The Red Cloud chief., 1912-12-05

slonally with col. HT.A> y a~,j .~~
ege athletes not only In football but In wrestling.
rowing. boxing or any other sport.
30 10 further this speciality there IL In the
navy regularly organised feet athletic commit.
tee composed OF five officers Lieut.. 8. C. Hooper
OF the flagship Connecticut is at the head Of It.
This committee exercises a general oversight
over oil sports and arranges dates for regattas
and sporting events. Outside the daily participa.
tion In sports. there are four distinct seasons
when Jack is put on his mettle SO far as athletics
90. They are when the games are pulled of ut
Guantanamo. Newport. Bar Harbor and Boston,
when the feet is together. At such times interest
ashore IL quite as great as aboard ship
II rooters for college games think themselves
the acme of infectious enthusiasm It ia because
they haven't seen o navy contest II takes a
bunch Of jackes effervescing with the excite.
ment OF an intership contest. to give the former
cards and spades in emotional pyrotechnics. for
the games are always vigorously contested, the
various ships crews being represented on the
side lines bowling encouragement In their own
peculiar fashion.
As q rule competition in the events is elimina.
tive. the ships frat contesting by divisions in
championships playing each other for fleet cham
pionship
For the last two years the Connecticut team has
won the football trophy-a wooden football
gilded.
1t is when the fleet is in southern waters for
aerial target practice that baseball 10 particularly
enjoyed
'Then." says Lieutenant Hooper. baseball par
ties are landed each day and the games are AZ
hotly contested AZ those Of the major leagues.
The men are a. rabd fans as those ashore and
keep az sharp tabs on the Official scores az any
hndsman Each evening about 8 o'clock the
scores OF the various games In the National and
American leagues are sent from the flagship by
radio
When It comes to the boat races" says the
chief athletic of1cer. "the sailor is naturally in
his element and the races are highly spectacular.
The course 10 usually between the line of ships
and a. the boats skim over the waters all the
men man the rails and cheer their favorite team
to the echo"
For this competition the regular twelve-oared
service cutter OF the navy is used. that s unless
a. sometimes happens. the men of special ship
get together and buy one of their own Such a
craft is generally termed "tailor.made" boat
because of its superior style and finish The
Battenberg cup, presented by Prince Louis for
the crew races. ia most desired and all efforts
are bent at winning IT, A large number Of other
cups have at various times been put up for CON-
petition among them one by August Belmont.
Money prizes are sometimes offered, too, and a
ship will sometimes win as much as $4,000 In
purses. One year the Indiana won that sum- and
the Maine $2S00 In n special event, three.mle
race. which was pulled of In &c minutes. On
the same occasion the marines on the Indiana
won purse OF $4,000 besides the Dutch challenge
cup
In Guantanamo also occurs the final bouts to
determine the fleet championships In boxing
For this the men train as industriously as though
they were really the white hopes" OF the pro-
fessional class and in spite Of the fact that their