The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-29
SHEPPARD SPEAKS
FOR PRO TRAINERS
lie Says They Should Have
Privilege Of Floor at
Some Meets.
CHAMPIONS TO COMPETE

There vas considerable talk in attn
,e,ic circles yesterday over the fracas
at the small clubs ampionships on
Saturday. when the Long Island A. G.
and the Mlilrose A. A. locked horns over
the disqualification Of Devaney and the
failure Of the Long Island A. c. rum
ners to pass the baton In the medley
relay race.
George Mathews. chairman Of the To-
| cal registration committee. resurrected
| the old rule OF the A. A. L. which de-
| clares that trainers shall not be allowed
! on the field while competitions are being
decided. This rule was resurrected APP
parently to curbSthe activities OF Melvin
W. sheppard. trainer OF the Millrose A..
A.. who discovered the Long Island ath-
letes In the act or passing the baton to
a man who had not started In the relay
race.
Sheppard talked frankly on the mat
ter and admitted that the rule was a
good one in its general aspects. but he
commended that there were times when
! II was actually necessary for a coach
to he IN the field.
Take the games of the Sixty-ninth
Regiment, for Instance" he said. ~ Will
run those and II 7 am not allowed on
the floor something Ia sure to go wrong.
IL Ia the same when the Fourteenth
Regiment games are being held. Law
son Robertson is the moving spirit In
those games and necessarily must he
on the floor 1: the preliminary rrang
ments are to be carried out. Mr..
Mathews IS quite right in regard 10
the exclusion OF coaches at ordinary
meets. There In no ease why the
coach SHOULD be allowed to Interfere
In the actual running OF a race. II he
has men of ordinary intelligence on his
team he can give his instructions before
the men leave the dressing room and
leave II TO the racers to win or lose the
race thereafter"
Sheppard Is content TO take the same
place assigned TO the other professionals,
but he called attention to the good work
lone by instructors in the past. For
instance. every set OF games held a,
Travers Island In the Old days was con-
trolled by Eugene iiannlni. He directed
the movements of the men and was re-
sponsible fer the conduct of the meet.
When competent officials are enga ged
Sheppard agrees that there In no reason
for the interference OF professional
trainers. but he qualified this remark by
an int!nat!on that the presence o! pro.
fess.onals safeguaried the principles o.
a'nateurisrn at the small clubs meet las
saturday.
Champion athletes will he among thu
competitors in the interreg!mental relay
race that will be one OF the features o.
the seventh Regiment games to be held
next Saturday. In the open relay race
the competing stars will include the fol
loving: SeNenty-irst ReSiment-HomeI
Baker. W. Anderson. Matt Gels. c
Clark. ". Cough ana l.. De Witt: Four.
;eenth i,egilnent-R. !. Hilimau, W
Freedman. p. Silyio, X. Gallagher arc
/. j. Clement Sc ond Naval Battalion
i. Bcnuett. Il W. Mcdonald. +. Hauser
T. HALEY: Thirteenth Regiment-Sic
Leslie. ". Leslie. W. Fisher, II. Hirshor
ard l.. Haskell.
One OF the specials at the games. q
the New York post Office clerks TO b,
held IN the Sixty-ninth Regiment Ar
mory next Saturday will be the stand
Ing high jump. This will bring ,ogethe'
The old and rev champions. Plat Adam
and W. II Taylor. In the A. 4. L
championship meet Taylor defeate,
Adams. clearing 3 feet 3 inches, whic!
Was an inch better than the New Yorl
4 & man accomplished. Crack sprint
ers and middle distance men will an
Meredith being scheduled for their FRS
race in the half mile scratch.
Peter Hol. the national A. A. L. gym
uastir Champion. will head the TEA
Of the Norwegian Turn and Athlet,
: clUb Of Brooklyn for the metropolita,
! g mnastic championships. which will h
> HELD at the New York Turn Nerein a
1 h,r,l - Til Norwegian club has en-
l." Ell e-h' men for the championship
! aai expects % nahe a strong bid 10
.Aa tA.,, .rnnhN