The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-01
MANY ATHLETIC HON0RS
GO TO old CONTESTANTS
Baseball, Walking, Boxing, Golf
and Swimming Have Many
Veteran Stars.
OLD PEDESTRIANS ARE FIRST

of sport are one of the notable fea-
lures of history, says the Detroit
News. The remark often is made that
the youth alone is capable of great
feats, feats that are of championship
caliber. That this idea may be dis
PEELED a few instances of aged ath-
letes in all branches of sporting ac-
tivity will be cited.
Many of the leading wrestlers of the
age are well over 80 years of age, and
some are well up i'm the forties. Far
mer Burns, undoubtedly one OF the
finest who ever drew breath and who
still can hold his own with the best
of them, is nearing the so mark Dan
Mcleod, former world champion, is
nearly as old as Burns. Yet he still
completes in bouts and wins more
often than he loses. Age and it's ex-
perience often offset youth and mere
speed on the mat these days.
Aged Golfers Are Good.
Look at the scores of middle-agcd
golfers who win championships on the
links. There is man i'm Denver who
puts TO rout hundreds of his youth
full opponents yearly. Forty Hole"
Fairbanks, as he is called, is nearing
his fiftieth year. That does not pre-
vent him from capturing the cham
pionship of Florida. however Neither
does 1t keep him from playing on the
squad which recently won the Tom
Morris memorial cup, in which so
| oil nj
south competed He always qualities
i'm the western amateur championship,
and generally lasts well into the run
ming.
one of the finest players of the land
is Walter j. Travis, called the "old
man." He is well past 40 years of
age. This past season he won the
Metropolitan and Western New York
and other district championships. His
scores rested around the 73 mark
on an average. He smashed many
records and was the last eastern sur
vivor in the national amateur cham
pionship. His drive and swing are as
supple as those of n youth; his eye
on putting is as keen as that of a
youngster. He was placed second in
ranking in this seasons list. In fact
he was placed ahead of Robert Gard
ner the 21-year- champion of the
country When he played Gardner
in the national championship he held
the young phenomenal go'fer even all
the way to the thirty-fifth hole.
Aged Walkers Are the Best.
who are the greatest walkers in
the world? Almost all of them are
over 40 years of age and many are 60
and past. The greatest OF them all
still is Edward Payson Weston, n
man with white hair, but who
has the vigor of youth in his limbs.
Thirty, yes, 40 years ago he was cham
pion of champions. He remains so to-
day. Think of his distance walks the
past three years, and then say, If you
can, that it is the youth who has
the stamina and the grit. 1t is doubt
full whether a man of 20 could have
equaled his feat.
Another great pedestrian is Dan
IO'Leary, despite his iron gray hair
and his age. When he walks it is
with snap, and his head is held
way back He can outwalk any of
the younger generation, and beat them
in a grinding test. There are ex-
amples of men 20 and so years of age
competing i'm distance tests. Evidently
the snap and vigor of youth can be
retained.
We read only few weeks ago of
Fitzsimmons, now AZ years old, stay
ing IL rounds with Lang for the
championship of Australia before go
Ing down to defeat. The cables de-
clared that Fitz. the old champion of
two classes. actually held his own for
eight or nine rounds. His former
stamina was there in large degree,
but it was his wind alone that was
lacking. It was a remarkable test
O'Rourke Plays Ball With Son.
In baseball we have Tom O'Rourke
of bridgeport. The fathers of the fans
of today remember when he was In
his prime. Yet today he is playing
magnificent game and is batting like
fend down in Connecticut. Up to
llIee years dSO nc DldyOu VII tiN
same team with his son, a unique
situation to say the least. How about
old Jake Beckley, he of the eagle eye?
lie reigns in high power in the asso-
citation after decades of gigantic SER
vice on the diamond. Jake's age is
hidden i'm the mist of years. but his
batting eye has not failed him much.
Moreover, he is still there on the
badly thrown balls from his infield-
ers.
Then i'm swimming we have the ever
living memory of Captain Webb, a
champion distance swimmer IL there
ever was one. After he had passed
the age of youth he still attempted
To dash across the English channel.
There was nothing he would not at
tempt. and many times succeeded. In
Chicago today there Is n man passed
20 connected with the Central Y. NJ.
C.. A.. who can give the youth points
I'm fancy swimming and floating.
LYNCH ASKS PATIENCE.