Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-26
COLLEGES Stronger
Will Have Better of Clubs in
Olympic Try-0uts.
CRAIG BEST DASH MAN
Schools Will Have Advantage in
Dashes, Short Distances and
Pole vaults-Want Boxing.
BY EDWARD R. BUSHNELL.

d EOW AMI n. BUSAN ELL.
Now that plans are being made by the
American committee for the selecting Of
the 1912 team to represent this country
in the Olympic games at Stockholm,
Sweden, devotees of track and field ath-
letics are beginning to consider which ele-
ment will furnish the greater strength to
the American combination. the colleges
or the clubs. In 1885, when the games
were held at Athens, and in 1900, when
they were conducted at Paris, the col
legians far outscored the club ath-
letes. This was only natural, because
up to that time not very much had
been done toward developing track and
field athletics throughout the clubs OF
the country
Since that time the clubs have been
rapidly forging to the front, and in
1904, when the games were held at st.
Louis, the clubmen carried off the more
honors. This, however. was due to the
fact that the games were held during
the summer months and hardly any OF
the college men. except those who were
members of various clubs. competed. In
1906, when .the United States swept
the boards at the set OF games held IN
Athens, practically all the honors were
won by the clubmen. This also was
due to the fact that with few ex-
ceptions there were no college men on
the team. Before the American team
was selected the committee announced
that it would not take any undergrad
yates unless they had the written per-
mission of their faculties to accompany
the team.
In 1908 at the London games, the first
real serious effort was made to collect
one team to contain the best OF the col
1k~. .1.,1> ~ oN q
an almost equal distribution of men
between these two bodies. In the
games themselves the college men slight
ly outscored the club athletes. but the
wonderful progress made by the clubs led
many persons to predict that the next
time an American team was sent to win
the Olympic honors the club MEN would
outscore the cOllegians.
College Men Look Stronger.
An analysis of the available strength
of the two sections indicates quite plain
ly that the college men have made even
greater progress since 1905 than the club
men, and If they do as well as they did In
the last intercollegiate championships,
both east and west. they are likely to
more than hold their own. With the
possible exception of the runs above two
miles, the college men now promise to be
stronger in every one of the track events.
Taking up these events separately, there
is no man in club ranks the equal OF
Ralph G. Craig of the University OF Mich
Craig's record of running 100 yards in
40 seconds and go yards in Il la
seconds has never been equaied by a
club man. Gwyn Henry, who halls from
Texas, is the best Of the club men. but he
will have to improve several feet to hold
his own against Craig. Passing on to the
quarter mile, no club has yet turned out
a man as fast as D. B. Young Of AM
herst. Young's feat of running 40 yards
in 4S As seconds at the intercollegiate
by any club men. Wendell Baker OF
Harvard and Maxwell Long Of Columbia,
both college men. are the only ones %
have beaten Young'S performance. J. b.
Taylor of Pennsylvania and !. n. Daven-
port of Chicago University have both
equaled this performance.
Passing on to the half-mile run, NJ. w.
Sheppard Of the Irish-American A. c.
has been given credit for being the fast
est half-miler in this country. Sheppard
has record of La 3-5. which Is just Id
of second behind the worlds record
But while Sheppard enjoys the reputa-
ton of being the fastest half-miler In
this country. there Is no doubt In the
Cornell could beat him in a match race.
The only effort Jones ever made to es-
tablish record for this distance was al
the last intercollegiate meet, when he
ran the distance in 1.54 As. This was
just after he had made q new world
record of AIS % in the one-mile event
1t is hardly likely that Sheppard can ex-
pect to he at his best this year, In view
Of the many years he has been competing
and the serious illness he had this winter
For the one-mile run there Is no one
in the same class with Jones. 1t was the
unanimous opinion Of the experts who
saw him do 4.1j 2-5 at Cambridge last
year that had faster pace been SET
Jones could have smashed the worlds
professional record Of 4.12&. The best
man the clubs would have to pit agains,
him would be Kiviat who has record
of 119 Sd.
Where. Clubmen Are Supreme.
Taking up the two-mile run, Jones Il
probably the fastest man at this dis
lance, though he could not run it as
well as the mile. Next to him Berna.
also of Cornell, is the fastest, and he
still holds the intercollegiate mark of
e.25h. There is no doubt, though, that
George Bonhag of the Irish American
A. C. could beat either man. Still. II
Jones trained especially for this dis
lance it would be a wonderful race be-
tween the two. For all the distances
above two miles this country will have
to depend upon the clubmen. The best
five milers in the country are Bonhag.
Kramer and Collins. The last two
named have been developed since the