Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-15
new ATHLETES FOR ENGLAND
Admit America Has Gone Ahead
Since First 0lympian Games.
AN ADVISORY CLUB IS FORMED
Swedcs Have Already started Try
oats for Games ia Stockholm aud
win Know Their strength
by Next July.

by Next July.
NE WORK, Dec. 1t-Through the ef-
forts OF A, Il. George, who was we'll
known on this side OF the water some
years ago, an advisory club has been
formed in England, and the plan Is that
Il shall be made up OF veterun athletes
belonging to the different departments OF
track and field athletics. In explaining
the objects OF the club. Mr.. George said
that it's aims would be the seeking OF
new athletic talent and to hold meetings
for the purpose OF discussing various
topics connected with the general train
ing OF the athlete. There was no blinking
at the fact, he said. that England had
fallen behind in athletics and II needed
some heroic methods to arouse the coun-
try to the meaning of the situation. They
should try to keep up With the times and
with the progress made BY other Coun-
tries. American athletes, he points out.
had improved vastly since the FIRST Olym-
pic revival IN 1896, and especially Ia the
events In which they we're then weak.
lie thought that IL properly aroused
there was stlll sufficient material In the
British Isles 10 make a good showing.
but the way 60 bring out this material
was to try and find out the good men IN
tho different events and to try and help
them In the way of development. Local
members Of the clubs should be appointed
all over England, Ireland, Wales ana
Scotland with tho prime object OF being
ON tho lookout for promising men. He
said England was weak in tho field
events, and Il was their own fault. as
they gave little or no encouragement to
that branch In recent years. Ireland, he
suggested, could help them out In tho
field events, and Mr.. George drew atten-
ton TO the fact that four OF the American
field champions OF this year were Irish
men born.
A number OF men greatly interested I'm
the success of the British team attended
the initial meeting OF the club, which
took place in London, including II. s. de
Courcy Laffan, secretary OF the British
Olympic council and p. l. Fisher, secre-
tory OF the Amateur Athletic association.
swcdea Are at work.
The Swedes have already started on the
tryouts for the olympic games and surely
by next July they ought to know the
strength of the team. While the other
nations are INDUCING in the winter torpor
tho swedes will be preparing themselves
for the battle. Above all things II APP
the two all-around competitions and spe-
cial contestants are already tuned up for
the events, They say they frightened
the best America could produce out OF
the Pentathlon in Athens and they are
going to do the same this time. There
will be Pentathlon and Docathlon, tho
latter being composed OF ten events, the
first five of which will be contested on
July 10 and the remaining five on the
following day. Recently at Gothenberg
there was the first tryout and three OF
the men put up a fine all around showing,
which II repeated next July will UNI
doubleday leave the palm with Sweden.
The competitors were classed as A,
and c. The winner OF the 100 meters did
1lh seconds and in the running broad
jump the winner cleared twenty-one feet
three and three-eighths inches, while the
second man In the latter beat twenty feet.
In the sixteen-pound shot the best put
was forty-two feet five inches and the
winning height In the running high jump
was five feet seven inches. The discus
was sent scaling 124 feet eight inches and
the man in the pole vault got over nine
feet sixteen inches. About the poorest
performance was that OF the 1900 meters,
which was won in minutes 599s seconds
but this was more than counter.balanced
in the Javelin. the distance accomplished
being 100 feet ga inches. Hurdling is one
OF the departments in which the Swedes
are weak, and for the 120-yard high
obstacles the time returned was 1875 sec
onds. The 400 meters was won In 65Ss
seconds.
The seconds in all these events, while
not up TO the standard. meant that to
beat them would take good man all
around. In the Javelin the second string
did al feet 8 inches, and in the discus
ia feet 10 inches. The second best shot
putter sent the sphere 81 feet inches and
he was only a fraction behind IN the
running high jump. For the 1900 meters
the second man came home Ia 5:s9M
and there was more than twenty Sec
onds between himself and the third man.
II was notable that the third man, who
was away In the rucS in the majority OF
the events. did the best performance in
the running high jump by ,gAtAk over
8 feet Oh inches. and his throw with the
javelin was 14i feet ~ inches. This same
man did 11% seconds for the 100 meters
and jumped - feet inches in the run
ming broad.