The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-06-16
TRACK WORK IS HARDEST
Athletes Have Great Difficulty Winning
Letters IN This Sport

In what sport is it hardest for a col
lege athlete 70 win his varsity let
ter? The answer comes almost UNI
animously track, says the Springfield
Republican. The question and the
answer are the result OF efforts OF the
Yale track enthusiasts to popularize
track and field sports among the UNI
dergraduates OF that university. The
query has been raised at other univer-
sites and answered in the same way.
At Yale the immediate cause of the
CCmmOtion is the fact that fewer stu
dents try for track than for rowing
football and baseball, the other three
major sports; likewise that the athletic
authorities distribute fewer VS. for
| track than for the other sports The
UNDERGRADUATES at New Haven, who are
| beginning to realize the injustice done
! the track men, are now clamOring for
more liDeralty in awarding the varsity |
! letter in track. At present track man |
! to win his varsity letter must score in |
the a. C. A. A. A. A." track and field !
championships be among the first 10 |
! men in the annual cross-country run, |
or get first or second in the dual |
meet with Harvard.
To qualify in any of these events |
means that a man must be top
notcher. He must win his distinction |
all by himself, too without the aid of
team. Thus to be within the first
five point-winners in any event at the
interCollegiates means that a man must
not only be among the very best track
athletes at his own institution, but
among The five best in the intercolle-
| eiate world. He might even be the
champion Of his own university, and
still not be able to score in the inter.
oollegi2tes
In football, baseball and rowing a
man does not have to pass any such
test, He might play only 80 seconds in
a championship football game and yet
get his letter. Similarly he might be
a pinch hitter in a baseball game and
secure a like reward. Or he might be
the poorest man in a very poor crew
and yet in his carsity letter. In
these three sports team membership is
e likely to give a man an honor he could
not win on individual merit. Since only
| four and five places are counted in the
intercollegiate championship meetings,
east and west, it is obviously impossi-
t Bile for the authorities to be more liber-
al in awarding the letter here, but they
{ should make up for it in the dual meets.
] | Some universities are stricter even
= than Yale in awarding the track letter.
Y Pennsylvania. for example, gives it on
e " to the winner OF first place in the
dual meets with Cornell and Dart
mouth 1t is a curious thing that in
n spite of the difficulty in winning the
track letters at both Pennsylvania and
% Cornell there are more men trying for
track than for any of the other major
sports But there is sentiment
-, everywhere toward more liberality in
the award OF track honOrs
:, Athletic experts are agreed that the
- greatest runner of all time is Ted
= Meredith the university of Pennsyl-
~ yania captain. In particular he is adj
" mitted to be greater than Lon Meyers,
who, until the arrival of Meredith was
II credited with the honor of being the
y world s greatest combination runner for
Fl all distances from 100 yards to one mile
Is Meyers could sprint in even time foI
d, both the 100 and 200-yard dashes. he
'u could beat 80 seconds for the quarter
mill l:5S for the half.mile and on one
or occasion did 4:29 for the mile.
IN Until the present year Meredith wa.
r. known only as a great middle distance
d. runner But this year he has done tn,
e. 100 yards in 10 seconds fat the quar-
m ter mile with a flying start in q II
re- seconds and the half.mile in 1852 ii
It's He has also, in previous years, run tn,
To- three quarters in 3:o5 and the mile il
in APPS. What makes these performance
IS so marvellous is that they indicate
se champion in the spirits, the middle an
he the long distances
or During the coming summer Meredit
intends to try for all the records fror
on a quartermile styaightaway to q mil,
to The quartermile test will be made o
.rt- the new track at Shocpshead Bay neN
OILS week. The present world mark is
,od | seconds. Meredith equaled his time
lth San Francisco last summer, but wit
i'll: the aid OF the wind. There Is no doul
lin. that he could equal or better it agai
e. under proper conditions. But since h
ass Sheepshead trial comes just a wee
ion after the intercollegiate championship
1m- it is more than likely that the let.doN
all, from the strain OF preparing for tn
competition will be too much.
M, Whether or not Meredith can smas
ro. the worlds mile record of 4:12 3-5 mat
his by Norman Taber last summer is a
viii other matter. James Curran, vi
inv developed Meredith at Mercerbu
ttlo Academy, insists that his former pun
,vo could do it if he trained exclusive
tbo for it. Meredith is now being adyis
hin, to train for the quarter, half and mi
top sePa'"VeE W',Hil 'ae next year ana
He 'o' ne" "orlu 'o'oruS III each'
par.