Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-10
BY n. C. BYRD.

The National Amateur Athletic Union
track and field championships will be held
in Baltimore the last two days of this
week. The junior events are to take
place tomorrow, while the senior con-
tests are scheduled to be run off Satur-
day. The competition in the Junior events
are likely to be good. but the really bril-
liant performances will be given Satur.
day when the most competent athletes
in the United States are going to be ar
rayed against one another in the various
races and field contests.
What is sure to be one or the most
brilliantly run races of the year is the
$40 senior. There are several capable
men to take part in it, but there are two
decade-Ted Meredith and Charles Reid
path. Reidpath. who was star at Syfa-
cuse' for several years has been pro-
nounced by many track critics as the
very best 40 man developed In the world
in many year. and certainly Mered- tn Is
rot very far behind him. Meredith also
is entered in the $50 where he will meet
some exceptionally good men also. among
his opponents being Homer Baker, who
recently won laurelS IN several meets IN
England. The entries in the other events
are of the same high standard. nearly
every one having brilliant record to at
test his capabilities.
The majority of the entries are from
clubs in eastern cities. as might be sup
posed, but several of the western organi-
cations are we'll represented. The irish
American Athletic Club of New York and
the New York Athletic Club lead the
clubs i'll the number of men who VII
wear the colors of one body. The New
York Athletic Club has team of thirty
six MEN entered as forty senior and
thrty-eight junior entries. viii = forty
two athletes are listed to compete for
the Irish-American. as forty-two entries
tN-entV-eighf
junior contests
It is not a very high compliment to
the athletes of Washington that there
will be no entries from this city. In the
whole list of men who are to take part
in these contests there is not name
registered from the District of Columbia.
Track athletics. except in the colleges.
have not mainta ned very nigh stand
ard in Washington of late. For some
reason there is not a great deal of IN
terest in the sport and there are not
many boys who attempt to become really
capable performers There have been in
tances of where boys have, by their in
dividual efforts, accomplished praise
worthy things on the track and in the
lied effort to develop and maintain
track and field squad capable of show
ing a good comparative performance
against other clubs is concerned. there
has been little effort.
1t has been pointed out time after time
that one of the main reasons for the
poor products of Washington in this re-
spect is the lack of conditions conducive,
to track and field sports. There is not
a good outdoor track in Washington
and of the indoor facilities private con-
Germs have control and refuse their use.
There are two exceptions to this but one
track is so built as to, retari a general
development il continually used, while
the other is only open to certain body
Of men.
Nearly every other city in the country
has splendid athletic facilities for It's
boys. and yet the capital, rightly the
very center of the nation, has practically
nothing. 1t certainly seems that some
body, in the interest Of the thousands of
grade and high school youngsters who;
desire to improve themselves physically.
and the hundreds Of working boys who
would be glad to make better citizens of
themselves by indulgence in athletics 1
they had the opportunities, should bring