New Britain herald., 1930-03-08
a1Y ONCE HELD
 BASKETBALL TITLE
Y.iM. (. A. Was Pioneer in
 Sport in Middle NiDeties
BY CLARENCE Ii, BARNES

Ss BY CLARENCE H. BARNES
 Back in tho middle 90's. a few years after Dr. Nainsmith originated asnew indoor ball game at the Springfield Training school, Bert A.oomis explained the local Y. M. C. 4. basketball team to world cham .pionship 1honors. That the world" offbasketball included only half a dozen states that could produce teams fast enough to make them rivals of the local outfit doesn't mat ter. It was New Britain's only worlds sport championship before or since, and no one can deny uc the distinction.
 If no major honors in basketball have come the way of the city since that first team packed Hanna's and the state armories with bowling par 1isans when it played the old 2Sd street team of New York, the pio- neers set a pace that has been the standard ever since. The "f, the high school and semi-pro teams have acquired state and sectional cham QIOHSHlpS qulle reg uldiiS.
 ' After the fire of 1906 and before the building was reconstructed. the gym activities provided most of the local Y. M. c. A. program. A rep resentative basketball team played out it's schedule and upheld the best traditions of the sport.
 Score Erroneous
 According to the Herald, the New Britain team played the fast Spring. field "Y' team here Feb, o5. 1907 and, though the referee announced the local aggregation the winners by two points, the result was a tic, as the scorekeeper got little mixed. Billy Judd, Charlie sahrbachcr. Art Pilz, Charlie Miller and Joe Herg- strom made up the locals lineup.
 It was a day of big and fast teams at the high school. Scheuy, An- drews, Middlemas, Dunn and Elan nery making up the school team, played the '. NJ. C. A. for the city championship and ran away with the game, Al to 30. with Howard Tim ,prell blowing the whistle.
 'e1n those days, with the "Y" hav- ing a good gymnasium, most of the sports activities of an indoor nature centered at the Y. M. C. A. Even then it was sometimes necessary to stage some of its larger events out side the building.
 One of them crowded the state armory where Physical Director J. Herbert Wilson organized a man. moth athletic contest. The local and state military companies cooperated and numerous list of athletes com- peted in a3 events. John O'Rourkc, sprinter, Fred Heisler, runner, Harry Vessels, pole vaulter and k. C. sMerWin, Yale college high jumper, represented the local "Y' in com mendable fashion. The midget" relay race was won by a local boys team composed of John Walsh. Connie Reynolds, Charlie Walsh. and Luther Hancock.
 Gave "Y" Profits
 What profit was realized on the event was turned over to the di- rectors of the '. NJ. C. A. They had set themselves the task of rais ing $15,000, a job which the Herald characterized a ''laudable purpose" :" The pastors of the churches were CaHed together at the "Y" and the first Sunday school Athletic associa tion was formed with Herbert II. Pease as president and Carl S. Ncu- mann treasurer, A baseball league was organized, the games to be played on Harts lot diamond.
 Deslrous of making all possible use of it's swimming pool and of making life 9. little moro pleasant for boys who could not join the Y. M. C.. A. the directors gave Super lnteadent Klingberg of the Chil- dren's Home permission to bring his boys to the association once d week for swim.
 In the fall, with the building near ing completion, Pre..dent Charles E. Mitchell organized what was an- Hounced as 'one of the biggest membership campaigns in the his tory of the Y. M. C. AS in the state." Ernest W. Christ was ap- pointed chairman of the drive and onshis committee were George F. Spear. c. E. Parsons, A. T. Hancock. W.eJ. Farley, Carl S. Neumann, George kron and Otto Burthardt.
 When the reconstructed building was opened, there was a full house of members ready to use the priv ileges. In cramped quarters. the membership w2s maintained for a score of years. Last year it was necessary to set q limit on the mcm- eership and the local "" cannot expand intern>ly until it secures Il bigger building.