Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-25

not have much OF a chance I'm a dual
meet with Pennsylvania, but the Tigers
| are making heroic efforts to develop track
athletics to standing equal to that of
other sports. This has been the ambition
Of keene Fitzpatrick ever since he left
Michigan to take charge OF the Tiger
track athletes.
In spite Of the loss of a dual meet with
Princeton. Cornell will get as much prac-
tice as its athletes need. The Ithacans
will still retain the annual meet with
Pennsylvania, and. in addition, they have
been placed on the Harvard schedule an
spite Of the fact that Harvard Las not
stood very high at the intercollegiate
meet since 1909. the last year that the
Crimson won, the New Englanders are
sure to give Cornell hard fight in
dual meet.
The officials Of the /. c. A. A. A. A.
have been giving considerable attention
Of late to a suggestion recently made by
NJ c. Murphy, the coach of the American
Olympic team, that at future champion
ships an additional point should be scored
At present only four places are counted
first place. five points; second place, three
points; third place. two points. and fourth
place. one point Mr. Murphy's contention
is that five places should be counted first
place being five points, as at present ::
| second place being four instead of three
| third place three, fourth place two and
| fifth place one.
When the /. c. A. A. A. A. was first
| formed only first places We're counted.
each victory being worth one point. AS
competition increased ii was necessary IL
count additional places. For a number Of
years first and second places sufficed
/ Then competition became SO keen that
third and finally fourth places Were
counted.
Attention was first called TO the neces-
sity for a Encouragement of scoring by
the knowledge that the best all-around
teams in the college world did not neces-
1. hi 60.
instance. Pennsylvania had a team every
bit as good Cornell in a dual meet
yet finished only fourth in the /. {. A.
A. A. A. champion ship. The inability of
the best dual meet team to be sure Of
winning is caused by the competition OF
so many small colleges with stars in one
or two events. They are frequently able
!! to cut into the points of the big col
leges to such an extent that poorer
team, not affected by the stars OF the
smaller colleges, can slip into first place
Cornell made similar suggestion a
few years ago in regard 10 the cross
country run. but ii was not approved FOR
the reason that no injustice was worked
to any Of the big teams. particularly
Cornell AS things then stood the prob
lem Of dislodging Cornell from suprem-
acy in cross-country running seemed hope
less enough without giving the Ithacans
this additional advantage.
Michigan Still Out of Big Nine.
To eastern men the action of the West
ern intercollegiate Conference Associa
ton in declining to invite Michigan back
into the conference because the Wolver-
ines still maintain a training table is
wholly inexplicable. The training table is
a part Of the system i'm the east. and
since the men pay their own table board,
though possibly not its full cost to the
association. they are as free from profess
sionaism as the western athletes.
There is quite as high a standard of
amateurism in the east as there is i'm
the west. Eastern colleges would not
tolerate for an instant such dictation
from any association as the conference
has attempted toward Michigan. 1t looks
now as though nothing could heal the
breach between Michigan and the assoct
alton. and that the Wolverines would be
Obliged to continue to find their athletic
competition with the eastern institutions.