The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-02

%There are many problems facing the
Kansas athletic leaders these days. ana
there is no doubt but that a great deal
of good would come from such
meeting. If the plans are carried thru
Topeka will welcome. the officials ana
will gladly do anything it can TO assist
them in making the meeting success.
One of the big problems that is
facing the sport directors is That OF
making both ends meet in financial
way. Some of the schools seem to be
getting by without trouble Whlle
others are. having such hard time
that there is a demand for the sus-
pension of athletics until after the
kaiser has been canned. 1t would
probably be worth the time and eX-
pense of a trip to such a conference II
the representatives of the schools that
have solved these problems could meet
the representatives of those that nave
not and could lmpart TO tneHl thelr
success secrets
Discuss Material Problems.
Another matter that is causing con-
Germ in practically every school is the
getting of athletic material and the
training and developing of young IN
experienced men into athletes capaple
of upholding the standards OF the IN
stitutions. Some schools, such as the
Emporia Normal, the Hays Normal
st. Mary's, Baker, Ottawa and the COL
lege of Emporia, seem TO pc dple "
do this while others are finding II
hard to maintain teams at all. Of6
doubtedly the successful schools have
found a way to interest more OF their
students in sports and they might be
able to give a few pointers to the
coaches who have not been SO sue
cessfuI.
Still another problem that the
athletic men must meet is the attitude
= 70 1fy CONSERVATIVES
who have become. panicky and VINO
think that the only way to escape rum
is for their schools to eurtail athletics,
cut the salaries of the coaches ana re-
duce the remuneration received by
officials. ~.
No one knows better than compe-
tent athletic directors the disaster
that would follow such course. They
realize That cheap coaches and or
ficials viii mean an influx OF incom4f
petents, and most OF. them realize thati
it is up to them to try to build up
their profession rather than to remain
inactive and see others degrade 1t.
They realize better than any one else
that the Kansas conference can no
better afford to turn its activities over
to quacks than the state could afford
to bar all good doctors and compel
practicing physicians to charge cheap
fees.
Must Nuke Boys Fit
Also, the coaches and athletic di-
rectors know that it is their duty to
work harder while the war lasts than
any otherF time because it is up to
them to- make their men physically lit
for serviceswhen they are called. They
know better than most laymen the
wisdom of. President Wilson and the
army and navy officials in urging that
all sports be maintained and they
know the evil results that would fol-
low if the Kansas schools should drop
sport and allow their students to be-
come physical weaklings. For this
reason many OF them believe it would
be a good idea to get together and to
make a. concerted action looking to
the mai7taining of all sports and to
give a little pub1icity to the work they
are doing.
The physical directors in the army
camps and in the Y. M. G. A. are doing
a big work in developing the soldiers
and putting and keeping them in
fighting trim. butt they cannot accom-