Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-18
Give LETTERS TO
LOCAL ATHLETES
Victory Over Moline Only Bright Spot
in Record OF Track Team-PrOs-
poets Better Next Year.
BY BOB OLMSTED.

Eleven Rock Island high school
men will be presented "R. Is" and
two RS" for service on the 1916
track team, according to the selec-
ton Of Coach Carl Anderson, which
was ratified yesterday afternoon by
the athletic board of control. Those
who will be given the school letter are
as follows: Thomas, captain; Bruck
man, Giles, koenig, James, Saulpaugh,
Dempsey, Robb, Ellinwood, Stewart
and Bassett The r." men are Nc
Neill and Howard Anderson The let
tiers will be presented at the general
assembly to be held Friday afternoon.
The track season just brought to
close has shared in full measure the
fate Of the football and basketball
seasons that preceded it in the lack
Of experience of the men who made
the school team. In fact the track
season has probably been the least
fortunate of all the athletics in this
respect, as Captain Thomas was the
only man having anything but neg
lgible experience. The biggest disap-
pointment this year, however, was the
only fair amount of green material
chat had turned out in full force for
the other athletic branches. The en-
thuslasm this year has apparently
been on the wane and the interest of
the student body has not been what
it should have been.
Probably one of the best alibis OF
the past season is that the school had
been somewhat deadened to track &C
tlyltles because of the fact that Sol
Butler, the colored star of last year
was head and shoulders above all 9TH
ers and discouraged competition. In
spite of this, however, the school has
had a rather slow GOMEZ back to the
work and has by no means approached
the records set in former years
In spite of this fact the track season
this year has at least been fortunate
enough to have the larger part of its
, material come from the under classes
of the school and for this reason, the
! prospects for next year loom partic-
ularly bright. Of the II r. l." mel
/ but four will graduate and both of the
! RI" men will remain in the school
another year. The season has devel-
Oped some really promising candidates
and has received especial support from
the freshmen, who have taken to the
game early, True it is expected that
! the next years team will have quite
a large number to draw from, al
though there will probably be no sucn
/ man as Thomas to fill the captaincy.
| The events in which the team has
entered this year are the dual track
meet with Moline, the tri-city. and the
| Big Eight. The first of these was held
| at the local Exposition park on April
/ IS and was won by the Islanders by
| the score of 46 TO Al The second was
I held at the same place May and re-
suited in an overwhelming victory for
/ Davenport, with 921a points. Moline
being second with 90 and Rock Is
land occupying the cellar position
with 201h The Big Eight meet which
was held at Galesburg. May 10, re-
suited in hard defeat for the Island
ers, without a single point to console
| them kewanee won the meet with AZ
points Rock Islands failure to place
in the track events was largely due to
the wet field and the light weight OF
their men, these matters impeding
/ Captain Thomas a great deal
The one man of the local track
squad who deserves credit for his
showing is Captain Thomas. He has
been a hard worker from the first and
has steadily and consistently trained
! for his work. He had the satisfac-
! ton likewise this year to tie with Nit
ton of Moline for the fastest time in
/ which tri-city man has ever made the
! half mile. making the distance in "a
/ This record was four and three-ffths
seconds faster that the record at the
Big Eight meet, where he failed to
! take a place.
Coach Anderson also merits greaf
praise for his efforts with the team as
| he has practically prevented an ex-
:cedlngly sorry season this year.