The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-12-23
LEE BARNES
WILL SET UP
new RECORD
Southern California Pole Vaul.
ter Is Expected to Sail
IA Feet

IO1 NAlSsSu0I 0Nu1NvCuISuvO va
der trying conditions!"
When the University Of South
ern California athletic committee
awarded Lee s. Barnes, captain-elect
of the 1923 Trojan track team, a
merit monogram on the above basis,
those officials told in one short SEN
tence the remarkable vaulting career
Of the far-western star.
For three years Lee Barnes
trained under the greatest Of all
hardships-compcting while his
father lay at home an invalid with
death often near at hand.
The Barnes family is not one of
independent means and throughout
his entire college career, Lee has
been the chief support of the FAM
lily. His mother also works.
Has Efficient Schedule
Lees daily schedule during the
1927 season, when he reached his
greatest performances, was one of
efficiency; he guarded every mo-
ment previously. !.
Every morning Barnes attended
classes from s. o'clock until noon.
Each morning he had one vacant
hour, sixty minutes in which to train
toward the goal Of the worlds
greatest vaulter, which he had set
for himself.
At / o'clock every afternoon, Lee
began work at gasoline station,
supplying motorists with gas and
oil until closing time at night. The
dull moments through the day he
spent in studying and not once dur
ing his three years at Southern Cal
ifornia has Barnes ever been on the
failure" or even the danger" list
for scholarship.
Barnes received one day off q
week in this fulltimc job. He took t
on Saturdays 20 that + could COM
pete for the Trojan team that day.
On trips, Barnes has had to miss
only a few hours from regular duty
on Fridays, returning in time to start
work Sunday noon. His co-workers
are on duty at these times and
Barnes always paid them back by re-
lieving them. Whenever the Trojan
star journeys to the intercollegiates
or National A. A. U. meets he is
forced to lose money needed by the
family.
Frat Brothers Help
Fraternities have been raped in
print of late but here's an answer.
With Lee and his mother both away
from home, it is necessary for some
one to do the homework, cook the
meals and give the invalid father
necessary care. The Barnes family
cannot afford nurse and the Sigma
Chi fraternity brothers of Lee
Barnes have for the past three years
done these things to show their 10y
atty to Lee.
On Feb. %, 1926, in the first meet
Of his varsity career, Barnes cleared
10 feet 1-8 inches for q new Amer
lean record. Later, IN May Is, 1926,
he broke his own mark by doing 13
feet 8 inches at the Pacific coast
intercollegiate. at Stanford. At the
national Intercollegiate he was
forced to take second to Sabin Carr
of Yale and later at the A. A. U.
meet dropped to third place. Few
knew that "trying conditions
caused his failure.
In spite of his limited time to prac-
tice, Barnes was consistent at IL
feet 6 inches during the entire 1927
season. Not once did he fall below
Is feet Three times he scared over
the Is feet 6 inch marker. And then
at the /. C. "A. meet he boosted his
own mark to Ii feet 8 IL inches
Only he and Sabin Carr remained ir
competition.
Bar at IA Feet
The bar went to ID feet. Barnes
had tried this height once in 1926
and twice in 1927. Carr had attempt,
ed this mark IL previous times. Both
vaufters missed twice. Throughout
that entire meet Barnes vaulted first
among all contestants and Carr last
Barnes tried his third time. He
cleared the cross-piece and topple(
it all coming down. On one Of hi
tries, the bar had fallen off as h
started upward and he had beer
forced to try again. On Cars fit
teenth effort of his career. he es
tabliShed the present worlds record
In the athletic code of Southern
California there is q clause award
ing merit letters. to members o,
coast championship teams in foot
ball, basketball and baseball. II
track such awards come only from
an intercollegiate championship, al
Olympic championship or q world
record. Barnes had done none O.
these since becoming a Trojan. s.
he was 'anted an award for "un
usual accomplishments under trying
conditions" by the professors on tn,
committee, thus showing that to al
pedagogues athletics is not "a dead
| ly SIM"
And as an. ending Coach Deal
Cromwell, his mentor, speaks:
I GAS surely rs know my name,
know that next season Lee will
break the worlds pole vault record.