The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-04-28
RUNS IN FIRST
STEEPLECHASE
TO SCORE WIN
,, Enters Gruelling Race After
Varsity Relay Team Had
: Missed Event
, SCOREBOARD WAS WRONG
/ Tony Plansky, Georgetown
: Star, Leads First Half
of Decathlon
sCOREBOARD WAS WRONG
BY ALAN ]. GOULD


Philadelphia, April 2S.--R)--For
the second time within few days,
athletic courage, ingenuity and
perhaps fate have combined to pro-
duce an outstanding American
Olympic prospect.
Barely q week ago it was Joie
Ray. the old miller, suddenly bios
soming forth at Boston as a mara
thon runner Of the first class under
difficulties and now picked by
veteran coaches as likely winner
Of the Olympic laurel wreath.
Today the sensation is blond and
youthful Harold Keith, sturdy uni
versity Of Oklahoma foot-racer, who
ran the first Steeplechase of his
life on the opening day of the Penn
sylvania relay carnival on a few
minutes notice and won tall be-
cause Of q mistake.
A little matter of five minutes
lost time converted Keith from the
anchor runner on a medley relay
team to q Steeplechase victor in
30 spectacular a performance that
Lawson Robertson, Olympic head
track and field coach. Immediately
placed his stamp Of approval on
the Oklahoman as an American
candidate for 3000-meter Stecplc-
chase honors
Scoreboard Was Wrong
Keith and his teammates came
1900 miles to take part in the dis
lance medley relay against the
pick of the east and middle western
colleges. It was q cold, rainy day
and the Oklahomans Rugged the
warmth Of the clubhouse. A mis-
take on the score-board misled them
as to the time Of their race. They
came out to find to their dismay
that the distance medley already
had been under way five minutes.
Here was an athletic tragedy for
these schoolboys. They looked at
the Steeplechase course, with it's
flock of obstacles to hurdle, includ-
ing q big water jump. No pink tea
party there but they were game.
Keith and two of his teammates,
Carson and Held, asked permission
to enter this gruelling race and re-
ceived it.
Keith let Mel Dalton, little Seton
Hall star, stay out in front most Of
the route over slippery turf, hurdles
and that cold showerbath they called
a water-jump, then galloped out in
front on the final lap to win by
fifty yards. Carson finished fourth
and held fifth.
Is Real Find
Keith, in Lawson Robertson's
opinion, is q real Olympic "find."
He has q mile in 4:18 to his credit
and has done five miles in around
"a minutes.
Today these Oklahomans were
booked as added starters in another
race, the four-mile relay, by special
dispensation. This race will be one
of the closing features of the car.
nival, along with the finish Of the
decathlon and the appearance of
Charley Paddock, the famous Cali
fornia Splinter, in q special 175-
yard record-breaking attempt.
The first half of the decathlon
yesterday, furnishing the first Off
cial Olympic test of all-around
skill, ended with Tony Plansky, ex-
Georgetown halfback, in front of II
rivals with 3778.7105 points. His
foremost rivals were Kenneth
Doherty, Of Detroit, in second place
with 3762.5O1 points and Tom
Churchill, another university of
Oklahoma star, in third position
with 3611.235 points. "Whitey"
Lloyd, naval academy star, broke
two decathlon records in the 100
and 400 meter runs but stood
seventh In the points.
In the principal college relay
races yesterday, Penn state tied
Pennsylvania for the quarter-mile
and won the distance medley while
New York university's crack quar-
let, anchored by Phil Edwards,
romped off with the sprint medley
crown and middle states one-mile
championship.