The Alaska citizen., 1912-06-10
SCHOOL ATHLETIC

Now that good playing field is available a fine .ppor'unily is af forded he pupils of the public school to take mp systematized athletic spors such a- baseball and football The lack of such opportunity in The past has worked a hardship on the boys in more ways than ne. for t.ey have been deprived thereby of ,he greatest aid to the development of a sound mind in a sound hOly" Few Iov- can attain their greatest pos sfble physical efficiency unless shey are allowed tae opportunity of healthy on door exercise. nor can they in any taer way be so fftly prepared for the battle of life as by participa- ton in the competition with their fellows that is afforded by clean athletics.
 There is undoubtedly enough ma rerial in the school a present 10 ! form a baseball nine. which. if tt were well coached, could give a good aeeoun, f itself in match games ] with the old boys" of the school 1 The school team would have he ad l vantage of more opportunities for l prac.icing together than are afford ed the older boys wha are working and it would no be long before team" work would count and the school boys would make their bigger brothers hustle
 Nothing viii so encourage "scho-l spirit" or esprit de corps among the boys. as athletics properly conduct ed and studies will be helped rather than hindered if spare time. instead of being spent In the down-own dis .rjct. is utilized for practice al base hall. football or track sports. There is little ubt that a capable coach from among the older boys who have attended schools Outside would offer his services in the organization anG development of the teams.
 In he fall commencing, say, about the middle of August. AssociaJ ion.or Soccer. football could be taken up az is being done by so many of the Outside schools. This is game hat is fully as scientific as college Rugby and infinitely preferable to i. in many ways For one thing il is more a test of brain than f brawn, md boy does not have to be of 4onderous adiposity 10 make the cam" While just as much pluck is required as in the Rugby game the elemen' of danger is eliminated 10 a very great extent. Speed and Aead-Work are the essentials 10 eff. ciency al Soccer. and being an open game in which all the plays are visi ble to and understandable by the spectat rs il is much more interest that is required for the game is pro badly procurable in town at nom inal cost. and the baseball grounds would make a splendid field. The rules of the game are such as can be mastered in an afternoons play
 Then .here are track events, races jumps. etc. There is no reason why the boys should not have their regular spring and tall meetings the same as is done at the Outside sch ols al which supremacy in the sprints and longer races could be decided II would mean tha; all boys and girls alike, would ;ake q much Keener interest in their school and their school work. They are every bit as good, or jus, a little better. than the boys and girls Out side and they are entitled to get jus, as good as are the Outside boys ana girls. In this matter Cf athletic sports they have been neglected long enough and it is about time for par en $ and teachers to wake up to the fact that a boy who is denied the op portunity to play intelligently during his schooldays is likely to be handi capped in later years when he has to compete in the battle of life witt men, who. in their youth. were hard ened in the peaC eful figh s of he dia mond and football field. Wellington said that the battle of Wa,erloC was won on the schoolfields of liar row and Eton and there are few mel who have had tough physical strug gles, when possibly heir lives de pended n endurance. but are will ing to admit that the nucleus of tha grit which pulled them through wa: inculcated when they were matching their boyish strength against theil fellows in the old school spor,s.
 But, if athletics are 10 take thei. proper place in our public school let us start right with he insistenc, on clean sport There is nothins finer than the spirit of the by who strives to win at all he undertakes but scorns to take the slightest meaI advantage of his rival Such a boy so coached, will turn out to be on, of natures gentlemen. To him tn, slogan win at any price" makes nc