The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-14
Camp Discusses Track Conditions Ouer the
 Country
ny WALTER cAMp
Special Correspondont of The Asc-HeraI,

Special Correspondent Of The AEe-Herald Copyright. 1929, by The Age-HeraldI New York, May 13.-The situation
 regarding track athletics has become
 more and more complicated It is no one's fault. The difficulty is due to conditions. What shall be done about it? This Is now an important ques-
 ton. Shall there be something in the nature of a merger between the
 I. c. A. A. A. and other bodies, notably those representing a wider stretch of country? Or will the va rious sections of the country con- tinue to go each on its own basis?
 In case they should do this latter, Is there the possibility that some- body. such as the National Collegiate
 association, will take position
 final testing out of the athletes in
 all sections. In other words,
 countrywide championship? It Is very hard to sec the way clear In
 this respect. Particularly is it diff
 cult at the present time, when many
 of the older institutions, while not forbidding intersectional contests, are looking upon them with some
 disfayor, and for the most part are tending in the direction of opposition
 to sending men or team long dis tances for intersectional meetings. About Championship
 Potentially, for instance, in foot ball, there crops up a demand for
 a real championship" as it's pro posers call it. That is, something in
 the nature of a final contest among i the leading teams in various sec
 tions. Many are deluded in their 1 ideas Of this matter by what seems to be an entire foggetfulness of the fact that college athletes and college teams are not the main purpose of
 the university and that studies and eurriculums cannot be sacrificed They regard the collegian as they would the professional baseball player. whose sole business it is to play. baseball, and who is playing it for 8 salary. And here, of course championships are essential and worlds series so called, quite proper 1 Hitherto the intercollegiates have been the blue ribbon events of the track season, but the western confer
 ence meet and other meetings have
 come up very strongly and, although the Intercollegiate was won last year
 by team coming from the greatest possible distance. namely, the Uni
 versity of California, one can
 hardly say that every section has
 an equal chance.
 i, In all probability, with the present
 attitude of faculties and athletic | committees, it would be better for a period of time at any rate, to carry
 on as we are doing and to await de- 1 velopments rather than to make mergers or devise further means for broader representation with a view
 to determining something more defi-
 mite in the way of championships.
 JenIousies Out of Order
 II is not the proper time in view
 of all the complications. for tho
 bringing up Of intersectional jeal-
 ousies. It is certainly not the mo-
 ment for asking college faculties and athletic committees to undertake e
 newNacontroversies or to endeavor to
 expand their present commitments. As rule. most of these bodies are 1 looking for less rather than more
 organizations. But, at the same | time, they are quite unwilling to en- ter into consultations that would bind them in any Way more than to | legislate for themselves along lines
 or what seems to them their own
 specific problems. The newly formed federation under the suggestion of Secretary of War Weeks can do much in bringing about 5co-operation. and
 as was brought out at the meeting, it is not it's purpose to usurp the fune- tions of other existing organizations. l In short, we can read the lesson that
 should apply in the case of track l athletics: It is less antagonisms and jealousy and more sport. We have
 come to a point where the college au- l thorities rightly or wrongly are ! alarmed at the immense importance little breathing spell is therefore ad- l yiSable,