Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-24

First Collegiate Track Com
petition Ever Held in
This Country.

At no time in the history of the negro
in athletics has an event been held which
will equal the athletic carnival to be held
in this city Friday night of this week at
Convention Hall. The first collegiate track
competition ever held in the country, in
doors, will take place here when Lincoln
University, Howard University and Hamp.
ton meet in a tifty-yard dash, a quarter
mile and mile run. the high jump and a
mile relay race. This three-cornered set-to
for the collegiate championship of the
middle Atlantic states will prove of inter
est and exciting to every person in at
tendance. Especially Will the three-teaHi
relay race match beat anything that mas
ever been held of exciting nature In the
field of colored athletics. Leading in prom
inence among the entries for this COM
petition is Bender of Hampton, brother
Of Connie Mack g pitcher. This athlete is
entered in the 440-yard race, and If his
knee Is in first-class share some other
runner will have to travel in record time
to beat him. Another record holder here
entered is Martin of Howard University.
from Cincinnati who already has eQualed
the worlds record for the 5O-yard hurdle
race indoors. and has made even time In
will be featured Friday night in an en-
deavor to equal his former record over
the hurdles for the semi-century distance.
Poe of Howard is another runner whose
master in tie scratch races OF 4O and SSO
yards has not been seen hereabout in the
last two years. Curtis, who won the open
scratch 50-yard race in the last indoor
games is entered in the collegiate dash
and the 44O-yard race. George of Howard
has q jump record close to six feet. and
expects to better this mark. 1t is hard
to dope o.. the chances of men from Lin
coin and Hampton, as this is the first time
that these teams have been IN action. and
the entire teams from these two schools
can be likened to the proverbal dark
In the open competition the leading
athletes are those from the metropolitan
districts and from the Quaker state. This
is because the boys and men from around
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
test their athletic mettle in weekly con-
tests with the best white athletes in the
country. and it is reasonable to expect
that the reputation of these men is wider
but it is also we'll known that but few
of them will get away with the OF
representing the best four 40 men in
that city, are the same men wins SO
easily captured the intercity title in 1910
with the addition of H. Binge DESMOND
Howard University, who is now resi-
dent of Brooklyn, n. Y. The other mem
bers of the team are Harry Brown. well
known q miller. Jimmie Harris, anchor
man OH the LOuSnIli l>yCeuH relay team
of Brooklyn. and Murray the Shinnecoch
Indian runner Of the Alpha Club of New
York. The Smart Set Club of Brooklyn
n. V. that has landed some of the best
trophies offered at the games in theil
district, and the Salem-Crescent Club. a
new club whose runners are cutting a
wide swath in the affairs of athletics in
New York, have sent their best to this
meet while from Philadelphia Harr.
Duplessis. the agent for the meet in that
city. has entered a bunch of the cleveres,
Of the Sleepy Towns" colored athletes
Among the men from Philadelphia is
Roland Elsey. who will represent the Cen
trail High School of Philadelphia in the
scholastic events here, and at the same
| time this boy. who is the champion cen.
fury athlete in the high schools OF Phila.
delphia, is entered in the open fifty-yaro
dash.
The local athletes are entered in large
numbers Among them are Williams, Ora
ham Burwell, McLendon. Dimes, Jones
| and host Of others. who will compete
in the open events.
The scholastic events will bring out the
fastest men In the local high schools
and from the high schools of Brooklyn
and Philadelphia, as we'll as from Ma.
nassas Institute of Virginia. Over three.
fourths of the elementary schools of the
ninth. tenth, eleventh and twelfth di.
visions Of public schools will be repre-.
scented In the P. S. A. l.. events for ele-
mentary boys