Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-12
VIRGINIA WILL NOT ENTER
NEW INTERCOLLEGIATE BODY
Charlottesville School Refuses to Ally Itself
to Any Organization of the Kind.
Other Athletic Gossip.
BY n. C. BYRD.


Collegiate Association. 1t was thought
when a representative of that school did
not appear at the meeting of the repre-
sentatives of different institutions in this
section that it was due to the fact that
there was too much interest being taken
in the track meet in which many men
were entered. but the fact of the case is,
as was stated by a Virginia authority
Saturday night on the floor at the George
Washington games, that Virginia will not
become a party to any body such as is
contemplated.
There was no reason given especially
for Virgnia's refusing to enter the asso-
citation, except that the school did not de-
sire to ally itself to any body of schools
that might compel 1t to do something
through "a majority vote that it did not
deem right and up to the standard which
il sets for itself.
Pop Lanigan, the Virginia trainer.
must be given whole lot of credit for
the work he has done during the past
year at Virginia. He brought up COM
paratively green bunch of men and won
the George Washington meet in tke east
est kind of way, and then sent a relay
team TO the mark against Washington
and Lee that had three men on 1t who
were practically novices and yet won
the race by wide margin.
Ii seems rather ridiculous to see Smith
of Tome Institute competing against the
local school boys. all from scratch. Smith
has been running for Tome for about
four years, and IN running in the scholas-
tic events scheduled on the local floors
it is using fully developed man
against a crowd of boys. In the local
high schools "a boy cannot compete af.er
he has reached the age of twenty-one.
and yet it seems an unjust thing
that they must be sent out and forced
to run against men who are much older.
Snli IN of Tome is undoubtedly twenty
three or twenty-five years of age, if not
he certainly bellies his looks.
Had three men who were scheduled to
run ON the Western High School first
relay team not ''flunked,'' and conse-
quently been declared ineligible to COM
pete, it is probable that the Red and
White would have Won every event in
which it was entered.
Now that the George Washington meet
is thing of the past the school teams in
hard season that is just begun. Besides
the outdoor meets which are scheduled to
take place in the spring there are four
more yet to be held on the indoor tracks.
Saturday night of this week the ma
jority Of those institutions. both educa-
tional and otherwise. will send almost
their full quota Of athletes to the Johns
Hopk MS games. The following week the
flCninO00 COfleEe games VIII De nel0 and
following close after that will come the
annual Georgetown affair. The four meets
within a months time will give different
squads all the work they want for the
he ltfatssene OF diem win not be abIe to
keen ipfdndition during the whole period.
There is one great fault to be found
with the indoor meets and that Is the
way in which the relay races are run. or
rather the method of matching them.
On the entry blanks there is absolutely
no limit In which teams may be enter
ed. and as a result 1t is generally found
that teams are placed in the programs
in such~a way that some have absolutely
no chance to win from those they are
to run against.
A case in the George Washington meet
Saturday night is illustrative Of the
point Mr.. Long Of the Y. NJ c. A. en-
tered team averaging under 40
pounds. That four was placed In race
against the Regent Athletic Club and
Western High teams, In which there was
no stipulated weight. AS result the
association auint was more or less out
classed, and it was hardly the fair thing
for the boys comprising that team 1t Is
not something that happens once in
awhile. but it is the fac-simile Of In
cidents which occur In practically every
let that is held.
For the minor relay races there GER
tainly ought to be some kind of limita-
which teams might enter. These limi-
tations should be placed in the program,
and the teams made to conform to them
or else be thrown out.
Although the Virginia relay team this
year may not be as good az some of the
fours that have been turned out by that
school, it is certainly one that will give
a good account of itself against any of
the teams in its class.
A performance of a mile runner in New
Zealand last week. when he ran the
distance in AZ, was hailed with delight
by the natives of that island, and the
man in question was Immediately nomi-
mated to a place on the Olympic team
which is to represent the Australians.
If the performance in question is about
as good as any of the foreign represent
ativeS can do, there is not much likeli-
hood of any of them getting away with
victory in the ]. 800 meters event in the
Olympic meet There are several men
in the United States who can negotiate
the distance in better time than that
and IL would not be surprising to see
men wearing the Red, White and Blue
win all three places; certain 1t Is that
two ought to come to this country.
pard and Abel Kiviat Of the athletic
club should come near winning from any
of the men foreign countries can place
against them.
Anu III COnHeCtlOu Will tllS 1t might
he mentioned that this is one Of the
events in which America has generally
been a doubtful proposition, the English
Jniddle-distance men being rated above
the representatives of this country. OF
course, America has scored heavily once
or twice in the middle distances, but
there have been few instances when its
men started the races favorites over
the British entries.
The Suburban quarter-mile. which is
20 be run in Brooklyn this week is cal
culated TO bring together the best tai
ent that this country affords at the dis
lance. The big universities and the
athletic cubs alike will enter their best
men in order that they may have the
honor of carrying the winner to the
fnost-talked-of event that is to be run
during the indoor season.
Kiviat of the Irish American Athletic
Club is booked to compete. and al
though he has heretofore run for the
most part in longer events, will stand
a fair chance OF winning. BY running
the 600 yards in fast time in the Irish
American meet two weeks ago he
showed that he can develop into a
capable quarter-miler IL he desires, as
there is not very much difference be-
tween the two races. Sheppard will be
another entry that will have to be con-
sidered when 1t comes to picking a win
her. Two college men will be entered
also who will stand an excellent chance
to cross the finish line ahead. They are
Young of Amherst. the intercollegiate
champion, and Davenport of Chicago
University, who is the best that Is at
forded by the western conference col
leges.
The race will probably bring together