Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-16


toral staff National Geographic Magazine.
Mr. Hildebrand takes the readers OF The
Star on a fascinating sports tour around the
world-into picturesque Cuba, where the queer
jai alai is played at terrific speed; into Scot
lands green fairy land where in Wintertlme,
when the ground is covered with ice and snow,
the popular sport is curling. and TO the TO
mantle Philippines, where the native 4gorotS
have remarkable pastine, requiring tremen-
apus courage in the face OF pain, which con-
aiseS Of $lapping the thigh OF an opponent Will
all ones might.
The high speed jai-alai pronounced hlgh-
a-lie)" saws Mr.. Hildebrand, lis a favoflte
national sport in Cuba. II any sport has
right to the title. fastest in the world tnen
this whirlwnd. transplsnted Spanish game is
In the forefront.
.Jai alai is played long iRAcor court
with one side wall aud two end walls. The
players occupy the court space In common
batting the ball against the wall until player
an one side fails to return it, when the Oppos-
mo team scores a point Instead of rackets
the contestants use basket-woven bats crescent
shaped with end laced to the hand
"A team OF two players must protect an
area OF 1900 square feet II the REBOUND Is
close 10 the wall the costa, or basket-shaped
;hat must be manipulated with the utmost
agility and skill Cuban crowds 60 INTO
veritable frenzy watching their Babe Ruins
and Bobby Jores' of jai slsi in thrilling action
. when Scotland's golf greens and fawways
ara eoyered with ice and snow popular sport
strange to us is curling, game in which
players glide large rounded stones down
smooth stretch Of ice toward a mark called
lee Four players each with two stones, form
n side II the curler cannot reach the tee ne
tries to leave his stone to block an OPP
posing player. Like quoits the players shot
nearest the tee scores point.
Sometimes the stones have handles, htted
into either of the two fiat sides which each
curling stone must have. One of these nat
surfaces is for keen, fast ice and the other
Sor ice that is soft or bangh. IRON stones
are used by Scotsmen who have brought their
game to Canada. iren being more adapted 70
play IN the irtense cold
an the Philippine Is ands the Bontoc Igo-
rots have remarkable pastine which consists
in slapping the thigh of an opponent with the
nat OF the hand. Ore man sits on a Dencn
with the thigh exposed. and his opponent
Slaps him with all the strength he can muster
After the stroke judges examine the thigh
Of the man who has been nit, and If the blow
has been sufficiently hard to cause the blood
to show beneath tie skin the striker has won
the game but II not then the opponents
change places. The first contestant who
causes the blood to show beneath the others
skin Is declared winner.
~ ~HUFFLEBoARD certainly ranks with the
- worlds uueerest games Every ocean
traveller knows it. but thousands OF landluoberS
,aRoSa't Round wooden disks are propelled BY
n0tcHed
srboard about 35 feet away. The game Is 20
hand the disks In tire squares with the highest
-mssualeEs and TO keep them from stopping IN
ether squares which subtract from the score.
'shufIleboerd looks simple enough. but really
1t briggs into play muscles OF which enc may
"a locally unaware The lurching OF the ship
.h6ds haaards and Thrills which cannot be
,ksMnspaanted ashore Some Florida cities have
hulit outdoor Switchboard courts, while . few
.an0aern homes maintain unique basement alleys
with boAt-deek trimmings.
Hunting has long been associated with the
,Hnmglash bat form Of their hunting - very
alattle known outside of England This b heag-
ling or following the hare on foot with oeag1es
iaawarf hunting dogs. Unlike the fox or the
stag the hare Is very Sfcrt-winded. 1t soon
'cabdtsbanees both hunters and hOund& but as
% quickly tires they may catch it II they have
not been Side-traeked false trails. The hare,
sAsOwever. really has sporting chance. be-
cause It's Scert is the faintest OF all game. and
it grows steadily weaker the hare nears the
cad of It's strength.
"Beagiing is a very democratic sport. No
special uniforms equipment are required.
Any bit OF open country woodland is
hunting 'preser"e The sport serves the
soluble purpose OF keeping down the number
OF hares which destroy gardens and nurseries
and Of providing capital exercise for human
participants.
sWho believes miniature golf is new game
7Eariy chroniclers tell of New Amsterdam Dutch
-burghers playing 'zolf small courses near
taverns. After round two the kloters'
retired to the tavern for a bowl OF punch,
lingering over it typical nineteenth hole
fashion untl the room filled with the
fumes OF their long clay pipes
Georges Marie asrdt famous African ex-
iptorer tells of one of tie eueerest systems OF
boat racing known 70 On the stream
known as the Komadoaga River, which flows
between French and British Nigeria. the
ttses pair OIL, and woman, and sit back
30 back. astFide two pieces OF wood which unite
a couple OF empty gourdS At a given signal