The Washington times., 1923-05-22
ATHLETIC c RI
URGES SPORT
FOR ALL
Elizabeth BurchenaI Says
Stunt Star Is Only a Physi-
cal Freak.
BY GEORGE e. DURNO.>~
International News Service.

The athlete who succeeds in WIN
ming the plaudits of the throng-
| who sets UP world records, or wins
spectacular victories-in the final
analysis is physical freak.
This is the view of Miss Elizabeth
Burchenal. OF the American Folk
Dance Society and prominent in the
among girls and women, expressed
| to International News Service fol-
| lowing a conference recently held
here under the auspices of the Ma
| tional Amateur Athletic Federation
| of America.
THE athlete who finally wins
out declared Miss BurchenaI,
really is nothing more nor less
than a physical freak. Such a
statement may sound rather para
! doxical, but just consider that no
amount of training could develop
you or me, or, for that matter, the
| vast ma ority, to a point where we
/ could equal the feats of the win
ming athlete"
Against Single Stars.
AS a means of physically better
1 ing the American race, Miss Bur
chenal can see no great benefits to
be derived from the development Of
comparative handful of stars of
! the first water.
There are two methods of con-
Quoting athletics she said. THE
| first is through the promotion of
interest through the appeal of being
in the limelight, the prospect of
| personal glory, or OF the winning of
| prizes. The other method is the
| promotion of play spirit.
The first method attracts only
! the comparative few. for there are
but few who possess the peculiar
physical qualities which make them
winners. The rest drop out
| Then. again. the benefit to the
| comparative few is somewhat doubt
| ful." she continued. Nothing is
more pitiful than the waning star,
who knows his day is done, yet
who struggles on on the strength
of his reputation until he is final
| ~ dethroned. The knowledge and
| Encouragement of defeat and dis
| cardance after a reign of supre-
macy is apt to have a very de-
| cidedly harmful effect on a young
| mans afterlife.
Also there is to be taken into
consideration that terrible football
| disea se,' or basketball disease or
! the disease of whatever contest is
being entered into. which attacks
/ the athlete just before the event
starts. that sinking in the pit of
! the stomach, the desire to die or to
/ do goodness.knows-what, which
comes from the intensity of feel
| ing or of strain While that isn't
exactly harmful, and while 1t typi.
| fies the true American spirit to
| win. I don't think athletics should
| be carried to that extreme"
Favors Group Plan.
+! Miss BurchenaI believes that the
| greatest results may be obtained
| from group athletics carried on
without the extreme competition
] in other words, the promotion of
1 play spirit.
| THE play-hunger is always pres
! ent in American girls and boys"
| she said. Despite all that may be
said to. the contrary, there is such
thing as sport for sports sake,
and think the physical educators
| of the country should cater to the
| play spirit with the idea of inter
| esting the large majority in vari-
GUS healthful forms of athletics
which will leave the participants,
not with the ultimate feeling of
defeat, but with the absolute pleas
t ure Of proper development and
! recreation.
| Promotion Of this method will
| be hard, grant 1t lacks rhe
| spectacular element of keen. com
| petitive. more or less individual
| sport, but I think with literally a
| huge army of leaders in such a
movement and a huge :nterlocking
| organization to supervise. the de
veiopment of the play spirit would
result in a far more healthy ma
! ton"
| Particularly did Miss Burchenal
| depreciate the exploitation and COM
| liberalization of women athletes.
| She cited the recent so called inter
rational games held at Paris in
which teams Of women partic pa cd
advertised as representing the Pick
Of the feminine athletes oe the va
| rious countries.
Says Girls Exploited.
''The Paris games" she de
! clared were conceived. promoted
and exploited by men. They did
not typify the American woma n s
true standards and place in the
| world of sport"
While Miss Burchenal admitted
/ that the swimming and tennis
! aerts for women attached TO the
! Olympic games are typical Of fem
mime sports, she pointed to the ex.
ploita ton Of the entire team Of
American women swimmers who
created such sensation at the last
! games.
| "All of these girls either have
/ turned professionals, or are being
exploited and advertised all over
! the country by mep. They nre
! travelling from one meet to another.
| heavily billed and advertised.