The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-01-25
MASS ATHLETICS ARE PLANNED FOR
AMERICAN SOLDIERS With FORCES
OF EXPEDITION NOW IN FRANCE

score. One thousand eight men out
of the 1910 or II per cent, cleared
the ditch. Another set of orders was
given and the men found themselves
formed again in their original posi-
lions facing the line of company flags.
A short space before the officers
stood a long line of men holding a
rope at arms length over their heads
The men were ordered to start sprint
ing in the present formation until an
other whistle blew thirty seconds la
ter. All the men who were beyond
the rope, which was dropped to waist
height at the whistle, counted one
point for their companies, those be-
hind the rope failed to score. If any
man could outsprint the man in file
ahead of him, he was to do so passing
en- the left. When the race was fin
ished they were to line up in files by
the company flags.
Did he say racer" whispered one
man to the file leader. The man nod
ded silently. Again the whistle sound
ed and the wild race began Picture
1E40 men sprinting simultaneously
down a field, mud flying, arms gyrar-
ing, tongues hanging out as they near.
ed the goal.
The rope suddenly dropped, divid-
ing the forces nearly in two. Seven
hundred and eight-four, or Sc per
cent, were ahead of the rope. The
men, painting and laughing, formed
their files once more. This was pref
ty good fun for war manoeuvres.
What under the sun was coming next?
Apparently a variation was about
to be introduced. There came a Y.
NJ. c "A. man overtopped by net bag
in which were sixteen inflated soccer
balls The Y. NJ. C. A. man explained
the next event. 1t wss called "com-
pany soccer" The men were divided
into eight equal teams CT one hundred
and seventy-five men each. On four
large fields they were to play soccer
against each other for thirty minutes
Four balls went to each field, one side
trying to kick them over the goal
line Gone point or through the regu-
lar goal-oosts (three points, at one
end of the field and the other at the
ether end.
In two and one-half minutes there
was the greatest scrimmage you ever
saw. Get N mind q field on which
| SEQ men are all trying to get as many
tc OTIS at fl UT footballs as they can.
And multiply that by the four fields
| that were in simultaneous use. The
umpires and scorekeepers had an even
more lively time of it than the play
ers. As fast as a goal was scored,
the ball was thrown into the melee
again at the center of the field. So
fast was the scoring that the referees
! l. st exact count. One team kicked
well over seventy goals inside Of thir-
/ ty minutes.
Again the whistles blew and the
raen formed files again. Everybody
had had a good time, and was in
big sweat. No one was hurt and every
one was happy. Tho men put on their
coats and marched off to their quar-
! tiers.
So ended the first hour of the great
| inter -reginenta1 field-mect that the
Y M. c. A. conducted during the
mems first afternoon on shore. For
the next two hours the program was
duplicated. even larger numbers of
n1en participating than in the first
hour. The officers were enthusiastic
about the results. They crowded
around to receive more definite in
structions as to how to manage sucn
an affair.