Evening star., 1925-02-17

IN SO healthy a sport" he declares
Everybody should encourage 1t.
Perhaps 1t will make your country
stronger than ever for the next Olym-
pic games and thus make Finland
hope for victory more remote. But
we in Finland. like you in the United
States, gain more satisfaction In a
few victories over worthwhile oppo-
nents than In greater number OF
victories over mediocre rivals.
And 1T Is the duty of America and
F1nland-for 1 believe our two ma
tions are being studied and patterned
after by all other nations-to en-
courage rather than discourage the
athletes of the world. Certainly
America gained more satisfaction
from its Olympic triumph Of last year
than 1t gained from earlier Olympic
victories, when no other country
boasted a real Olympic team"
Urges More Cooperation.
Paavo comes strongly to the sup
port Of Murray Hubert, president of
the A. A. u, in the latter's efforts to
develop municipal and industrial
sports.
From my brief observation" he
states, you in America have thou
sands of potential athletic champions
who never have put on a running
shoe or learned the feel of field
event implement. That is so because
they have had no encouragement in
such sports. or because your great
business organizations have over
looked the value Of competitive ath-
letics Some. it is true. have en-
couraged base ball and soccer foot
ball, but all are not proficient in those
sports and cannot gain the ben efits to
be derived.
Track and field athletics offer a
wider field, and. while all cannot be
champions, there are few who cannot
mako themselves proficient In one OF
the many track and field events. I
think the good effect of organized en-
couragement of industrial and mu-
nicipa athletics would quickly assert
itself.
THE brief competitive careers of
many of your greatest athletes is a
puzzle to European nations who do not
know your industrial conditions They
see man race to victory in one
Olympic meet and find he is not men,
toned for your Olympic team four
years later, and II puzzles them.
They turn to Finland and other
European countries and see great ath-
letes continuing in the forefront for
long Observation-Disclosures Sarristo,
Peltopen, Niklander. Stenroos and
others on last years Finnish team
also were members of the Finnish team
OF 13 years ago-and they wonder what
has become of Craig and Reldpath and
and the many other Americans whose
work featured the 1912 games.
Where Are Yesterdays Stars.
IT know many of your stars who
now should be at their very best have
entered professions where 1t is Inn
possible for them to continue in ath-
letics. but I have learned that others
have retired from competition be-
cause of lack of opportunity or In
centive.
Il do not believe that America will
realize its full possibilities or gain
all the many benefits that come from
track and field athletics until every
civil and industrial organization gives
them active and organized support.
do not think athletics serve their
true and building purposes
when they become matter of in
tensive training for a period of two
or three or four years and then are
forsaken."
Paavo. in this concluding article Of
the series. offers valuable advice to
those ambitious to follow in his
footsteps as a foot-racer.
I'm taking up distance running"
he says. too many start at the wrong
end. They believe endurance Is the
all-important feature and without re-
gard for other things start jogging
mile after mile in their efforts to
harden themselves.
II approached It, unconsciously, per-
haps. from another angle. l regarded
speed as the all-important factor. In
my early training I spent much time
My training sessions really consisted
of series Of such dashes. Then when
I had obtained the speed that salts
fed me for the shorter distances,
sought to carry that speed 100 meters
further and so on until I had attained
the mark I wished for the longer
distances.
II think 1t Is essential also that an
athlete shout learn his own ability.
He should learn his time for a given
distance and run to time rather than
conform his pace to that of his rivals.
II those rivals run faster than he in
one race then he must strive to i'm
prove his time for the course in his
practice before he again meets them.
x plot every race according. to q
definite schedule and strive to hold
to that schedule. That schedule may
vary from race to race. If I am try
ing for a record. of course it must
carry me under the record time; II I
am trying for the victory alone 1t
must carry me over the course faster
than any of my rivals ever have
covered 1t.
'In the latter case a study of those
rivals and their best records is neces-
sary. But when I have mapped my
plans and find 1 can follow them to
the fraction of a second do not have
to worry over the outcome. My rivals
may be yards in the lead early In a
race, but, by knowing their best
marks, I am sure they will come
back to me before the finish mark is
reached.
Perhaps some young American
who reads this may be mapping out
q schedule to defeat me in the 1928
Olympic games. Let me advise him
not to do so on the basis of my pres
ent records. I now am past the age of
the majority of the American cham
pions, but 1 have yet to deliver my
best performances.
Il expect the next five years will
fnd me at the peak of my career, and
II my hopes are fulfilled during that
period / will have set both indoor and
outdoor records from the 800-meter
run to the marathon distance of 26
miles ass yards"
Copyright, 1925, in United States. Canada
and dreat Britain, by North American News
paper Alliance. Copyright New York World)
Press Publishing Company. All rtghts sessrveA)