New-York tribune., 1918-02-24
&c. A. A. A. to
Hold Confab
Here Saturday
By !. S. Mitchell


Amateur Athletes of America, the body
that goverAe college track and field
sports in the East, has called its an
nual convention for next Saturday in
this city. Since the inception of the
organization in 1876 the custom ,has
been to hold the conclave in February,
but two years age it was shifted to
March by special ruling.
A number of vital questions touching
the track and field game will come
up for discussion, the most important
being the holding Of the annual cham
plonsh1ps. From what can be gath
cred now the championships will be
neld, although there is just bare pos
slolilty that there may be few dis
senters when the question comes to a
vote. Recent conferences Of the big
colleges with regard to resuming the
sport nave been in every way favor
aD!e, and 1T IS now understood that the
pig Tour" are coming to the convcn-
tlon 10 back uD the proposition of hold
ing full title programme. with ner-
haps few additions if ANYTHING.
Abandoned with Reluctance
:, Last year the meet was abandoned.
but not without reluctance. for tho
"lseacres Of the advisory board. such
as a Gustavus T. Kirby and Romeyn
berry, OF Cornell, saw the advisabilitv
" continuing athletics if for no other
purpose tnan military training. The
thought thev might be recarded ~
frivolous slackers if they were seen in
the nelghborhood of an athlet;c fold
SO they outvoted the men who knew
,, soon after came the famous edict o+
IesIoenC wilson to continue the track
ana heid games, as there was noth;ng
oetter 1or preliminary training, and the
recommendatlon was borne out later
when the physical examination of the
1hewly 1ny enilsted men began. The col
tege LIZ men animated with the track and
classes of recruited mon.
A proposition has been received +o
add az two events to the field programme
ihey are bomb throwing and THROWING
the discus. No definite rule has vef
becn suggested for the bomb thro,vino
put very likely it will be on the lines
OK the contests seen at Travers Island
during last summer and once or twice
Witnessed at the sports Of the local
military training camps.
1t is understood that the bomb will
be Of the type used by the army now
IN France and Will be the standard
weight and size. The discus is. Of
course, a standard event in A. A. u.
programmes, and probably the A. A. L.
rules will be followed by the college
men.
Word has come from PHILADELPHIA
that the Pennsylvania delegates are in
favor Of having the javelin replace the
hammer on the ,fesd list. Fog some
,vh ~ =
Pennsylvania has a deep grudge
against the hammer throwing competi-
tion, for more than one student at the
Red and Blue institution has written
published articles Knocking" that
form of athletic exercise and limiting
that it was a mild form of barbarism; :;
that it was dangerous to life and limb,
and that as muscle builder it was a
monstrosity, as it impaired a super
development to the shoulders and the
upper part of the human frame To
such an extent has the feeling engen-
dered by Pennsylvania worked already
that one governing body in the Far
West has dropped the hammer from its
programme.
Attitude Of Robertson
being coached by Lawson Robertson,
SUPPOSCOAS oitC VI ll4C UtSI illSElOl ;
Of the field events in America He has
been credited with developing Pat Ryan
and Matt McGraIh, two record holders
and why should he be averse to turn
ing out O few more -notchers is
hard to understand.
In commenting on the proposed d
change on the programme Romeyn
Berry said yesterday: 81 fail to sec
why the hammer is any more danger
GUS than the javelin. They both travel
about the same distance, and while O
bystander may escape the hammer with
bruises or a broken bone or two he
Is surely a dead one if he happens to
get speared by the Javelin.
TO carry out the proposed change
a tWo-thlrds ajority will be necessary.
and then the rule will not go into effect
until next year. No doubt the bomb
throwing event and the discus will be
passed unanimously, and in that case
they will be added to the Programme
this year. The bomb or hand grenade
throwing is a military event, and be-
sides it is highly novel number now
adays on any field, collegiate or other
wise"
The University of PENNSYLVANIA hos
invited the l. c. A. A. A. A. to use
Franklin Field, and as no other COL
iege seems to want the meet it will
in all likelihood go to the Ouakers
The date will in all probability be the