Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-24
Track and Field Contests at Lincoln
Next Month Will Be Biggest
Event Of It's Kind
ENTRY LIST GROWS RAPIDLY
Over Hundred Cities and Towns Will
Be Represented.
OMAHA HAS A GOOD CHANCE
Official Dopesters Pick Gate City
Team to Win.
DIR. CLAPP ANNOUNCES PROGRAM
Entry List VIII Close nt Midnight
Aprn 2O-superintendents and
Principals VIII Draft Set
OF New Rules,
OMAHA HAS A GOOD CHANCE
R. CLAPP ANNOUNCES PROGRAM

LINCOLN, April 2s.-(Special)-Unless
the plans made by the board OF control
OF the Nebraska Interscholastic Athletic
association fail and weather conditions are
unfavorable, the annual track and field
meet Of the Nebraska high schools will be
the biggest event of its kind ever pulled
off in the history Of the state organization.
This is the prediction made by DR.. r.. G.
Clapp Of the University OF Nebraska, the
man who has direct charge OF all arrange
ments for the annual contests and who
this year is making an extra effort to get
everything into convenient order for the
high school lads.
According to DR. Clapps report more
schools of the state will be represented at
the games this year, on May 6, than ever
before. Entries have been coming in to
the directors office for the past ten days.
and already he has list of schools that
is larger than the one made up for the
contest of last spring. II the schools con-
tinue to enroll for the meet as fast as
they have up to date there will be over
100 different towns represented here on
May 6.
Chief interest in the annual games this
spring will center in the effort OF the
1
championship from the Omaha athletes
The metropolis younsters surprised the
Lincoln representatives last May, and
walked off with the premier honors. Since
then not only Lincoln, but several OF the
other schools in the state have been get
ting ready to make things lively for the
Omaha crowd in this seasons games.
Omaha Has Good Chance.
The official dopesters who have been
following the doings of the high school
men Of the state have decided that Omaha
will stand a good chance in the games, IL
the towns out in the state show up as
strong as they have in past years. Lin
coin is admittedly the strongest team on
paper. The local school has several OF
last years athletes on its team and has
acquired some new blood that gives It
well balanced aggregation.
While Omaha probably would lose to
Lincoln in a dual contest in pitting man
against man, yet in a state meet It should
be given great consideration in figuring
out the winners Omaha's chances against
the local high schools athletes on May
will be raised many points by the strong
athletes from out in the state. Falrbury,
Columbus, Grand Island. Hastings and
Kearney are sending several men to the
meet who will be powerful in Lncoln's
favorite events. and this fact will prob
ably permit the lads from the small towns
to take from Lincoln some OF the very
points that Omaha could not hope to get
With the local schools grand total thus
reduced, the Omaha aggregation should
come up from behind with its few first
places and enough second and third posi-
tions to put II ahead of its greatest rivals.
Some of the smaller towns in the state
however, are not willing to conoede that
the meet this year will go to either Omaha
or Lincoln; they seem to think that one Of
their number will get the highest honors
Most Of the smaller towns of the state are
this year well represented in cinder path
athletics and some of them have the best
teams in tlieir history. They have been
making excellent showings IN practice and
preliminary meets. II is this status that
has led them to have high hopes OF taking
the championship out to one OF the smaller
towns OF the state Kearney. Hastings,
Fairbury, WILDER, Wahoo, Central City.
Grand Island. North Platte, Columbus and
Nebraska City are all said to have designs
on the pennant.
A superintendent at one Of the best small
town high schools in the state was in Lin
| WIN Niio NSSh aAd hAIlhk uls stay ne ulS-
cussed the coming meet. He said, in speak.
ing Of the development in athletics among
the Nebraska high schools that nearly
! every school which viii be represented a,
! Lincoln in May will have a track team
coached and trained fully 25 per cent better
E than the athletes who have come here IN
= other years. He said the interest amone
, the high school pupils in athletics Is grow.
ing each year. His own team, he thought
], would be one OF the first five in the mum.
s Der OF points won on May 6.
= First Meet on New Field.
: The Interscholastio viii be the first
i meet to be held on the new Nebraska
field. which Was purchased and equipped
u at an outlay of several thousand dollar,
by the Nebraska athletic board. The new
= cinder path. which is a few feet less thar
a quarter-mile track. Is one OF the fines
IN the west. II was constructed at al
expense OF 1900. The circle was excavateC
10 depth OF four feet and the large ditci
. was then filled in with clnders. The sur
face Of the track has been covered will
/. fine cindeFs that have been packed down
so that the track Is a fast one.
a In using this new oinder path the Corn
3 husker authorities do not have TO fear tn,
weather man and his spring rains sys
II tenn OF drains has been placed under tn
d path in such a way that the surface o
q the track will be dry in an hour after
4, hard rain Even a rain at the opening OF
a meet would not put a stop 20 the events
J. for the cinders would soak up the wate
T. very rapidly.
.. Following out the custom of past years
r the association will pay part OF the ex
ie penses Of all the athletes. who come /
ie the meet Despite a heavy rain ana tn
~ necessity OF holding the meet at the stat
faIr gronndE LAT year the ahlaiaa uar