New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-18
foreign ATHLETES
LEARNING SPORTS
Olympic Games Nearly a Case
Of Pupil Beat Teacher

The world at large was astounded
if not Supplied at the recent show
ing of the European countries dur
ing the Olympic games at Amster-
dam, when some of the leading
events, considered to be sin the
bag for the Americans, We're taken
by contenders not even rated to be
in the showing. Experts Immediate
~ began analyzing the situation and
came out with a verdict that Amer
lean athletes We're not at their best
and We're taking things lightly. The
TACT is that they did their best, but
/ found competition too strong and
IN many cases the individual COM
| petltors far more superior than
| they.
Then wherefrom and how do the
european countries come to show
such athletic prowess and unheard
OF competition. when all the years
prior to the World war and i'm
mediately following it, they couldn't
80 - Us lllIlN
The war did great deal of harm,
yet as the old saying goes, there's
nothing bad that will not yield some
| good and this may we'll be an
| piled to the recent war
Every service man who served
overseas will renemh Der that after
drilling came hash and the first
thing after hash was athletics, They
VIII also recall that whenever there
was possible chance, they turned
their attention to baseball. football
sprlnting. jumping and all phases
OF sports. Most of the camps were
supplied with athletic parapher-
MALTA by the Y. NJ c. A. or the x.
Z. and there was no excuse of he.
ing short of anything and being nm
apie 10 participate in sports events.
Troops In Action
The writer, then tn service with
a branch of the French army. com
posed for the most part of Amerj-
cans, had the opportunity to see the
american troops in action on ath-
| ietlc fields. Parks We're turned into
baseball grounds and football fields
While often the course around the
barracks served we'll the purpose Of
track, and events We're run off
lnpromptu, often with a gallery
composed of thousands OF French
men eagerly watching the games
IL Was not long before they too be-
came int areGted in athletics. whic,
previous 10 the World war was
matter lightly disposed of as field
entirely monopolized by a privi-
legged few. and during the war en-
hrely forgotten. The writer recalls
me time when field events were
flfst introduced as something Of a
relaxation to the soldier. The
French soldiers could not under
stand the purpose Of it all. and re-
marked how tiresome and fati-
gulng it must be to indulge in such
breath taking events Prior to the
advent OF the American soldier in
France, the sport that held sway
among the soldiers and civilians,
WAS soccer, white volIev ball. bas-
hetball, football, medicine ball
games and otbore ,,.,,ro ,;s,,.
,nhasrd NJ
10 s,,,,nos. .,o a, j.,
socoar ,,as. w..
.st in co,t;rnn,at l,. ~ ''l.s
er recalls an incident which was
conic.t IA hin, ~. :,.f'.,
,,,,1. ,,.,, 49,, =, "a ~ .ue
scene v-ae i'm , r,,,,,
ths central y7,ro,,oo,,
,ri+ar ,b,, - ~
hro,reb. , ,.,tn - ~
faran+ si,oa -. ~,
a,none .ba,, ro,, '''',
shot socca, b,,,e ..,,, I
cine halle a,a ,o,,a 49,
were all throyvn ,,,,l,,, 49,, -
and the soldiers aaear,,,
feel eacb han ana ,.an. ,=.-,.