Evening star., 1918-01-20
YANKEE ATHLETES
STEADILY IMPROVE
Standard Contests Have Re-
peatedIy Been Bettered Since
the Early Eighties.


| markable advance made in track and field
cent years is strikingly demonstrated by
the latest charts of the Amateur Athletic
| Union. With the exception of two or
three events, the records show that al
| most every standard contest has repeat
edly been battered during the period since
the early eighties when the A. A L. was
organized.
The 100-yard dash record was cut down
two -fifths of a second in a trihe less than
thirty years. Between 1888 and 1918 il
was broken twice and no less than eleven
sprinters participated in breaking or
tying the time In the 220 dash four
fifths of a second was lopped off the time
in similar period. the record being brok-
en- twice, and eight runners receiving
credit for exceeding or equaling the pre-
vious closking. The quarter-mile event
is one of the exceptions to the general
rule. Wendell Baker ran the 44o yards
in AK seconds in 1885, and in 1900 Maxey
Long reduced the time to AZ seconds fiat.
Since that date no sprinter has ever
equaled this performance.
Better Long Runs.
Coming to the longer distances, the
half-mile run has been bettered twice.
three and cne-half seconds having been
cut off the time made by Lon Myers in
1855. This time was lowered twice and
four athletes are credited with tying or
breaking the record In the mile run
w. G. George ran the distance in 1882 in
4.21 2-5. and in turn Tommy Conneff.
John Paul Jones and Norman Taber each
clipped the time until. at present, it stands
Z .
broken three times and equaled once since
1887. and the total gain amounts to
81 2-5 seconds. The ten-mile run shows
, gain of 1.55 1-5 since 1886, the record
Of that date having been bettered three.
times.
In the hurdle races Ills seconds
marks the gain over the 120-yard
fight. In 1891 H. L. Williams did
established the present figures of IA as
seconds During these twenty-six
years the record was broken four times
and tied four times. At 220 yards the
second was cut off by A. C. Kraenzlein
| in 1898 and has been tied twice, but
never beaten. The one-mile walk has
been improved to the extent Of 3-5
seconds since "Cinders" Murray step
ped the distance in 6 minutes 2s as
seconds in 1883. 1t was not until 1911,
however. that George Goulding, the
Canadian walker. hee1-and-toed the
SECONDS,
no other performer has equaled those
figures since.
Improve Field Events.
The field events also afford some re-
markable examples of the Improvement
in athletic competition. The running
high jump mark has been moved up
5-16 inches since 1887. when w B.
Page cleared feet inches Eddie
Beeson holds the record at present
with feet 5-16 inches, but in the in
terim Mike Sweeney and George HORNE
proving factors in the climb of the
jumpers. The broad jump shows an
Improvement of l foot ~ inches. In
1885 the figures stood at % feet
tween that date and Meyer Brimstein's
record leap of "a feet 7A inches the
records were broken five times by four
dinerent broad Jumpers. The hop. step
inches 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 II feet inches in
1887. Mark Wright now holds th'e rec
ord with 13 feet 2A inches, but the
original height has been improved upon
no less than seven times and tied once
In the weight events IA feet ~ inches
,ii<'i N tie saih oetWeeH QueCkberner'S
heave of 2s feet az inches. with the
Iffty-six-pound ball, and Matt Nc
Grath's 40 feet 6A inches. made in 1911.
The shot-put gain amounts to feet 1
inch. having been broken six times in
| a period of thirty years. The discus
throw was not established until 1897,
and the first figures were held by c. H,
Henneman with 11S feet 9 inches. In
1912 the present record of 145 feet 91s
inches wac made by Duncan. but dur
ing these fifteen years the figures were
| improved no less than seven times, and
in each case Martin Sheridan was the
athlete to better his previous throw.