing that only
competent timers are appointed for at
least the big meets and that every facil-
ity be given these men to get the proper
times, thus putting end to the whole
sale manner in which questionable rec
ords are allowed TO so on the books
of the A. A. L.
The Englishmen have taken a step in
advance of this. The charge has fire.
quently been made in England. as 1t
could be made in this country, that there
is collision between the timers By this
is not meant that unfair practices are
resorted TO. but rather that the timers
before reaching a verdict compare their
watches. and nobody but the timers can
find out what the different watches
recorded. In order to stop the abuse OF
this the English A. A. A. at it's last
championship meet in London ruled that
each timer should record on piece OF
paper the record of his watch before con-
sultins with the other timers. This was
done to put a stop to the practice OF the
various timers depending more on the
watches of their felow-timers than their
own. The result has been to make each
timer more careful in holding the watch.
The need of more careful methods in
this country is evident enough to any
one who has attended the big meets of
the country. For instance, II IS stated
that at one of the indoor meets in New
York last winter one athlete was given
a new world record. and the timers who
allowed il were dangling their legs from
a table when the start was made. Yet
this did not weigh with them in allow
ing the mark.
At the last intercollegiate meet in
Cambridge the writer saw u similar in
stance. II occurred In one of the pre-
liminary heats of the low hurdles.
When the race started the timers were
engaged in various occupations and did
not know the race had started until
they heard the discharge of the pistol,
but they announced the time neverthe-
less. Fortunately, an occurrence of this
kind is rare at an intercollegiate meet.
where the best timers are secured. 1t
is hardly likely that it could occur in
an important final, but It ought to be
impossible even in a semi-final or pre-
liminary. for record made in one of
these heats is just as much a record as
though it were made in the final. In
fact. the present Intercollegiate record
of 10 1-5 seconds for the 12O-yard hur-
dies was made by Shaw OF Dartmouth
in preliminary heat.
A C. Kraenzlein. the world record
hurdler. insists that he was deprived
of world record in the high hurdles
at a meet in Chicago some ten years
ago. According to kraenZlein's state
ment. three separate timers caught HIM
in. respectively. Il 40. 10 and l. :,
seconds. According to timing rules the
timers should have taken the middle
time OF II seconds. But there could be
no excuse for such a divergence of rec
t.uS II tne timers were competent men.
After all the trouble there has been
in allowing records it is wonder that
either the A. A. l.. or the I. G.. A. A. A.
a. does not make some move toward
installing system of electric timing
rs in the case of automobile racing.
New Date for Harvard-Yale Boat
Race.
The rowing authorities of Harvard
and Yale are contemplating a change IN
the date of their annual race on the
Thames. at New London. Heretofore
this date has always been fixed for tho
last Thursday in June. With it as a
fixture the stewards of the Poughkeep-
sic regatta have seen to il that there
should be no conflict of dates. But it
will be impossible, If the Harvard-Yale
authorities have shifting date, to
always prevent conflicts The condition
of the tide has little to do with the day
of the regatta at New London. but 1t
does make difference on the Hudson.
Yale promises to be a much sought
after institution for rowing races next
year. Columbia men seem to think tina
there is small chance of their getting a
race with the Crimson next year. BY u
recomme ndation of the stewards of the
Intercollegiate Association the various
crews which row at Poughkeepsie were
requested not TO meet each other in
dual races before the big regatta. This
leaves Columbia with only Annapolis
as competitor in dual races. Conse-
quently Columbia men are looking TO
Yale TO give them a race. The Ellis
have not announced their plans for 1910,
but it seems likely that they will wish
TO row Pennsylvania again. and there
fore may not take kindly to a sugges-
ton to row Columbia also.
The New Workers have been making
extensive plans for the future. They
have given Coach James Rice, to whom
they accord full credit for the go ID
showing they have made of late an
almost unlimited contract. II is evI-
devote their whole time to the develop
ment of rowing. and as they have no
other sports to maintain. they will
doubtless continue to make a good
showing
International College Meet.
The failure of the recent negotiation.
for an athletic meeting between Harvard
and Yale on one side and Oxford ano
Cambridge on the other has opened
the way for the Intercollegiate AS
ISOLATION of Amateur Athletes of America
10 attempt once more It's plan for an in
1ernational meet between the colleges oil
Its association representing the United
States and oxford and Cambridge. as vel
as all the colleges and universities ir
the United Kingdom, representing Grea,
Britain.
1t will be recalled that a year ago las
winter the I. c. A. A. A. 4. tried to ar
range such meet as part OF the Olympic
games. The services OF Lord Desborougf
were enlisted TO bring the English col
1eges into line. but the meeting was de-
clined. The reason given by the English
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