Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-17
ADVANCE
IN ATHLETICS
MADE IN U. S.
Practically Every Standard
Has been Bettered in
Last Few Years.

New York. Jan. 1.-THE remark
able advance made in track and field
athletics by American performers in
recent years is strikirg!y demon
strated by the latest charts of the
Amateur Athletic union. With the
records show that almost every
standard contest has repeatedly been
bettercd during the period since the
early eighties when the a. A. U. was
jorGanized.
The 100 yard dash record was cut
down rs Of q second in a trifle less
than thirty years. Between 1883 and
1918 1t vas broken twice and no less
than eleven sprintcrs participated in
$50 dash 4-5 OF a second was Topped
OF the time in a similar period. the
record being broken twice and eight
runners receiving credit for exceed
ing or equalling the previous clock
ing. The quarter mile event is, one
Of the exceptions to the general rule.
Wendell Eaker ran the 40 yards in
MAxey Long reduced the time to AZ
seconds fiat. Since that date no
Splinter has ever cqualled this per-
tformance.
Coming to the longer distances, the
half mile run has been bettered
twice, 3 1-2 seconds having been cut
Iof h time made by Lon Myers in
1885. This time was lowered twice
and four athletes are credited with
tying or breaking the record. In the
mile u 5 AS seconds marks the i'm
proven1cnt. w. 6. George ran the
distance in 1882 in 4:al rs and in
turn Tommy Connect, John Paul
Jones and Norman Taher each clip
ped the time until at present it stands
at 4:l2 3-5. The five mile record has
been broken three times and equalled
once since 1887 n the total gain
amounts to 50 rs seconds. The ten
mile run shows a gain Of 1855 la
seconds since 1886, the record of that
date having been bettered three times.
In the hurdle races / 1-5 seconds
marks the gain over the l2O yard
flight. In 1891 II. L.. Williams did
Is 4-5 seconds and in 1916 II. Simp-
son established the present figures of
"a as seconds. During these twenty
times and tied four times. at 22o
yards the gain amounts to a full
second. This second was cut off by
a. G. kraenzlein in 1898 and has been
tied twice hut never beaten. The one
mile walk has been improved to the
extent of l 3-5 seconds since ''Cind-
ers' Murray stepped the distance in
: minutes 20 3-5 seconds in 1883. 1t
was not until 1911, however. that
walker. heel-and.toed the distance in
s:2s and no other .rcrformer has
equalled those figures since
The field vents also afford some re-
markable examples Of the improve
ment in athletic competition. The
running high jump mark has been
moved up 3 sis inches since 1887
when W. E. Page cleared 6 it. 4 in.
Eddie I'eeson holds the record at
the interim Mike Sweeney and
George HORNE held the figures of
their day, thus proving factors in the
climb of the jumpers. The broad
jump shows an improvement of Il #.
1 Ia in. In 1886 the figures stood at
2a tt: 3 in, made by Malcolm Ford
and between that date and Meyer
hrimstein's record leap of "A it. Z I'D
in. the records broken five
times by four different broad jump
ers. The hop, step and jump shows
a gain of 6 tt. 2 la ill.,, between 1884
and 1911 when the existing figures
were. established by Dan Ahearn.
The pole vaulters also kept raising
the bar steadily from the day when
Hugh Baxter did IL #. 5 in.. in 1887.
Mark Wright now holds the record
height has been improved upon nc
less than seven times and tied once.
In the weight events. IA #. 3 is in.
mark the gain between Queckherner's
heave of rs #. 3 Ia in. with the sc
Id. ball and Matt McGrath's 40 #
8 3-S in. made in 1911. The shot
put gain amounts to Z it. ! in. having
bean broken six times in a period OF
thirty years. The discus throw was
not established until 1897 and the frs,
figures were held by c. Fl. Henneman
with 11S It. 9 in. In 1912 the pres.
emit record Of las It. 8 1-2 in. was
made by Duncan. but during :: these
fifteen years the figures were. i'm.