The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-08
OUR JUMPERS LEAD WORLD
Olympic Candidates All Capable of at
Least TT. 2 In.

Least 6 Fl. In.
Spectators at the Olympic games
can prepare themselves for spectacu-
lar doings in many of the events
when the members of the American
team take the field, but at the sight
of one, the running high jump. they
will probably sit back in amazement
when they note the proficiency of
Uncle Sans nominees. OF the dozen
men who have been named there
isn't one "io hash cleared & feet >
inches and from that height the per
Torrance of the men ascend to six
feet SA inches, this marvellous jump
having been made by George HORNE
of Stanford university and the Olym-
pic club, San Francisco. AS a mat
ter of fact. taking the best jumps of
the II men who will display their
abilities to the possible wonderment
OF most of the athletes of 40 nations,
it becomes noticeable that they aggre-
gate rs feet 3% inches, or an aver
age of feet, 1-9 inches.
1t can be said without fear of con-
tradiction that the best men in this
game OF all the two-score nations,
arrayed as one team. who will be
comparatively engaged at the games,
would not muster strength enough to-
compete against our men at this
particular game. Seven of the men
are outand-out specialists" men who
in athletics cultivate no other game,
while the other five pursue various
branches of track and field work be-
ing extremely proficient in several
branches aside from jumping. Prob
ably first and foremost of the Ameri-
can opponents of the game is HORNE,
who has a style essentially his own,
and one never before seen in the
East, until he showed at the Travers
Island games. 1t is the perfection of
the art of gaining height. While
all jumpers concentrate their efforts
on this, the primary feature of the
game, no one yet seen gets such ele
walton with so little speed to his
"take-off"
This warrants height at the ex-
pense of distance; the efforts of
most jumpers eliminating in a COM
bination of high and broad jumping,
WIN NhthSl HHttu AtQult "
their shoulders and arms clear of the
bar some time after they have clear
ed the stick with their legs by the
layout method. In other words,
most jumpers clear the bar legs first
from straight approaches or from
slight angles taking off all the way
from five to six feet away from the
standards and dropping almost a like
distance on the other side, which
styles bespeak the high broad jump
combination, with great speed a most
NEEDED factor to help prevent the dis.
Judgement of the stick. HORNE of
sets this by a side take-off in which
he leaves the ground closer to the
cross-bar than any jumper ever seen
He hits the ground forcefully, throw
ing the legs upward as though pre-
pairing to begin twisting back SOM
ersault.
The tremendous leg throw, with a
strong heave of the upper body, finds
him an instant after the take-off over
the cross-stick, with the legs well upI
over the rest of the body, which is
parallel TO the cross-stick. and IL isl
in this phase of his jumping that he
has 1t on" all other jumpers. At the
moment he divines to be the proper
time he essays a rolling motion with
the left arm well down alongside the
bar, which, while aiding in the clear.
ing of the stick, tends to Offset any
chance of pulling the bar down. III
hit the bar has a greater chance of
bouncing up and down on the pins
supporting II than is the case with
most jumpers, for the reason that he
is always rolling toward It. and not
away. HORNE drops on the other
side of the standards at about a like
distance from the other side of the
take-off, and probably but four feet
further along the ground from where
he tookoff.
All of the other men who will be
engaged in the Olympics for Ameri-
ca, with the exception Of Alma Rich
ards of Brigham Young university,
Utah, use the Layout method. I'm
til Horine's style was seen the LAY
out" was fancied to be the last word
in high jumping. as il was by this
method that Mike" Sweeney had
hung up the 6 feet SIS inches in 1895.
which stood unapprOached until Hor
inc leaped higher this spring. Rich
ards style bespeaks for him a most
wonderful natural power He rises
to his jump and clears the bar inl
much the same style as Con" Leahy.
Pat" DAWN. and many other Irish
jumpers with the knees drawn up al
most 10 the chin. but at a great loss
Of height because Of the position of
his body. as he is in almost a sitting