Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-26
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EVOLVES
ATHLETIC SYSTEM
Fully Half of Students Take Part In
Some Game at Great
University.

Princeton, n. J., Feb. 26-The conf
pletion, next week. Of the first year of
u system of athletics which gives an
opportunity for participation in vari-
Gus sports to nearly 80 per cent of the
students at Princeton university. has
directed attention to what is known as
intercollegiate" athletics. devised by
the undergraduates here and carried
cut with a success that overstepped
expectations.
Realizing the criticism generally
against the play to-wln spirit OF ath-
letics. especially with the Varsity
teams Of the colleges. and hoping t.
establish a spirit of sport fer sports
sake the intercollegiate system OF
athletics was established in Princeton
as an experiment in basketball W.th,n
the first two months more men had
frequented the gymnasium than ever
before. The plan was followed cut
with even more success in baseball
and now baseball. basketball. relay
racing. bowling and hockey are includ-
ed in 1t.
The percentage of men competing on
Varsity teams or directly concerned
with the Varsity. second Varsity, etc,
Is relatively small in every college. The
great body of undergraduates have
been merely spectators. They have at
Princeton retained that but added
more. Twenty-one relay teams. 50
baseball teams. IA bowling teams, and
40 basketball teams have been organ
lied.
CLASS TEAMS.
The proposal was made in The Daily
Princetonian, the college paper, year
ago. that all students in the university
be afforded an opportunity for athletic
competition not only for the develop
ment of material for Varsity but with
the principal idea of rendering to all
undergraduates an opportunity to en-
JOY the benefits of exercise in various
sports In actual competition. A COM
mittee of upperclassnen formulated II
plan The upperclass clubs. the fresh
men and sophomores were all repre-
scnted at a conference at which de-
tails were arranged. First, the bas-
ketball schedule was drawn up. Up
perclass club teams were pitted against
one another in one series of games
Sophomores met In another series at
another hour of the day and freshmen
at another. The cost was practically
nothing. The gymnasium fee is in
cluded on the university bill of every
body. 1t did. however, cause a great
number to use the gymnasium
regularly who might otherwise have
gone spasmodically. The different eer-
les Of games were run by the commit
tee. officials from the undergraduate
body being appointed and scheduled
contests being run off with promptness
and regularity, The championship finals
produced two strong basketball teams.
A trophy was awarded the winning
team.
Bowling is carried on in much the
same way during the winter afternoons
only the contestants are, as a rule men
who are not so interested In basketball
In baseball. the plan works out to great
advantage and next spring an effort
viii be made TO try it in crew work.
too.
MANY PLAY BALL.
The baseball competition requires
some expense. This is easily raised by
subscription. however, among the un-
dergraduates. Brokaw Field, the cid
Varsity field, is rolled and trimmed at
cost of about 81. 200. Three diamonds
are laid out, regulation bases are placed
on them. screens are erected behind
home plate and the grounds are cared
for throughout the season. The base
ball schedule permits about 10S men to
play In games daily. With the number
not playing scheduled games but prac-
tising In other parts of Brokaw field
which is an admirable expanse OF play
ing-ground, about 200 to 800 men play
baseball daily In the spring.
On Lake Carnegie, the system Will be
tried this spring. There are a number
OF eight-oared and four-oared shells
and heretofore there has been only In
terclass competition. This has limited
rowing to a comparatively small num-
Der. though about 60 candidates have
been at work every day. With the in
tracollegiote system in practise in
rowing, about $50 men or more will he
able to take advantage of the oppor-
tunitles for physical development In
aQuatics.
The secret of the success of the sys-
tenn is the fact that ability Is not a
necessity Ability Is developed. Most
men hesitate to undertake athletics be-
cause they know little of its rudiments
Under the intercollegiate system there
is n galaxy of mediocre material. The
games are carried on with a gond-
| natured spirit of rivalry that makes tn.
man who knows he is no varsity ath-
| lcte feel little constraint There is an
| other advantage. II promotes acquaint-
| anceship. Sport Is INDUCED in by oil