The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-05-17
Jennings Sees
4 Minute Mile
And 9 Second 100
BY CONRAD NJ. JENNINGS
Marquette Track Coach

believe that the four-minute
mile, 15-foot pole vault, and 9-sec-
ond 100-yard dash will be achieved
one of these days-and sooner than
many Of us expect.
Considerable has been said of the
ultimate of human effort in track
and field performances. Brutus
Hamilton, formerly of Kansas Uni
versity, now of California, has pre-
scented figures which tend to show
how far. how high, and how fast
man can go in athletic contests.
My criticism Of thes figures
and Hamilton's, too, I imagine
is that they are based to some ex-
tent on records which stand today.
Performances of 10, 20, and 40
years ago in their respective days
were though to be exceptional,
and sportsmen in those eras prob
ably never dreamed Of some of the
records Of which we boast now.
Mechanics of coaching are con-
stantly improving and trackmen
are annually utrning out in larger
mum bers, two good reasons why
unbelievable achievements are pos
The greatest obstacle Is the
physiological makeup of man. Lac
tic acid fills the system as phys
ital energ is spent. When this
poison becomes greater than the
fuel which feeds the body, the ath-
lete can go no farther. He must
rest. %
Mile Mark Whitfield Down
Back in the eighties, w. s..
George, Of England ran q mile in
minutes 12A seconds. It was
not until 1915 that Norman Tabor
was timed in 4:12.6. Eight years
later. the great Nurmi set a mark
at 4:10.4, and we thought surely
that was to be an all-time mark.
But in more recent years there
have Eeen Jules Ladoumegue Of
France, with 4:O9.2, Bill Bonthron,
OF Princeton, with 4:0S.7, Jack
Lovelock Of Oxford, with 4:07.6
and, finally, Glenn Cunningham, of
Kansas, with 4:06.7.
B Hargiss, Cunningham's
coach, instilled in his man the
Nurmi philosophy of even quarters.
as evidenced by his 62-second, 63-
second. 62-second, and 59.7-second
laps as he set the record.
can't say that I believe there
will be four-minute mile in our
time, but feel certain that some
one, under ideal physical. weather,
and track conditions, will approx
mate the mark sooner than we ex-
pect.
How about the 15-foot pole
vault? It's here!
In the seventies, a vault of
more than 10 feet was considered
remarkable. With the advent of
the bamboo pole and a better
teachnique, the records went soar
ing and the official mark today,
held by Bill GRADER OF Southern
California. s14 feet ~ inches.
Bill recently turned In ID feet S SIS
inches in a meet at Santa Barbara.
Now come whisperings from
California that Bud Deaconf of
Stanford, is clearing Is feet in
practice.
The prime requisites for q yaul-
ter, remember, are speed, spring,
acrobatic ability and coordination;
combination of these faculties
should find a new ceiling.
Factors In 9-Second Century
Give me a sprinted with the start
OF a Yosioka Of Japan, the pickup
and power Of a Metcalfe, and the
finish of a Paddock, and then, 1
think, you will have your 9-second
100-yard dash.
We caught Metcalfe unofficially
in 9.S second several times, and
felt that only his start prevented
him from cutting the other thre-
tenths off thoat mark.
Similarly in other events, feel
that only time and not charts will
tell the ultimate in human ef-
fort.
Just now 81 feet seems to be the
Ultimate In the broad jump, and
L. w. st. John, athletic director
at Ohio State. predicts that Jesse
Owens. the dusty flash, will
achieve It before his collegiate ca
reer Is over.
Cornelius johnson, the Negro
high jumper form Compton, Calf,
Junior College. belives the mexi-
mum in his event IL z feet 2 inches.
but that someone taller than him.
self viii have to do that height.
So II Is while we're talking
about q 4-minute mile ana 9-sec-
ond century as the Ultimate per-
formances In this day and age, SO
years from now those standards
may seem comparatively slow 20
that generation.
As coaching and canidatea' con-
dition improve, 10 will the records
In the dikfernt events.