Evening star., 1932-01-31


to 13 This is the first time these
international sports on snow and ice
have been held in America.
The Olympic Winter games were launched
at Chamonx, France, in 1924 when Norway
emerged the winner. The second Olympic
Winter games followed four years later at st.
Moritz, Switzerland where Norway again
the victor.
It only remains for the stimulus derived from
the Oympiad at Lake Placid to secure recog-
nition for America in international Winter sport
circles-a recognition which was notoriously
lacking when some Europeans contended that
all Olympic Winter sports competitions should
be held at st. Moritz, where facilities were
at the time matehless for the holding of the
Winter games.
Within the last two years at Lake Placid
have been created sports facilities adequate
for the international carnival, second in tech
nical perfection to none In the world. ~ This
represents expenditure OF 100000 on
sports equipment within the confines Of .
mountain village.
A SCORE OF nations are represented In the
~ third Olympic Winter games at Lake
Placid, with approximately 400 contestants In
the four major fields of sport-skiing, skating,
bobsleddng and hockey. There will be demon
strations of sled-dog racing, curling and
wonen'S speed skating.
Nations which have sent teams to Lake
Placid include Austria, Belgium, Canada,
CzechoSlovakia, France, Finland, Hungary,
Italy Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Norway,
Poland, Rumania, Sweden and Switzerland.
The international tournaments on snow and
ice have become the most spectacular of all
modern sporting events Never again during
the present generation will the United States
witness in actual competition the outstanding
Winter sports stars Of Europe, Asia and North
America.
Bobsledding, a sport new to America IN its
racing aspect, is the most thrilling and dam
gerouS sport on the Olympic program. 1t was
an expatrate American sport which reached
its seniority the runs in Europe and came
back two years ago to the country Of its origin
and home of the present Olympic bobsleigh
champions
This daring sport spectacular and thrilling
to observe, Is accompanied by hazards greater
than those faced in any other athletic sport Of
today
THERE are self-imposed hazards on the bob
] run where the best Of racing teams some
times come to grief-sharp curves Of hairpin,
IS" and horseshoe form, with 3o-foot walls Of
ice to negotiate at speeds up to 10 miles an
hour.
The danger of a spill is always present. The
spill entails two extreme hazards, the prospect
of capsizing the glare-ice and losing bob
ing into the snow bank the inside Of the
track at express train speed. Either possibility
is exceedingly dangerous
Two hair-raising spills marked the FIRST North
American championships of 1881 on the Olym-
pic bob run at Lake Placid. The German
team representing the Berlin Bobsleigh Club
came to grief in the Zig Tag curve, mishap
closely followed by the spill of an American
team piloted by Hubert Stevens Of Lake Placid.
Sawdust had to be sprinkled on the iced track
to reduce the speed to point of probable
safety
At the high rates of racing speeds occasional
spills are inevitable All riders must wear
safety armor.
The young Americans early asserted their
supremacy in this daring sport, because Of their
apparent willingness to take greater chances
In negotiating the high-banked curves OF glare
ice In the 1928 Winter games at st. Morttx
the American crews piloted by william Fiske
and Jennison Heaton placed frst and second
and enabled the United States to place second
to Norway In the 1928 Winter Olympiad.
IN the North American championship races
Of last Winter the winning team, the Red
Devils Of Saranac Lake, set q worlds record
for bobseddinS, making the one and one-hah
mile run In minute and So SECONDS. Hunter
Goodrich Of Milwaukee, who placed second IA
the North American with Swiss and German