The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-03-21
BUGGY WHIP TO
START RUNNERS
Pacific Coast Trainer Has Novel
Stunt to Correct Faults

berkeley, Cal, March 2l-Walt
Christie, track trainer of the Universe
ty of California. has countless specifics
and sure cures" for faults of the elm
der path athlete. He has systems for
increasing stride, building up wind, de-
vcloping spced-a whole catalogue Of
stunts that have grown from a quarter
ccntury's experience i'm handling
tracksters But effective as most of
them are, they drop to the low &C" q.
efficiency when compared To the
coach's panacea for slow starting.
Walt has discovered that even men
of college age have tender rccollections
Of parental discipline and that even
the bearded hold well founded fear
Of a stick that may descend they
know not where. Childhood impress
sions are sometimes exceedingly
strong: every red-bloodcd man has
known that wincing, cXpcctant period
between the "ouch" and the next pa
! tcrnal carcss.
\ track man clad i'm sunshiny air
ana trousers that have suffered great-
cr reduction than ever, offered by the
most hilarious bargain sale, is, indeed,
a child who rcvorcs the rod. Minus the
protection of his abused and long suf
| fering geography of early school days
the track man does not quibbie when
| ne hears the swish" of well-aimed
stick. He moves, And he moves with
a strenuous eaEerness that is charm
ing to behold
II is surprising the agility that a
man can develop when he fears attack
| from the rear. Testimonials from
those who have undergone the rod
| treatment would make the thrilling
tales Of What Catawampus oil has
done for me" shrircI into Dowdlng inn
becilty Nor like the patent cuncoc-
tons that work wonders for humanity
| a second treatment is seldom ncccS-
sary one usually suliiccs.
n good track man." says Christie,
| should get out of the holes before he
can he touched by a buggy whip WELD
| cd by the starter" And to back up his
statement the coach offered to prove
the point by getting down himself and
! starting To the announcement Of tho
| lash. But if Doubling Thumascs Wc"c
present they held their peace and the
| trainer was not called upon To demon
| strate his speed in front of a whip.
Difference i'm the speed of mental
| machinery, undoubtedly, cause differ
cnccs i'm the 0ectncss of sprintcrs from
| the start. II is extremely probable
that many men have been beaten, not
| because they lacked the speed Of their
| competitors, but because they could
| not telegraph the sound of the gun to
| their legs with sufficient rapidity
Tests have never been made under
actual track conditions, but in psych-
| Clogical laboratories experiments have
| been conducted that show beyond
! doubt that there does exist a differ
cnce between individuals and their
| speed of brain message This is one
| reason why some men are always left
in the holes and it perhaps figures in
| the spirits. the hundred especially,
! more than is now imagined.
This same lagcardness or alcrtncSs
of motor action causes track times
even when averaged most carefully
| from number of watches. to be woe
! fully inaccurate. Some timers start
the watch too soon, others too late,
and the same trouble exists AT the
| finish. 1t is difficult FOR timers 10 tell
at what instant the runner crosses the
! finish line.