The Washington times., 1929-12-13
VESTPO|NT
FACESODD
MONTH

A curious situation exists at
West Point this month. It's De
cember and all the winter sport
teams should be going at full
blast. But because the football
team is still in training. pre-
pairing for the game with Stan.
ford University on December 28,
the indoor sports have to mark
time.
The reason for this. is that
most Of the men who compete
with Biff Jones eleven are also
adept at swimming, basketball
wrestling, boxing and the other
sports carried on during the
winter months. In many in
stances these footballers are the
backbone of their teams and
without them their coaches can
not proceed with anything re-
sembling definiteness for the
opening Of the indoor season.
Until the football squad returns
on January 4 most of the work
done indoors will be at q slow
pace, waiting for the gridderS
to join In.
Out Of total crops strength of
approximately 1900 cadets the
latest list Of athletic squads for
competitive sports at West Point
shows that 384 individual cadets
are in training at the present
time.
This is roughly one.third
Of the entire personnel Of
the corps Of cadets at the
Plains, and does not include
any Of the future generals
who are members OF the in
tramural teams.
Football, with a squad number
ing altogether l55 men, has the
largest single group. Swimming
follows with so, boxing has As,
polo has 38, basketball has 36,
fencing attracts 33 and hockey
claims ~.
A few Of the football men have
been permitted to quit their grid
work and join other sports, but
they are distinct minority
among the gridders. Dean
Strothers was one of those per-
mitted to quit by Coach Jones.
He was q regular on last years
basketball squad and has reported
to Fred Novak. Novak hasn't the
services Of Dick Hutchinson, how
ever, captain and star player o..
the five, nor have Jack Molloy,
Raw Stecker and Ed Messenger
been permitted to doff their mole
skins for the togs Of the court.
These men are all on the A
football squad and none Oh them
will be available until after the
return from California.
Novak's problem can be better
appreciated when it is known that
the first game on the West Point
schedule is slated for January 8,
exactly four days after the return
of the wandering football SQUAD
IF the Plainsmen win this game
II will be in the nature OF mir
acle. and probably more because
of weak opposition than because
of any particular strength IN the
Army quintet.
Schimmel Pfenning, a SubStl-
t1lte guard on the football team,
has been permitted to transfer
from the football squad to the
boxing team. and Vidal, a plebe
football squad man, has been
granted permission to switch to
the plebe basketball team.
Vidal Is the younger brother
Of the Gene Vidal who helped
make football history when
Elmer Oliphant was earning
alI-American mention at West
Point.
Neither Pfenning nor Vidal
would be of any particular help
to the squad out on the Coast, so
they were permitted to quit.
Another fact which induced
Jones to permit Vidal to quit the
grid SQUAD was Novak's report to
the Army grid coach that the
plebe has the nakings Of a fine
basketball player. With such
stars as Fields, Letzeler, MacWil-
liam, Herb Elliott, and Fretzel in
the plebe football backfield Vidal
didn't get much of a chance to-
shine and he's better off on the
backetball court.
Other football players who
double up in winter sport and
who will not be available for an
other month are Wen Bowman.
regular quarterback for most of
the season and one of Noyak's
star basketball players; Carl Carl
mark, the end who played such
a fine game against Notre Dame,
who is a track man when he isn't
playing football: George Fletcher,
Carlmark's substitute on the grid
iron and basketball player: Jim
Glattly, Dick O'Keefe's backfield
substitute and a member Of both
the boxing and swimming teams
and Loren Hillsinger, the husky
yearling guard, who is splendid
heavyweight wrestling prospect.
Kenny, another substitute end,
is a basketball player, while
Lazar, a center, is q wrestler
when he is finished with football.
MacLean, substitute tackle, is an
other wrestler, while Johnny Muir
r. L.. u a.