Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-10-23
USED BRAINS TO WIN
HOW ATHLETE ACHIEVED TRl.
UMPH IN RACES.
Ted Meredith of University OF Penn
sylvania Had Carefully Thought
Out Methods That Brought
Him Victory in Contests.

There is a belated story of how Ted |
Meredith of the University of Penn
sylyania defeated Bill Bingham OF |
Harvard in the half-mile race in the |
intercollegiate championships, which |
carries with It a lesson valuable to |
participants in practically all lines or
sport, the New York Times remarks.
Meredith, it will be remembered, won
both the quarter and half-mile races.
The quarter was won in his usual
/ style. Meredith allowed one OF his
] competitors to go out and make the
pace, and then came like a streak IN
the last furlong and won about as he
pleased.
When 1t came to the half Meredith
| completely reversed the order or
things. He raced at top speed in the
first quarter and had all the rest or
the field on their toes and practically
beaten, doing the quarter in "a. he
then slowed down and even allowed
couple of his competitors to pass him,
content with the fact that Bingham,
whom alone he feared. was plugging
along in the rear. hopelessly out OF
il. With him disposed OF, Meredith
again sped up in the last furlong,
caught and passed the two who had
headed him for a short distance, and
won very cleverly without being ex-
hausted.
Merediths overwhelming triumph
was due to the use of brains coupled
with his powers as racer. Before tne
race he had taken the trouble to ma
out the way In which Bingham, the
| Harvard man, ran his races. He dis
| covered 1t was his habit to take 1t
| easy in the first quarter, running the
distance in about a minute fiat, ana
reserying himself for the final quar-
ter. which he would do in the neigh
borhood of fifty seconds. Meredith
heartbreaking pace in the first quar-
ter completely upset Bingham's plan
for the race, and so bewildered the
fleet Harvard runner that the latter
had no time to think out and put lrtC
| operation a new plan.
| Possibly there is no better example
of the superiority Of brain over DraWl
than in the career of George Bothner
the wrestler. His lack of bulk wa
more than compensated for in the adj
ity to think quickly and almost VI
cannily to anticipate and thwart tn
particular hold" his opponent Intend
ed making.
John McGraw's success as a bas'
ball manager has been entirely due
exceptionally acute brain powe
From the beginning of his career
the diamond he analysed every pla
made in a game in which he partlc
pated or witnessed. 1t was the STUD
/ that developed the baseball strateg
he made his own, and which mac
him SO much of a clairvoyant
foreseeing the breaks" OF game II
or against his team.
II Jim Jeffries had been possesst
of enough gray matter he might new
n have lost the heavyweight champlo
ship to Jack Johnson. But the pune
d In the eye in the second round, whi'
# was the turning point in the conte'
= angered him. After that 1t was Dru
force against brute force.
Football is so entirely matter
brains that everybody familiar WI
sports admits that the best eleven
the physical boxers or wrestlers, 1
instance, would have no chance wn'
e, ever against an eleven such as rep
e SCENTS any one of the great uniVer
ties on the gridiron each fall.
,r The thinking athlete gets me
sport out of the game he happens
indulge in, also, than he would
merely an exceptionally good natur
athlete or one who is able to aesc
% the ideas of a trainer and cal
," them out in purely mechanical Ia
ion.
n To the young athlete the less
modern sports teaches us: Atte
ee as we'll to the cultivation of the mi
as to the training Of the bocy a
it's muscles If you would enjoy &C
petitive athletics to the full. i
first is as necessary as the last to
come superexcellent at any sport,
'o' get the greatest enjoyment from sp
and to cope with its emergencies