New-York tribune., 1918-04-07
Story Of Brooklyn Youth S
Running Reads Like a
Fairy Tale
By A. c. Cavagnaro

The story Of the accomplishments of
Louis Kaufman, the distance runner Of
the Brooklyn Athletic Association, in
track races during his short career of
ten months has tinge Of the fairy
tale variety. In this short space Of time
the youth of eighteen years has created
much comment by his many sterling
races. The Brooklyn boy started in six
teen runs, and in only one did he fail
to win a prize.
kaufman failed to display any inter
est in his school days for track and
field sports, and it was while attending
an athletic meet at Celtic Park early
last summer that the thrill Of competi-
ton gripped the red blood that runs
in his arteries. Thereupoa Kaufman
was determined to become an athletic
champion and Immediately began train
ing. Hc had several friends in the
membership Of the Brooklyn Athletic
Association, who urged him to practlSe
with its members.
Wins His First Medal
Kaufman took part in several club
meets, and the speed he showed in his
first races convinced the Brooklyn A.
A. athletes that they had a new cham
pion among them. Brushing up his
speed, Kaufman made his initial effort
for athletic glory in the two-mile nov
ice rum, which was on the programme
of the Local Union No. 20, engineers
games, at Celtic Park last July. AL
though pitted against many able OPP
ponents, Kaufman finished third, win
ming bronze medal for his first at
tempt. The contest was won by Rob-
ert Spears, who then represented the
Bronx Church House, and who is now
Coach Jack Monkeys second best dis
tance runner at Cornell University.
The winning of the prize spurred
Kaufman on to greater efforts. His
second race was in the Junior national
cross-country championship run over
the stiff Van Cortlandt Park course of
hills and rough ground, in which he
finished tenth.
Reporting for his first race over the
city's streets in the annual five-mile
man found that his original handicap
of 4:00 had peen cut in half by the
Official Handicapped of the local district.
Had Kaufman been permitted to start
with his 400 allowance he would have
spread-eagled his field, as in finishing
fifth he was only seventeen seconds
back of Eddie Mayo, clubmate, the
scratch man, for the fast time prize.
The series of indoor patriotic games,
instituted for the purpose of furnish
ing competition for the athletes, then
followed and found Kaufman entered
in the distance races in the three meets
that composed the meetings. Kaufman
won one in especially fast time and in
the other two finished third behind
two of the best runners in this district.
Kaufman gave another inkling of his
speed when he finished third behind
Charles Pores and Willie Kyronen in
the two-mlle race at the Central High
School games, Newark, although allotted
start of twenty-five yards.
Loses to Clubmate
Kaufman's only futile effort was in
the Clark House run of five miles,
which was held over snow-covered
course of several inches. On this oc-
casion he was again pitted against
Eddie Mayo, his clubmate, for the fast
time prize, and was beaten for the
honor by the small fraction of two
minutes.
However, Kaufman's most notable
showing came in the two-mile national
championship run at the 22d Regiment
Armory recently. Opposed by the best
distance men of this country, Kauf-