Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-27
ENGLISH COLLEGES IN ERROR
Athletic Committees Abroad at Last
Adopt New Ideas.
FINANCIAL TROUBLE IS CAUSE
oxford and Cambridge Find Ola Gus
toms railing In Results and Plan
90 follow out Yankee Meth
ode 60 Help Matters.

NEW YORK. Nov 26.-It is not often
that any Of the big universities on the
other side introduce any reforms in an
athletic way, and especially oxford and
Cambridge have been free from any in
clinaton TO depart from old customs. At
the annual meeting Of the Cambridge Uni
versity Athletic club recently II was found
that the financial report showed deficit,
and 1t was decided that something should
be done TO create more interest in athletics.
There was a fuI. meeting OF light blue men
present and few dissentd from the fol-
lowing statement. which was given out and
which contains the plans OF the new de-
parture:
1t has for some time been felt that ath-
letios have not been in thoroughly salts
factory condition In the university The
failure OF some college meetings and the
meagre success OF others have in the past
not only indicated a serious lack Of inter-
est but have too often not been altogether
to the credit Of athletics.
This unfortunate fact is not, the com
mittee believes, due to any dement's in
herent in the sport. but rather to the sys-
tenn on which it has hitherto been organ
lied. II has therefore been proposed that
some fundamental change should be intro
duced into the arrangements under which
athletics are carried on with a view to
making them more worth while from the
point Of view both Of individuals and col
lege clubs
The change which we propose retains.
we think, the main advantages Of the pres
ent system but introduces into college ath-
letics the principle Of intercollegiate com
petition. Each college is to be invited TO
compete for challenge cup and the com
petition is to be organized on the basis Of
the knockout system.
Colleges to Draw Lots.
Every college which enters will be
drawn by lot to run In joint meeting
with another college. For all purposes Of
the individual college club this meeting
VIII be equivalent to an ordinary college
meeting under the existing system. In tie
collection of entrance fees, for example
ana in awarding of prizes, each college will
act separately and indeed exactly as II does
now. Thus member OF a competing college
who is first among the competitors from
his own college secures the first college
prize, although he may be beaten by mem
bers Of the other college which is a party
to the meeting. 1t may be mentioned that
very successful joint meeting was held
on these lines by two colleges CMagdaIene
and st. Catherine's) last year and no great
practical difficulties were encountered.
But for the purposes or the intercollegi-
ate competition each college will in this
meeting count points according to the
actual places gained in each event by it's
members. 1t is proposed Professionally that
first place in each event shall count five
points, second place three points. third
NNyn int
point. The advantage of this method of
scoring Is that college with one or two
brilliant athletes likely to win most of
the first places will not be in too strong
position as against a college with a. lar
ger number of athletes Capable OF win.
ming the majority OF second third and
fourth places. 1t is also hoped that it
would help to prevent hoplessly UNEQUAL
contests.
The college which scores the majority
OF points in this meeting will then pass
into the second round. in which a similar
joint meeting with another college will be
held. The victor in the second meeting
VIII then be qualified for the final round.
in which It Is designed that there should
be four colleges competing together. The
college which wins this final is to be the
holder of the challenge cup for one year.
individuals Need Not Pay.
In all the meetings in the second and
final rounds individual competitors will
not pay any entrance fees. The Univer-
sity Athletic club will in part control and
will entirely finance these meetings, and
to enable 1t to do this without loss 1t will
charge an original entrance fee to the
competition Of s5.25, TO be paid by each
college.
"on the whole the committee think It
better that points should not be counted
for handicap events; but the committee
would be glad to hear the opinions of
the various college clubs on this point. In
any case colleges would be free to run
the same handicap events as heretofore,
either separately or Jointly.
''The disadvantage TO this scheme to the
individual college athlete in giving to his
efforts a more definite and impersonal
object are obvious; the advantage to the
college clubs which pass beyond the first
round are, insOmuch as interest is likely
TO be stimulated, no less marked, while It
may be pointed out that even those col
leges which are knocked out in the first
round not only do suffer In any way, as
compared with their present position, but
on the contrary are considerably benefited.
They will have held their college sports
as they do now, but these college sports
will have been INVESTED with much greater
interest than attaches to them at present