The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-06

ers were Harry Hillman, pride of the
Y~ankeeland; Nigel Barker. the won
derful Australian: Lieut.. Halswell, the
British champion; Charley Bacon Of
Dad Moulton Of the Kansas City Ath.
letic club. and Pilgrim. Prior to the
start the experts predicted the race
would be between Hillman, Halswell
and Barker.
Pilgrim Makes Great Finish.
. The field strung out after gunfire
and nothing Of note happened until
about $50 yards from home. HILL
man at this point was u Of the race.
Pilgrim in the ruck. Pilgrims finish
will v be forgotten by those who
witnessed It. In the drive for the tape
he outran Halswell and Barker, win.
ming by several yards.
Pilgrim was added to the American
team by the selection committee, and
his performance justified the conf
dence of such good judges as James
Z. Sullivan and Manager Halpin.
No country in the world turns out az
distinctive an athletic team as the
United States does. Her sons not on
ly excel in foreign competitions. but
they can ever be depended upon to
add to her athletic glory in scoring
unexpected points. Our athletic an
mails have been replete with examples
Of athletes sent acros the pond to
fill out a teams strength-that is. to
annex second and third places. and.
sick Or being disabled, to represent
the country in that particular event.
They are termed second string men.
Each American Olympic team sent
to foreign shores has tales to tell of
these men, who by their courage and
gameness at an unexpected stage have
placed them on an equal plane with
champions. Ottimes they have beat
en- the champions, who were suffering
or inability to regain 1t, and were
forced to succumb to the latent abdli-
ty Of the near-champion.
Sheppard Wins Two Races.
Pilgrims refusal to stay licked" in
Athens because he had not Vol a try
out for the team in his own country Is
only n of the many instances where
natural ability asserts itself by q man
moment. Melvin W. sheppard's vic
tory in the 1.500-meter race in Lon
don in 1908 is a good illustration Of
this. Sheppard the s0O-meter
race at the American tryout in Phila-
delphia. After winning that event in
london 1t seemed to his teammates a
Sur1clent en0rt, but Immediately after
this ace Sheppard announced him
self as capable of winning the 1900
meter event, which was to be run sew
eral days later. Sheppard won this
event from the pick of England's mill
lers.
Frank Irons won the broad jump in
London in 1908, with q jump Of "a
feet 6h inches. When it is consider
ed. that previous to 1908 Irons had
never cleared over 20 feet this per-
Torrance seems incredible.
Ray Ewry won he standing broad
jump in 1908. a we'll az every event
OF this kind over held in an Olympiad.
Ewry strained his back after this
event, and was forced to take to bed.
When he was notified that he would
forfeit first place in the standing high
jump final, for which he had earned a
chance by winning in the trials. he
called for his clothes. and, bandaged
from head to foot, he jumped, and in
the jump-oft with a Greek named
Tsicliteras he cleared 8. feet Q inches.
winning the competition by ar inch.
Such fortftude has seldom been dis
played in athletic competition since.
These incidents In Olympic comps-
titions go to prove that the American
spirit and patriotism go a great way
toward clinching the hold the Yankee
teams have on Olympic champion
ships.