Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-06
LESS FREEDOM FOR AMATEURS
Annual Junkets Of Crack Runners
Does Not Do the Sport Good.
TIMING Is WIDELY DISCUSSED
Nost Checkers who HanE Around
Finish Lines Are Amateurs
who own Poor stop
watches.

NEW YORK. Aug. 5.-There is feeling
among section OF the followers Of a;h-
Iotics who love tho sport for It's sake that
the Amateur Athletic union authorities
ought to stop individual permits OF ath-
Ietes wishing TO tour and compete abroad.
and II is no secret that majority Of the
national body favors the policy. II is the
opinion Of the more conservatively inclined
that the annual junket Of few crack
performers to the old world does no good
toward improving the standard OF the
American amateur in the eyes OF the for
eigners. and II is better that they kept
at home in future.
when men go abroad with team and
are turned loose after such an event as
the olympic games or similar fixture is
over then II is their right to go wherever
their fancy or pocket might lead them.
For a star athlete to go alone and travel
about from town TO town and take In
every rural meet festival and fair only
creates the idea that he is out for the
money. with men who go across and COM
pete in a couple OF championships and
other big meets and then come home II Is
different, and they are regarded with no
sort of suspicion, but, on the contrary,
arc more or less admired for their aspira-
tious to capture foreign titles.
OF late years II has been the custom for
the star sprinters to go to England and
spend the season touring and running here
and there wherever II was found worth
while After the Olympic games at London
one American sprinter had a great time
Of II for a couple OF seasons, but Just as
he was about to be precipitated into the
professional ranks he quietly walked across
the demarkation line Of his own record.
This man was a collegian, and another
man wearing the colors of the same insti-
tuition has been going across and every fall
he comes back loaded with jewelry and
looking very prosperous. Next year there
may be no permits and those OF the Olym-
pic team who might happen to be selected
will all go together the last week in JSne
and be headed straight for Stockholm.
Question of Timing.
The question about timing has been
widely discussed since attention has been
attracted to the harm that can be done
by the younger brigade of checkers and
their inferior timepeces Some narrow
minded persons" said one of the oldest
timers in the business, ARE of the opinion
that It is harmful to be hitting at the
shortcomings Of sport. as II is supposed
to give a bad impression to the outside
world. To my mind It is a poor sort of
individual who is willing to connive at a
wrong in amateur sport, and 1t is this
coaking OF what is not right that is going
TO do the most harm to the cause of clean
sport one OF these days. Every sensible
man today knows that there are things
going on that should not be tolerated and
the longer they go on the greater will be
the smash later on.
"A majority of those who 20 around to
athletic meets with their eyes open are
wise to the bad timing, and very often
still worse starting Yet because II Is
agreeable to few whose purpose II serves
everybody else Is supposed to take these
things as being all right AS to the mex
per1enced chaps you see timing, II is bad
enough to be working with a poor type OF
watch and not to have a sharp eve for the
flash of the pistol. but the most grievou,
fault of the youngsters is that to n mar
they anticipate the finish Of every race
and click their watches too soon. Re
peatedly I have heard men click theil
watches q full fifth of a second before
did On several occasions l have moved
back from the finish line and have seer
men stop their watches before the fore
most runner was within a yard and a hall
OF the worsted. -rt
That is the way the fast timers ar,
made. and every one OF the tfpers WHIT
have butted In OF late years is afflicted
with the fault As general rule they
are men who were not athletes them
selves and knew nothing about sport until
they bought timing watch and began tC
figure around the finish line OF races L
Is funny, too. how touchy these men ar,
about their ability. They think they ar,
the best timers in the world and will
swear by what they return. In fact som,
OF them do not know whether they ar,
doing right or wrong at times. The ANA
teur Athletic union authorities will have e
look out or there will be a great crop o.
records If these timers are allowed to hav,
E their way" ass