Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-12-19

Iege athletes not only in football but in wrestling
rowing, boxing or any other sport.
so to further this speciality there s in the
navy regularly organized feet athletici commit
tee composed of five officers. Lieut. S. C. Hooper
of the flagship Connecticut is at the head of it.
This committee exercises a general oversight
over all sports and arranges dates for regattas
and sporting events. Outside the daily participa
ton in sports, there four distinct seasons
when Jack is put on his mette so far as athletics
60 They are when the games are pulled off at
Guantanamo, Newport, Bar Harbor and Boston
when the fleet is together At such times interest
ashore is quite as great aboard ship.
If rooters for college games think themselves
the acme of infectious enthusiasm it is because
they haven't seen a navy contest It takes a
bunch Of jackes efervescing 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 rule competition in the events is elimna.
tive, the ships first contestng 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 Is particularly
enjoyed
Then" says Lieutenant Hooper, baseball par.
ties are landed each day and the games are as
holly contested as those of the major leagues
The men are as rabld fans those ashore and
keep sharp tabs on the official scores as any
landsman. Each evening about o'clock the
scores Of the various games in the National and
American leagues are sent from the flagship by
radio
When 1t comes to the boat races" SAYS the
chief athletic officer "the sailor is naturally in
his element and the races are highly spectacular
The course is usually between the line of ships
and as 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 twelveoared
service cutter of the navy is used that is, unless
as sometimes happens, the men of a special ship
get together and buy one of their own Such
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 is most desired and all efforts
are bent at winning 1t. large number of other
cups have at various times been put I'D for COM
petition, among them one by August Belmont
Money prizes are sometimes offered too and
ship will sometimes win as much as $4,000 in
purses. One year the Indiana won that sum and
the Maine $4,000 In special event three-mile
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 industrously as though
tney were really the white hopes" of the pro.
tessional class and in spite Of the fact that their