Imperial Valley press., 1932-07-30
STELLA WALSH
GETS APPROVAL
OF COMMITTEE
Polish Girl Star Will
Participate On Team
Of Native Land.
BY ALANSON EDWARDS
United Press Staff Correspondent)

kOnltcu IICoS otdIi SOTTcSpOnuCiItD
LOS ANGELES, July 80. U.P)-
1.-the Stella Walsh of Poland and
Cleveland, lone member of the "un-
holy three" to survive an official
Olympic inquiry, regarded with
pride today an unofficial world
discus record.
Americas controversial Polish
woman athlete, in workout for
the Xth Olympiad which starts this
afternoon, broke Halina Kono-
packa's world record with toss of
40 meters and Is centimeters.
The Holland girls official mark
of 80 meters, 81 centimeters, was
set at the 1928 Amsterdam games.
Stella is confident she will carry
away a new record for her native
Poland-the land she left for the
United States when a baby of 18
months.
Criticized for wearing Poland's
colors and with a controversy rag
ing over her eligibility, Stella tried
out her position. Paavo Nurmi, Fin
land, and Jules Ladoumegue OF
land and Jules Ladoumegue OF
France were turned down by the
Olympic officials, but the Polish
girl came through with flying COL
orS.
1--WE competed for Poland many
times, here and in Europe" she
said. "My parents, who cannot
speak English now, sent me to a
Polish school in Cleveland. In
1928 I won championships at the
Polish athletic conclave in Syra-
cuse. I was in the Polish interna-
tional games with Austria and
Czechoslovakia in 1928, and in 1880
1 represented Poland in the wom-
ems world Olympics.
"But I never had represented the
United States"
Tears filled her gray eyes as she
spoke of her love for Poland.
"If the Americans could only un-
derstand," she said. Poland has
been subjugated for years. Not un-
til the Versailles treaty did Poland
come into her own, and we of Po-
lish blood are proud of our op-
pressed people. We are glad to
fight for the homeland"
Stella is an odd mixture of para
doxes. Although an all-round ath-
lete, competing in track as well as
field events, her feet are quite
small. She wears No. 4 shoe
and tries hard to conceal them.
Has No Job
Back home, she belongs to the
great army of unemployed. She is
a stenographer and file clerk of
the athletic field, but refuses to
worry about a job until the Olym-
pics are ended.
AS for the movies, she didn's
even attend the party given fol
Olympic women at the Fox studios
in Hollywood.
Shy, and yet filled with defiant
patriotism, SHE speaks only occa-
sionally. She likes silk dresses and
stockings, yet dresses simply in
clothes she makes herself.
Stella bakes the bread for her
mother too-Polish bread, white,
rye and kuchen. While she's at
the Olympics, her 13-year-old Sis
ter, Clara, who by the way is jul
nior 100 yards champion in Cleve-
land, is helping mother with the
baking.
Five feet, seven inches tall,
gawky, and weighing 1877 pounds,
Stella comes from a long line of
athletes. Her mothers father was
known all over Poland as runner.
He has a little farm near the Po-
lish village of Janowa, and at 10
he milks the COWS and gathers
wheat.
Her off moments now are spent
escorting two fellow Polish girls,
Felicia Schabinsk, the hurdler, and
Jadwiga Wajisowna, about town.
Neither speaks English and that's
an important thing at meal times.
Stella believes Ralph Metcalf, the
Marquette Negro flash, will win
the mems 100-yard dash. A lot OF
Americans agree with her on that.