The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-26
Girl Typiist Also
An Excellent
Athlete

mucH ABOUT OreaklnS lrdck
records. But Marion B. Nc
CARTE, expert typist and star member
of the City Bank club of New York is
as nimble with her feet as she is with
her fingers. Marion looks like a cham
pion Of something. Her eyes are so
alert, her brown hair is crisp and
alive and she radiates such good health
that one can see at glance she is
a leader in some field or another-in
this case, track and field. She is the
holder of four records, two of them
national and two metropolitan, for 80
and 60-yard flashes. s
Not until she tried out for a track,
team, when the physical director in
the bank where she is employed sent
out summons for recruits, did
Marion suspect that she could run,
Monticello, n. Y, where she spent
most of her life, she played hockey
and basketball. However. it meant for
her chance to indulge in some form
of sports, so she snatched at the
chance. No one was more surprised
than she when she won the 5O-yard
sprint.
The next year there was another
event, and she won again. After that
it became a sort of habit and, although
she never dreamed that she would
stick to this variety of athletics, she
entered one contest after another, al
ways with the same result. 1t was
BEGINNING to look serious, thought MARI
ion, and probably she ought to think
of studying physical training to teach
to others instead of being a typist
She completed a course and was fully
equipped to be a teacher of p. L.
when it occurred to her that such
step would be the last of competitive
athletics for her, since she would then
be classed as professional. Oh, WELL
teaching could wait she thought as she
RETURNED to her desk and to the track.
And within three of four months after
she had received her diploma she set
a new national record for the 50-yard
dash when she broke the worsted in
6.3 seconds.
Now there isn't a question in her
head about racing. 1t has become
more important to her 22-year-old mind
than beaux. She lives in east Nineteenth
street, but she thinks nothing of travel
ing up to 25Sth street twice week to
practice. At least once weekly, and
sometimes twice, Marion takes part in
some track meet.
Miss McCartie in her rigorous train
ing period undergoes privations that
would seem Spartan-like to the aver
age girl who feels that life isn't worth
living unless she can have a soda every
lunch or go to a dance during the
week. But Marion doesn't even con-
slider that she is sacrificing anything.
II love running SO much that it's
no problem at all for me to choose
between athletics and going out" she
says. Its true that go to bed at
8 o'clock when 1 am in training and
10 o'clock when / am not It's true
that 1 don't eat meat and it's true /
mustn't have the sweets am crazy
about, but they don't matter much.
You can't be a social butterfly and
good athlete at the same time. I
go out once in a while, of course, but
/ never get home so late that l can't
get ten hours of Sleep"
Marion has undertaken, with the
assistance of w. L. Edwards, head
of the division where she works, to
develop other girl athletes. They have
discovered three brilliant track posi-
bilities in Maybelle GilIiland, who,
Marion thinks, may some day beat
her at her own game; Karin Carlson
and Margaret (''Happy'O Hassard.
The four girls are inseparable. They
laugh at such silly things as profess
sional jealousy. As members of the
relay team they have established many
records
The girls were asked if they were
accorded special privileges for their
sporting activities.
That, they said. lis question
every one asks us. But as a matter
Of fact we try to work just little
bit harder than any one else so that
we may prove there is no favoritism
shown. We take part in weekend
events near New York so that we can
get back to our desks on Monday. All
our training is done from to s
o'clock, after office hours. No privi-
leges at all %