The New York herald., 1921-01-23
BOYS CHOSEN FOR
INTERCITY SKATING
Team Of 20 Youngsters Sur
vive TryOuts for Race
With Chicago.

The intercity skating championship
between teams representing Chicago and
New York will be conducted on Saturday
afternoon. February 8. at the Ice Palace.
Atlantic and Bedford avenues. Brooklyn.
It has been source of considerable
anxiety on the part OF the officials of
the Public Schools Athletic League of
New York as TO how TO get n sufficient
number OF schoolboy skaters of ability
to make IN team to defenr' the honor
Of the city against the representatives
OF Chicago.
The climatic conditions Of the city of
New York are vastly different from that
in the middle West, with the result that
the boys of our city are unable to get
much outdoor skating, and thousands
Of them who would indulge in this sport
arc unable to do so owing to the expense
attached to skating in the various rinks.
II s a lack Of funds on their part and
not q lack OF interest. Chicago as we
are informed through the daily PRESS
has 800 outdoor skatirg ponds through
ont the city upon which thousands of
their boys daily indulge in this healthful
sport.
IN order to overcome this difficulty
Dr. william L. 3ttinger Superintendent
Of Schools OF the city OF New York. for
warded a letter to every principal In
the school system asking him to make
survey OF his school in order that we
might get enough boys with ability 10
skate to make Up a team. The result
was not only surprising. but encourag.
ing Nine hundred and eighty boys ans
wered the call. and II was necessary to
try out this vast army in order that the
boys might bc selected and arrange
monts made accordingly On last Fri
day afternoon all Of the boys OF the
Borough Of Manhattan were tested at
Iceland Broadway and Fifty-third
street and the best were Selected. On
Saturday morning between the hours OF
Z and 8 O'Clock hundreds OF boys from
the boroughs OF Richmond, Brooklyn and
Quecns reported at the Ice Palace.
Brooklyn. and were tested. Those show
Ing ability were held In allegiance for
| further selection.
On Saturday afternoon. between 12
ard ] o'clock. the boys OF uppe~ Man
haitian and The Bronx were tested at
the 1Sist Street Ice Palace. The results
of these official tests produced one hum
dred boys who had ability TO make n
team. Further tests were made on
Monday and forty were eliminated with
the result that sixty boys now are get
tirg special training on Mondays
Wednesdays and Fridays from II to IL
o'clock at the Brooklyn Ice Palace In
Brooklyn. From this number a team Of
twenty elementary school boys and
twenty high school boys will be selected
to represent the city OF New York In
the championship meet.
During the initial tryouts many
amusing incidents occurred Some Of
the boys had an idea that the ordinary
old fashioned skate would answer the
purpose for skating. and IN fact one very
young boy brought along skates with
the big rolled top front that were used
In the early SOS. When questioned as
to where he secured the skates. he
stated that he found them in the cellar
ard his mother told him they were "a
pair his grandfather used many years
ago While this youth was ambitious
his knowledge of skating was such that
Il was impossible to select him for fur
ther training 1t seems pity that
when n boy will go to the extremes OF
using any kind Of skate he can get I'm
order that he will make n team he Is
not IN position TO secure more up 10
date material TO crafty his afnbiiiol
in being n representative ON the New
York team.