New-York tribune., 1917-12-28
Fighting Sports
Win Approval
OfCoIlegeM Men
Goal for Future of Athletics
Is Winning on
Battlefield

Meetings Of the Graduate Managers
Association and the Athletic Research
Society last night furnished an indica-
ton OF the general tendency to be
shown to-day at the annual conclave
AT the Hotel Astor Of the National
Collegiate Athletic Associaton-one OF
the most important conferences OF
its kind in the history OF eoilege
sports.
Practically everything done and
every word spoken at last nlght ;
gathering applied TO the question OF
how athletics can be made 20 serve the
courtr-, hest in this time Of war. The
executive committee OF the y. I. A. A.
also Got torcther and, besides attend
ing TO routine matters, formulated
policy for to-day which will practlcaiIy
exclude everything but points IN inc
nations welfare from occupying the
time of the delegates.
personal Contact" Sports
Chief among the decisions arrived at
during the discussions Of the athletic
research men was that personal con
tactp games-those which accentuate
fighting spirit and develop tghting
instinct-should be favored at every
possible turn over other styles OF COM
petition. This takes IN football, bas-
ketball. wrestling and boxing, more
particularly than baseball, track atm
ietics and other similar sports.
If a student is able to participate IN
only one branch of physical activity u
should be in one of the exciting per,
sonal contact" divisions. as a general
rule, other sports being INDUCED IN
only where a man has time for more
than one sport.
/. Intramural competitions instead OF
the intercollegiate variety Till be
plaved up more than ever, so that each
individual student-all are eligible Tor
n call to the colors-can get some pre-
paratorv training. One of the novel
features was "a recommendation from
DR.. ID. A. Sargent, of Harvard, that the
tug-of-war receive more attention IN
the future.
TO encourage the all-around physical
DEVELOPMENT of undergraduates II was
voted to adopt a standard table OF
points, based on the metric system.
which would be adaptable to universal
use. Credit for points will range all
the way from no performance at all
up to 1000 points for performance
considerably better than present world
records. For instance. in the high lump
the limits will be feet for l,OOO
points and half an inch for l point.
An Informal Meeting
The graduate managers meeting was
an informal one, az which many mat
ters Of interest and moment were dis
cussed. Ideas were swapped as to the
best method of collecting and handling
the government tax on public games,
how TO induce more students TO take
active part in athletics and how to in
crease interest in competitive sports
among the recruits in the various can
tonments.
Gustavus Towne Kirby's suggestion
for holding the intercollegiate track
and field championships next spring,
moving the date two weeks forward TO
the middle Of May. was discussed a.
length, and a majority of the nineteen
present pledged their support to the
movement. Murdock Kendrick, OF Penn
sylvania, who technically was not
entitled to attend the meeting, was
present by invitation and spoke strong
ly for this idea.
Kendrick pointed out that Cornell,
Swarthmore ana several otneT IeaulH6
institutions would close their college
terms earlier than usual, and that, IN
order TO have them enter teams, it
would be necessary TO arrange the
early date.
The participation Of Cornell would
act as an aid in influencing Harvard,
Yale and Princeton toward abandoning
their apathy TO the games, it was stated
on good authority, and might even
prove the deciding factor. Kendrlck
lined up votes for the early date plan
at the annual meeting Of the /. c. A. A.
A. A. in February, when the question
of games or no games must be de-
cided.
The National Collegiate Associa-
tion's meeting will begin at 10 o'clock
this morning at the Hotel Astor, when
Colonel Palmer Pierce, president OF
the organization and also president
of the War College. will strike the
keynote by stating the governments
attitude toward college athletics, IN
including, it is expected, President
Wilson'S own personal ideas.