The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-03-27
GREAT PROGRAM OF
SPORTS PLANNED IN
SPRING FOR A. EFF

Paris, March ga dozen athletic
experts and a consignment Of athletic
supplies valued at $419.73o. which ar
rived almost simultaneously. served to
add district impulse to the gigantic
program Of competitive sports out
lined by General Pershing for the
A. e. F., which will reach a climax
in the military Olympic games late in
the spring. Three hundred Y. NJ. G.
A. physical directors are already CO.
operating with 100 athletic officers
in the A. E. F.. preparing the men
for the eliminative competition, and
work is going forward on the great
Pershing Stadium at Joinville.
It is difficult to imagine the scope
of these games and sports, which are
being developed on the platoon unit
system for the most part. Perhaps the
simple statement that in one field meet.
operated under a system devised by
the Y NJ. c. A.. single heat OF the
220-yard dash was run off with LOO
contestants within a period OF ten
minutes.
An explanation Of this seemingly
impossible feat may serve as a sort
Of key to the whole situation. which
assuredly is without a parallel in the
history Of sport for numbers involved
and the general interest taken in 1t.
It was desired to qualify number
Of men from the group OF 1,60 In the
22O-yard dash, and 1t was figured that
those who could do the distance in
better than 80 seconds should be en-
titled to qualify. On q strafghtaway
course 100. yards wide the contestants
took their places, half q minute being
allowed for each squad OF 100 to
toe the mark At the shot, the line
sprang away and raced for the fin
ish mark. There was rope suspend
ed across the course, and dropped ex-
actlv 80 seconds after the gun. Every
man who got past the rope before 1t
dropped was considered to have quail
fed. AS one squad finished another
was sent on it's way, and the results
actually were tabulated within the ten
minutes, each officer being responsible
for his own unit.
alive which will be the foundation
for the Pershing programme. Out OF
platoon competition in basket ball, Soc
Ger, all kinds of running and Jump
ing relays, baseball, football and the
like, will be developed the stars OF the
A. E. f. championships and the mill
tary olympics in which the best Amer
lean performers will meet the cham
pions of the other armies OF the al
lies.
The Y. NJ. G. A. war work council
will provide not only the expert Or
ganizers and directors necessary for
the success of the programme but has
undertaken to supply all the athletic
equipment required. Since the armis-
tice was signed the "Y" has sent from
America supplies valued at $S37.000.
From July, 1917, to December 1, 1918.
for purposes Of comparison, the total
In the department has been 1891, 900.
The combined total of $1.668,588 is in
creased to more than 100000 by the
addition of supplies purchased inEng-
land and bats and base ball gloves
made by the French from American
models. In January alone 4,40o foot
balls were bought in England at cost
of sac. 200.
Since the armistice was signed 243.-
546 baseballs have been received from
America; 59,712 bats, 6,295 masks, 49,
sos gloves and mitts of various kinds:
84,193 basketballs. volIeyballs, play
ground balls and the like; and 41,202
footballs. That the games are played
according to rule is shown by the
receipt of 1000 rule books last month.