Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-06
BIG TEN PLANNING
MINOR ATHLETICS
Ohio State Taking Lead in
Expanding Programme
Bigger Schedules.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

OLUMBUS, Ohio, February
6.-More variety in inter
~ collegiate sports is the
present trend of affairs
according to L. w. st. John, vet
eran director of athletics at Ohio
state University, in discussing the
\ So-called overemphasis of foot
ball.
"Such a program is well under way
Samong Western Conference schools"
st. John continued. There is grow
ing disposition in our group to reduce
the number Of basket ball and base ball
games being played at present and 10
add new sports to our athletic pro-
grams"
st. John pointed out that few years
ago most Western Conference basket
ball teams played at least 20 games
season. Now the Big Ten quintets are
limited to n contests and II of those
must be conference games. Another
year will see Big Ten teams playing
only 10 championship contests, st.
John believes.
cat Ohio State we have the first SWIM
ming team in the history Of the school,
this year." continued st. John, and
This is the initial step In the expansion
of our athletic program. Other sports
will be added in the future, depending
upon the wishes of our student body.
Expansion Planned.
- "I can see the day when Ohio State
and all Western Conference schools
will have an ice hockey team. We Will
have to build Kinks, but we already
have many students interested in the
~ sra chatting THE nrinc1n0l
aim of our expansion program is to
interest our students in variety OF
sports. This will tend to take inter-
COLLEGIATE sports away from the few and
turn them over to much larger group
Foot ball" according to st. John
already has been curtailed within the
Western Conference. I'VE now have q
q year. We also have rule compelling
rs to end the foot ball season the
aturday before Thanksgiving.
"There may be no change In that
rule because the Big Ten feels 1t has
successfully combated overemphasis OF
foot ball by those restrictions ana by
prohibiting post-season games II
change is made, it viii be for seven
game season, making the schedules
finish the second Saturday before
Thanksgiving day. Foot ball is well
conducted within the Big Ten. see no
evidence of overemphasis and believe
the game will continue for many
years as it has in the past"
To Adopt Many Sports.
st. John predicted that before many
years all of the Western Conference
schools would have intercollegiate
representatives in la crosse, ice hockey.
polo, swimming, rifle shooting, fencing,
gymnastics, wrestling and other sports
now regarded as minor pastimeS, in
addition to foot ball, basket ball, base
ball and track.
Ohio State Univers 'ty, ranked as the
fourth largest State university in the
country, soon will have its magnificent
new natatorium completed and after
that will follow mems and women'S
gymnasium, field house. ice rink and
golf course The golf course, that viii
.Ee SO holes alreacy Nss been designed |
and work viii be started on it next
Spring.
Future plans call for the Inauguration |
of rowing and the university has a |
splendid 3-mile stretch on the Olen- |
tangy River awaiting the dip Of the
first shell, so there can be no charges
of foot ball being overemphasized at
the Buckeye university.