Evening star., 1919-09-24
v. AND |. WILL GET
S.A. DISTANCE RUN
Cross-Country Event to Take
Place at Lexington-High
! School Athletic TangIe.
BY II. E, BYRD.

The South Atlantic intercollegiate
Athletic Associations cross country
run this fall probably will be held
at Washington and Lee. For some rea-
son the annual event was not dis
cussed at the meeting of the associa-
tion last spring. and was lost sight of
until Washington and Lee recently
asked for it for Thanksgiving day.
mail vote is being taken, and so
far every institution heard from has
recorded in favor of giving the run
to the Lexington university.
One question brought up by two
schools. though, is the date for the
event. While both institutions voted
in favor of hol ling the run at Wash
ington and Lee, they questioned the
advisability of holding it Thanksgiv-
ball games. Particularly is this true
of v. =. |. and V. NJ. l., both of which
take their entire student bodies to
Roanoke for contest on the holiday.
situation has developed in high
school athletics in the District which
bids fair to disrupt. temporarily at
least, the whole scheme of conducting
scholastic sports Because of the pop
ularity of high school games. because
participants, because of the worth in
helping to maintain the morale of
students generally, some steps should
be taken by those in authority in the
schools to harmoniZe the diScordant
factions or get at the root of the
! trouble and remove ii. 1t is not nee
essary to dilate on the advantages of
high school athletics nor the value to
the schools of their continuance, and
any situation which threatens to dis
rupt an organization which has been
perpetuated for more than a score of
by the superintendent of schools or
possibly by the board of education.
According to the statement issued
by the faculty advisers of the schools,
the whole situation SINNERS down to
a personal fight of representatives of
Western. Eastern. Technical and Busi-
ness against the representatives of
Central However, such personal diff
ferences should be settled in some
other way than one which affects
adversely the welfare of thousands Of
high school students. Possibly the
action of the faculty advisers was
taken in order to force some kind of
showdown in matters which they
claim have gone beyond their powers
to control. Central High did not have
representative at the meeting at
which the action disseminating the
high school league was taken, but the
absence of Central representative
was not the fault of Central authori-
ties. The man appointed to represent
Central was taken ill suddenly, and
was compelled to go to the hospital.
Following the adoption of the reso-
luton at the meeting yesterday abol-
1shing the high school league, the ap-
pended statement was given out:
attention is called to the fact that
2 recent statement in the Washing
ton Post by G. A. Metzler of Central
High School in regard to certain rec
concentrations for faculty athletic
advisers. their duties and activities is
taken on entirely false premise. The
Central representative was present at
less than 25 per cent of the meetings
or the athletic advisers last year. The
construction Of the eligibility rules, the
enforcement Of the same, as well as the
making Of athletic schedules. are not
functions of faculty athletic advisers.
The eligibility rules are and have
been drown up by the superintend-
ent of schools. Schedules are made
by formulae. 1t is therefore impos-
s;ble for athletic advisers. who are
also coaches, to do otherwise than
agree upon officials for games, the
places for playing the same and on
generally accepted athletic and phyi-
ical training policies.
TT is a matter of record that prac-
tically all of the difficulties and OBJ
1ections encountered by the athletic
board during c. A. Metzler's tenure on
that board were encountered through
Mr.. Metzler's continued objections.
TT Is a matter of record that the
Central representative opposed prac-
tically all measures adopted by Tech
nical, Western, Eastern and Business
High School representatives toward
promoting inter-high school athletics,
and what were thought to be pro-
Eressive policies generally accepted.