The Washington times., 1924-06-13

His life for days has been a sue.
cession of track meets in which
hundreds of youthful aspirants to
athletic fame have taken part, all
to the end that they might strut
tomorrow in the finals of the grad
cd school track and field competi.
ton.
Only those who won first, seconl
and third places in the divisional
meets are eligible for the city chani-
pionships and happy are those thus
distinguished. There are instances
on record where, in the last several
weeks, young fellahs who quit school
to work have thrown up their jobs
and returned in the hope that they
would be able to- qualify.
,TennysOn declares the ascen-
dency Of the cinderpath game over
baseball in the hearts of the
youngsters at this time is due to
the influence Of the OIympics, now
asserting itself throughout the
wide world with booming effect.
The track and field games at
Paris promise to be the most in
teresting in the long history Of the
Olympics. The great international
stars have been smashing records
that won past Olympic contests and
newspaper accounts Of these wonder.
ful performances have been read
avidly by the kids. To them the
sports page is the real reason for
the existence of any newspaper.
Parents and school teachers hav.
ing at heart the physical as well
as moral and scholastic welfare Of
the boys, welcome the boom n
track sports.
For months many Of the young
athletes have trained as faith.
fully as cOllegians. Each school
held a meet to determine it's en-.
tries in the divisional meets. The
divisional affairs drew heavy lists.
The kids have been running and
leaping like excited jack rabbits
Who remembers how the boys mara.
throned all over town in the halcyon
days of distance running when Tom
Longboat, the Indian; AL Shrubb
the Englishman; Henri st. Yves,
the Frenchman; Johnny Hayes, tbs
American; Dorando, the Italian. and
others were monopolizing space in
the sports pages? Tom Longboat
was fascinating because he was an
Indian and the young dopesters fig.
ured him to win because the pictures
indicated his legs were longer than
the others!
Not since the marathon boom
Of fifteen years ago have the
flea-siZed athletes been so stirred
over a sport other than base.
ball.
But even without the Olympic
stimulus, tomorrow's athletic car.
nival would pack, a kick. A king
the king in this instance, as It
were. being the Ross school, which
tor nine years has won the annual
championship meet:
The other day Ross took a lick
Ing that presaged another and more
important one. In the Columbia
Heights division meet, which here
tofore for a decade has been rather
soft pickings for Ross, the John.
son-Powell school scored~5Sh points;
Monroe scored Sc and the old con-
Querer got so.
This means that Ross qualified
fewer stars for the finals than
Johnson-Powell and Monroe, and, If
reports be true, Ross athletes have
their sand up and are wild to cut
loose and redeem themselves in the
face of superior numbers.
It is far from a certainty that
any one Of the three Columbia
Heights schools will triumph to-
morrow. Fifty.four schools will be
represented. The 63S individuals en-.
tered will make up an entry list
Of about $500.
Yep. 1t will be tough day for
Dick Tennyson, starting at 10 a. m.
He was busy today lining up Off.
cials. Hap Hardell. popular ath-
!etic coach at Tech high, will handle
the gun.