Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-18

Must Have Best of Luck or
Fare Worse-CoId Weather
Brings Joy.
BY WALTER TRUMBULL.

18.-ThiS small town in its
- Adirondack setting appears
to me to contain about the
gameSt community of sportsmen it
IS possible to find. With bit Of
help from immediate neighbors, it
has committed itself to Winter
sports program, in connection
with the Olympics, which even
with the best of breaks in getting
back some of the money expended
will mean a tax of $50 per capita.
And it has not had the best of breaks.
What was largely required was the deep
white snow and the thick, glittering ice,
which regularly have been part of the
Winter scenery for the last 80 years. A
totally unexpected stretch Of unsea-
sonable weather left the mountains
green and the lakes pools Of slush.
But Lake Placid appears to be in for
a little better luck. Yesterday the tenn
perature dropped below freezing, and it
has been lowering around the freezing
mark today. There have been f1urries
of snow, and the ice is again simmer
ing on the lakes and ponds. The
barometer is dropping little, and the
spirits of the inhabitants are rising in
proportion.
The five olympic events to be con-
tested here are figure skating, speed
skating, hockey, skiing and bob-sled-
ding. The first three are not so much
affected by the weather, because of the
indoor rink in the great $25O,O00 arena
which was dedicated last night. A
three-day snowfall will put the $50
miles Of ski trails in shape.
THE chief difhculty is with the bob
i sled run, which cost a total of
about S247,O00, and probably is the
fastest run ever constructed. To cover
that run property with 10 inches of ice
will take at least five days Of freezing,
snowy weather.
Olympic rules require that the teams
representing the United States in
skiing and bob-sledding be selected by
January 81. So no competitive trials
are possible The selections, therefore,
must be made arbitrarily by the COM
mittees in charge. A meeting Of those
who will choose the sled teams will be
held in New York City tomorrow
morning, in the Office Of Gustavus T.
Kirby.
The rules permit. the choosing of
three teams, with an extra man for
each BY taking another team and
using its members as alternates. it
really should be possible to nominate
four teams Then in the North Ameri-
can championship to be contested here
on January 90 and 80, these teams can
be tried out. The bobsled races in the
Olympics, are scheduled to start on
February 8.
The diffculty. therefore, is not over
the Olympic championships, as by
that time there should certainly be
more than enough snow and ice, but
in the previous selection OF the con-
testants and in the opportunities of |
the performers for practice. The sooner |
the heavy clouds which now hang
above the hills open and sift down
quantities of snow, the better every one
will be satisfied.
THE Norwegian and Japanese ski
J. teams here have been training by
taking long walks For that matter,
so have the Americans. The men
from overseas start out at about 6
O'Clock in the morning and, from the
time some of them return, it looks as
If they must have logged to the Cana
dian border and back.
Ask them how they like the ski jump
the bob run or the snow trails and
they nervouSly edge away from you.
They think any one who asks them
such questions at this time should have
his head examined. They haven't seen
any snow trails. But we are going to
show them some second to none, with
in a short time. So, at least, the
weather man says.
The Norway men have a very mill
tary looking uniform. Wearing 1t, they
remind me of French officers, although
that doesn't mean much, as no two
Frenchmen I saw during the late war
ever wore the same uniform. But these
competitors certainly look well tailored.
EVENTUALLY, and very soon now,
Z there will be representatives Of II
nations here. They are Great
Britain, France, Germany, Norway,
Sweden, Japan, Canada. Italy, Rumania,
Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Poland,
Switzerland, Finland, CzechosloVakla
and the United States. Each nation
has it's own quarters, its own trainers
and its own cooks.
The streets of this town already are
beginning to look like camp OF al
nations. Originally, seven more were
expected. but something happened to
them.
The arena is a great help. Not only
are hockey games being held there
daily. but you can go over. and see
figure skaters at almost any hour that
the ice is occupied. There is one Jap
anese there who always draws crowd.
Already a number Of persons have
arrived for the games. The Lake
Placid Club is booked practically full,
but they are very well organized on
this side Of the lake to take care Of
visitors Lake Placid and the neigh
borhood in general has a surprising
number OF hotels. Once some of these
were occupied by guests only in Sum
rner but in late years they have been
keeping open during certain Winter
months, and this season they will all be
open. ~ III,
By the fourth of February this will
be one Of the most colorful sports on
the continent.
6Copyright. 1882. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Incl
SKATING TEAM NAMED