Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-24
CORNER CUTTING MUST STOP
Amateur Athletic Union Plans Rule
TO Remedy Runners Judging.
HUMAN FLAGPoLES WON'T WORK
Wooden borders on Indoor Tracks
VIII solve PrObIem--Runners
Must Hurdle or Cover
Full Distance.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2s.-The offenses OF
corner cutting on indoor tracks have
been so numerous and so glaring of
late that the Amateur Athletic union
authorities have planned a new rule to
remedy the evil II is that sanction for
games be withheld from clubs holding
meets on tracks not having a wooden
border. Although the majority of the
armory tracks around have been in COM
mission nearly score of years, Il Is
q remarkable fact that only few have
been fitted with wooden borders, and
these would net have been so CON
structed but for the fact that some
claims made for records had been
secuted when IL was known that there
was no edge to the track.
At that some of these borders are little
better than an excuse, and time and
time again runners could be seen putting
their feet inside the edge just az If the
strip of wood had never been there.
Still, the little rim is better than moth
ing. and II It does not exactly prevent a
runner from skimming too close II Is a
little better guide to where the athlete
Is putting his feet than Il 1t was not
there at all. While nearly all the run
ners like to hug the border. there may
be only few imbued with the real in
tention of cutting the course. Now and
again one OF the younger brigade may
he seen to make q stride or two inside
the marking line, but oftener they are
pushed In by some elbowing competitor
Funny sights Seen.
One OF the funniest sights for years
has been to watch the work of the Of
fetal inspectors at tracks which con-
tain no border A few will plant them
selves here and there within about six
feet OF the edge and place one leg in a
santlng position toward the border The
intention OF the well meaning human
flag Is that when the runner sees the
leg he viii keep out on the course Per-
haps he might II the animated flagpole
was firm IN this purpose, but Just as
soon as he notices the runner bearing
down on him he pulls away his leg and
the runner pounds by with the line
clear in front OF him and stepping plumb
on the chalk mark. At ono OF the re-
cent sets of games run on one of the
borderless tracks II was highly amusing
20 watch the human flags, With the
utmost nonchalance they stood about ten
feet inside the border and allowed the
runners to peg away inside the white
mark or outside IL they felt that way.
The scratch man in the two-mile event,
an old campaigner. shaved the unflagged
corners so consistently and thrust his
| legs inside 70 often that in the course
OF the race he must have gained at
least fifty yards. There was never q
word about anybody cutting corners by
the novice officials, and it Is TO try and
guide these Corinthians that the nsw
rule has been contemplated.
Sullivan Discusses Plan,
'rhe only way to put a stop 10 tAis
abuse. which has been going on for
years" said James y. Sullivan. lis 10
pass rule that no games shall be Az
lowed on indoor tracks which have not
been constructed with a wooden border,
and a good high one at that. When 4
say border to track ] do not mean a
little fddle-faddle inch strap such as
Is seen in most places. l mean a border
OF about five inches high that will force
the runner to run we'll clear of it so
that he is sure to cover his fun dis
lance in whatever race he Is In. All
tracks are measured eighteen inches
from the inside edge 50 that runners
have plenty Of margin not TO run more
than the stipulated Journey. When this
border Is too small the runner can step
within few inches. consequently he Is
not running the fun distance. In the
majority OF those indoor events, espe-
claly the distance one. no man, n he
has anything az all like clear field.
runs eighteen inches from the border.
and that Is the reason We are pestered
with SO many of those records. To put
an edge TO any track is not wonderful
job, II need not be nailed to the floor,
but could be arranged IN sections so as
to be taken away easily. On oval tracks
the ends need only be bordered and on
circular tracks there could be four seq
ments. which would answer the purpose
just as well as II the entire circuit was
covered, We will have special legisla-
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