Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-09
GAMES
AREBECOMING
AMERICAN|zED

AT the present rate of progress il
nwon't be long before the Olympic
games are completely Americanized
providing, of course, that the war does
not put an end to all athletics in the
old world for the time being. :.
Not only have the international anna.
teur athletic federation and the inter.
national Olympic council adopted vir.
tually all of the American rules and
the standard lis of events, but more
important yet, nearly every European
country save England has engaged a
former American athlete to coach its
candidates for the 1916 games at Ber-
lin.
The German athletes are being pre-
pared by Alvin c. Kraenzlein, former
captain OF the University of Pennsyl-
yania track team, intercollegiate cham
pion broad jumper and joint holder of
the worlds hurdling records. Sweden
has re-engaged Ernest Hjertberg, for
several years successfully coach of Co
lumbia university, the New York A. c..
and the Irish-American A. c.; Austria
is under the direction of Al Copeland,
former A. A. u. champion hurdler
and at one time coach of the Princeton
track team; what little prominence
Russia has achieved is due to the
coaching of Anderson, who went to ST.
Petersburg from Kansas City as Y.
M. c. A. secretary and has since been
trying to build up athletics in the
czar's empire; finally, Lawson Robert
son, member OF the American Olym-
pic team OF 1908 and since then coach
Of the Irish-American A. c., has been
secured as national director of ath-
letics for Hungary.
Comes Here 70 Learn.
But the American influence has ex-
tended even beyond these countries.
After the 1912 games at Stockholm the
Firms, whose teams finished second to
the United States In the track and
field section, were so impressed with.
American methods that they. sent one
OF their older athletes, j. Pikhala, to.
this country to take course in the
SDringfield Trading school and then
q post.graduate course in observing
the methods employed at the leadi1g
AlucftCUn Oul1CISltlc1. AISkeL ufo year
at Springfield he went to the uniyer-
sity Of Pennsylvania, where he train
ed with the Quaker athletes under
Nike Murphy and his assistants Since
his return to Findland he has put into
operation the ideas he picked up on.
this side and expects to. make Finland
more of a power In 1916 than the
country was In 1912.
Englishmen would probably resent
the inference that by the engagement
Of Knox, who is now doing most Of the
active coaching in that country, t1ey
are copying the American methods.
But the fact of the matter is that Knox
made most of his athletic reputation
in this country. and, although not
given the free rein that other Euro
pean coaches enjoy, he Is working
along the lines that made America sup
RENE. Even in these countries which
have not engaged American coaches,
the American influence Is strongly felt
and everywhere the athletes seize
eagerly upon every idea which bears
the American stamp.
kindIIer Feeling Toward America.
The most remarkable feature of the
Of American coaches and
training ideas into Europe Is that it
gives proof of new and friendly
feeling toward Americans and their
methods. II is unfortunately true that
at the time OF the 1908 games and I'M
til 1912 the feeling between the United
States and European countries was
distinctly unfriendly This feeling.
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