New Britain herald., 1928-06-07
BY ALAN J. GOULD

D ALLAN >otH' Associated Press Sports Editor) New York, June R-The pen dulum in athletics strikes pretty fair average on the whole, but it has been swinging all one way in Olympic javelin tossing.
 Since the spear-tossing event was 1 added to the international meet in
 l 9o6 the title hasn't strayed from the Scandinavian sector. The worlds records are held by Swedes, and the American record until re- gently was held by a Finn, Jonni Myyra. who has won the last two i Olympic championships.
 But the tide has been shifting. America may break this monopoly at Amsterdam, especially If either Winner Rinehart of Indiana or John Kuck of Kansas and Los An geles happens to be in form. kuck perhaps is best known as a shot butter, having shattered the 1a- year-old worlds record at least once this season with the 16-pound iron ball. But John also losses a mean spear.
 The worlds record is a little over clS feet. but Kuck has been credlt- ed with hurling the steel-tipped lm- plement over o30 feet in practice. His best competitive mark is around l ol5 feet Rinehart, Western Con- l ference champion, has done 2l5 | feet. inches this spring for new American record. If duplicated at Amsterdam this probably would be good enough to win.
 The Americans have been im- proving steadily in iavelin tossing. as competition in it has spread. It 1 was ignored by the Yankees in the early days Of Olympic competition. | just as the foreign talent decided the hammer wasn't worth bothering with. It was not taken up by the colleges until 1922. The Scandina-
 vians, especially the Swedes, had 1 little or no opposition in the Olym-
 pics until after the war. Tn the 1912 games af Stockholm not an 1 American competed in the javelin,
 so r Scandinayians had it out with
 three Germans. one Russian and a
 Hungarian.
 Eight years later, at Antwerp. 1 the Films had their turn and took
 the first four places, all w-th record breaking performances, while the best the Americans could do wal
 take seventh and ninth positions l Eugene Obert of Notre Dame and
 Lee priester of the Mississippi
 Aggies put the [. g. A. in the SCOT ing column for the first time in 1924, at Paris, by finishing third and fifth. One or two additional moves
 up the ladder will produce an i Am erican champion.
 kuck and Rinehart seem to he 1 head and shoulders above the
 American field. Creth Hines, the
 Texas youth now at Georgetown
 has won the I. C. 4. A A. A. title
 two successive years, each time with
 mark above 200 feet and should
 make the team On the same day
 that Hines was doing 900 feet. 1o i inches, Rinehart hurled the iavelin 200 feet. 6 inches at Evanston, Jll. | but the Indiana star. it was eX- plained, was suffering from r sore
 arm.
 Other candidates for Olympic
 berths. when the time rolls around
 for the final trials, may include Bill
 Sparling and Leo kibby of Stan
 ford. Charles Harlow. 1927 national
 champion. from the Hollywood A. C.: Herman of Southern Methodist Robinson Of Alabama Poly, Holli.
 day Of Louisiana State and Ander- son of Georgia.
 1 The schoolboy sensation in jave- lin ranks is young Graydon of Little Rock. Arkansas. High, with mark
 of 2o5 feet, 5 inches to his credit
 He will make the Olympic team il
 he can do anything like that con.
 sistent1y.
 Myyra. who has moved to this l country from Finland and been con-
 nected with the Olympic club. San | Trancisco, may not defend his title but the Films and swedes will bs