The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-02-21
SKATING GOOD TRAINING
FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS
Notre Dame Coach Encourages That
As Well As Other
Exercises.

of football coaching which includes
boxing, wrestling and skating as
methods OF making AllAmerica stars
out OF men who previously had never
played the game, is partly responsible
for placing Notre Dame university's.
gridiron eleven among the country's
leaders for several years
This system and scholastic ar
which brings some OF the
students through course OF outdoor
activities almost froiA the kinder
garten to the athletic field are looked
upon as the secrets of Notre Danes
athletic supremacy, testified to by a
football record which includes only one
game lost in three years-to Iowa, 10
TO last fall. and consistent triumphs
over eastern teams.
Knute Rockne, the football coach, at
tributed his success to the never say
die spirit of his athletic. The school
authorities, however, give Mr.. Rockne's
unique coaching system most OF the
credit, this system being explained BY
the mentor as follows:
"All Of the candidates for end on the
football team go through course OF
boxing. This makes them shifty On
their feet. teaches them to use their
wits no matter how hard they are hit
and never to lose sight of the objective
the man with the ball.
"The linemen, during the off season,
90 through course OF wrestling This
makes II hard for the opposing players
TO shove them back and improves their
leg and arm muscles.
THE backfeld men do great deal
of skating. Thus they learn to move
quickly--improving their dodging-
and to stop or make sharp turns with
out tearing their muscles
Mr. Rockne gave three requisites for
a man trying for a Notre Dame athlet-
c team:
l. speed. . Brains, Good class
grades
The success of his ideas is shown by
the number of 'sRockne made" men ON
every Notre Dame eleven since he has
been coach-men who never played
football until he took hold of them.
Some Of these are Johnny MOZART, All
America back; the late George Gipp.
the greatest forward passer of modern
times; Roger Kiley, All-Western end;
Chester Wynne, All-Western fullback;
Smith Western guard; Gus Deseh,
star back and member of the American
Olympic team; Mahre, first rate line
man. None of these men thought OF
playing football until Rockne got
them out after noticing that they
had his three requisites brains
and good grades.
Another factor in the schools ath-
letic success il the arrangements of
departments and the intra mural
contests. First comes the minime
departments the youngsters In grade
school. Then comes the junior diri
ion--corresponding TO high school
and finally the university itself. Mr..
Rockne watches the youngsters closely
helping many of them develop as they
pass through the different departments.
Every dormitory and class has ath-
letic teams, coached by varsity players.
Intense rivalry results in many stars
being brought out through thes,
games.
There are no goods. and consequent
ly few social functions. The students
from the time they are 'minims' 70
the university concentrate on sound
minds and sound bodies, dividing their
time equally between class room and
athletic field. They grow up out OF
doors and are always in perfect physi-
cal condition.
The big part played by physical
development in the students lives in
no ways detracts from their class work,
for the records how that most Of the
athletes make unusually high grades
and their extra activities simply take
the plscex of the afternoon teas popu-
lar at some schools.