Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-22
Indianapolis Athletics
Need Earlier Attention
High School Coaches Send Out Appeal for Grade School
Competition - Suggest Inercity Competition Under
Recreation Department Jurisdiction - Local Schools
Also Face Gymnasium Troubles.

success is mention before the grade schoOI
student bodies. The youngsters W3ula
would be no expense to the schools, be
cause the best Of material would not oe
at all necessary, and a small admission
fee could be charged at the league games,
which would easily pay for the uniforms,
balls and other equipment.
WOULD MAKE
BETTER BOYS.
Let's give this matter due considera-
ton, and take a grand whirl at 1t next
year. For, besides making 1t possible for
Indianapolis to turn out championship
court teams, it would give the lads all
sorts Of athletic training and develop
them into better boys and scholars.
A wonderful example of what this KIND
OF move would do for better basket pail
in tbe high schools can be taken from
the cases Of many former high school
| stars. who are now playing amateur pail
In this city. Johnny Hennessey ana
Hank Stevens, two former Shortridge
boys, are 1T subjects. year or two
ago these boys were stars at their school,
but didn't even rank with other players
in the State. However, they went to the
trouble of learning a few things about
the game in high school, and now either
OF them will hold his own with the best
that HOOsierdom can send against them
out Of any class. Their development can
be credited TO nothing but experience, be
cause Hennessey has been out Of school
but two years, and Stevens one. If these
boys had not had TO waste two or three
years OF their high school career getting
started, then one can imagine what they
" ould have done for the Blue aud White.
There are countless other examples Of
this kind.
SANDUSKY HAD
NOTHING ON Us.
Then we have this gymnasium talk.
ATucb hoo haap saF3 anour ~
team that went to the finals OF the State
tournament The team did not have
gymnasium, had to travel five miles to
get TO one that could be used for prac-
tice. There IS nothing queer about this.
Look at Tech. Here We have school
with something over 5000 students, the
enrolment OF a fair-SiZed university. 1t
is the biggest school in the capital Of the
State. Yet it must be said to the shame
Of the city, that Tech has no gymnasium
In which the Green and White basketeers
may practive. They have had to travel two
miles to get to gymnasium, being per
United 10 use the !. NJ. G. A. floor for
an hour on Wednesday and Friday after
moons. So why talk of Sanduskyf Just
take a look around and talk about your
own Tech first Of all.
Iech also viii have frst-class gym
hsslun when their building work is com
pleted
This makes It look as though Coach
Black, who has won two sectional cham
plonshlps in the two years he has been
al Tech, deserves great deal more credit
than he has ever been given.
Manual and ShOrtridge have but little
better accommodations than has Tech
However, it must be admitted that the
north and south side schools have regu-
lattOn box cars" which is all any town
In the State with a population OF from
so to 1900 can boast Of. Manual will
have decent gym when their new build
ing Is completed
Villages and hamlets throughout all Of
HOosierdOm are scraping up money by
some manner OF means with which TO
build suitable gymnasums for their
teams. They don't think anything Of
new gymnasium, because they know that
1t will all come back to them in the
physical education Of their youngsters.
Certainly the local teams get plenty Of
support, loyal support, from their re
spective student bodies when 1t comes 10
cheering at the battles, but outside Of
that they are babes In the woods with
out even a bean trail to follow.
We turned out football teams that
could knock anything in the State
curve, simply because We went after the
thing IN the right way, and the boys
had plenty of room TO do their training.
There was nothing wrong with the
coaches there and they can do the same
thing in basketball and all other
branches Of sports, providing they get
the support.
so let's ditch the hammers and do a
little good, sound thinking; get behind
this grade school proposition and edu-
cate our boys, physically as we'll as men
tally, from the ground up, then help
them in high school. Wake up Indlanap-
oils; get in stride with Whip Center,
Bugleville and the rest OF the big cities.