The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-02-06
COLLEGE CONTESTS
NAY BE ALTERED
Greater Participation in Sports Will Be
One of the Aims Back of the
Proposed Movement,

New York, Feb. 6.-0pinions among
followers of easteIT college athletics ap
pear to indicate radical changes in in
tercolegiate contests after the war. u
to the present time there has been Ut
concrete suggestion or plan offered, in
cooperating ideas under discussion but
/ il is considered likely that there will be
rapid progress in this direction once the
agitation reaches plane above idealistic
propaganda. Notwithstanding the at
titude of certain faction TO the con
trarv, it is generally conceded that inter.
varsity competition is the stimulus nee
essary TO live participation in exercise
and sport above the level OF daily col.
lege routine,
Just how to accomplish this, while Civ
ing opportunity for participation IN these
games TO hundreds of students instead
of chosen few specialists or experts,
is the problem which must be mastered
by those who are advocating the change
That much of the unnecessary and un-
scholastic glamor will be stripped from
such intercollegiate contests appears in
evitable but beyond this point suggested
action merges into discussion. But one
suggestion looking toward adjustment
in prominent eastern intercollegiate
sport has been advanced to date.
This is the proposal to supersedpe the
intercollegiate championship regatta
with a series of short, dual boat races in
which each college crew would meet
each rival in turn during the spring
rowing season. Just how this would in
crease, TO any extent, the number of
oarsmen now competing is not made
clear. Providing that a given college
crew was to row even one mile race
against a rival eight each Saturday dur
ing May and June, as football elevens
play contests in the autumn, it il like
ly that the coach, once he had seated
and winning combination in
the shell would send about the same
eight to the line each week end
That there is need OF greater partici- |
patton in sport exercises and training |
by the average STUDENT Is pointed out |
by no less an authority than DIR. Dudley !,
A. Sargent. director of Hemerrway gym
nasinm, Harvard university. DIR. Sar-
gent. in recent article in the Harvard |
alumni bulletin, states in part
Presumably the students who enter
Harvard come TO prepare themselves
as well as mentally and nor
mally for life's great game. Recent ex-
have shown that from p per
,ent to 80 per cent OF our young men are
unprepared for military serv-
ce. History shows ms that gymnastics
md athletics were originally practiced
or the purpose OF preparing men for
var. Gymnastics furnished the prelim
nary trainings athletics afforded the
opportunity for competition.
In view of the conditions confronting
Is as a people, would it not be wiser
'lan so to conduct our athletics as not |
'nly to select the fit and eliminate the ,
unfit from the major contests which are
he basis of the present system, of which {
approve as far as IL goes, but so to I
nodify, supplement, and conduct these {
r other athletic contests as to encour- :
ge the unfit to continue their practice !
nd try and make themselves more fit
or the duties of citizen and a possible y
older?
The one great difficulty that is con
Inually operating against such modifi- /
alton of our present day method is the b
Ugh standard demanded by the candi- In
ates OF our ma jor athletic sports In i
~ opinion any game or sport that has
ecome so highly organized as to require A
special aptitude or ability on the part
every player who would engage in it n
as ceased to be Of practical service in :
democratic community, except as a N
,urce of occasional entertainment and !,
musement. a
II is almost impossible 10 keep up any !,
terest in a highly specialized game aft a
leaving college. for the simple reason !"
lat not enough skilled players can be
'und TO form team II il largely ON
count of the simplicity Of the game fl
I'd the readiness with which one may "
nd some of equal ability with whom f.
play, that tennis and golf are prov +,
z 80 popular Of late. r.