The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-08
PRESENT DAY ICE
SKATERS INFERIOR
TO PREDECESSORS
Niles. Wins Fancy Figure
Championship - BIO stOn
Youth OutclasseS Rivals In
Crystal Rink.

New York, Feb. S.-While American
figure skating has advanced and
proadened in a wonderful degree
since Jackson Haines introduced the
sport in Europe way back in 1864.
the contestants apparently have NOT
Kept pace with the sport.a The stvle
used by Haines when he electrified
the Continent with his ice wizardrv
even featuring fancy skating in the
opera LIE Prophete," was cramped
anu forced compared with the broad.
sweeping style now featured. Most OF
the present experts, however, cannot
De compared with some of the old
time champions in smoothness of ex-
ecutlon, Trace of movement and deli
cateness of tracery.
AT least one would get that impres-
sion after watching the fancy skating
contest Tor men, which was held at
the Crystal Carnival Ice Rink, Broad
way and Ninety-fourth street last
night Premier laurels were won nv
Nat Niles of Boston, who showed al.
most as great proficiency on the lea
as he has on the tennis courts. where
he won the Massachusetts, State and
other titles.
Niles scored 1851 points out of
possible 200, Second laurels went to
Sherwin c. Badger, 16-year-old Ros-
ton hoy with rare promise, who Tailed
1916 points. Third Iaurels went TO T. -
Z. Howard of New York, former De-
troit and Toronto champion. who was
credited with 1853 points.
While Niles showed rare ice mas
terry, his work could not be compared
with that of George Phillips. I,ouis
Rubenstein, DR.. Arthur Keane and
some of the American champions of
the past. In fact, the performances
of Miss Theresa, Weld of Boston and >
the Hon. Mrs. S. r. Beresford of Lon
don, who finished first and second re-
spectively in the Women's competition
on the previous evening, were far SUI :
per1or to those of the men last even
ing, and it is apparent that the
chances of any of the masculine skat-
ers taking away the Hippodrome Gun
which Miss Weld will defend in the
grand open tonight are very slim.
In neither the school nor the free
figures did the men skaters display
the airy grace, delicate tracery and
effortless movements shown by the
women on Wednesday evening. The
nearest approach to them was young
Badger, whose work was revelation
and who shows rare promise of de-
veloping into an able successor of the
old champions.
| No one of his age ever skated SO su-
perbly as did the young Bostonian
last evening. He was as graceful and
light as bird on the wing Youth
and the joy of it was expressed in his
every movement. He gambolled and
pirouetted over the ice with much of
the absence of effort that made the
exhibitions of Miss Weld and Mrs.
Beresford so beautiful to watch.
| Had one never seen the old time
champions in action he might get the
idea that fancy skating distinctively
| is a woman's sport and that man is
too athletic and muscular to get the
proper grave of movement. One par,
ticurarly became inbued with that
idea after watching Niles, who is a
tall, stalwart fellow, broad of Shout
der and deep of chest, and who seemed
out of his element in trying to achieve
the airy grace that figure skating
must carry with it. 1t was as if a
lion was attempting the graceful
leaps Of q deer. =.
The competition, as on the previous .
evening, was in the new international
Skating Union, or Continental, style,
which is a free development of the
old American style. There was to-
tai of 144 points in the school figures
and a possible Sc points in the free
skating. Thus the school figures, or
fundamentals, counted two-thirds in
the totals. Almost too much atten-
ton is paid to the school, or funda-
mental, figures. The school figures
become mere routine work to a fin--
Iished skater and do not leave the OPP
lportunity for individuality that there
is in the free skating.