The Washington times., 1936-07-11
Island Meet
To Handicap
TrdCkACeS
BY DAVIS J. WALSH

BY DAVIS ]. WALSH
NEW YORK, July 11.-LawSon
Robertson, head Olympic coach,
arrived in town today for the final
American t1youts, fatty stating
that few, if any, worlds records
would be broken on the track at
Berlin next month, and probably
none at all at Randall's Island to-
day and tomorrow. The answer?
You won't find it in the prestige
of the principals, for admittedly
these are to be competitions to end
all competition.
In other words, it isn't the ath-
letes who aren't great. It's the
tracks.
Even the German athletes
themselves have condemned the
Olympic track at Berlin" said
Robertson. "They say it's heavy
and lifelcss. If that's true, we'll
probably have to look to the
field events for our records. So
many of them, you see, were
made at Los Angeles in 1882,
where the track was a speedway.
Gas for Randall'S Island, it's
a good track. But it would have
been better if it was laid last
fall and allowed to set during
the winter. It's hard enough,
but they say it cuts easily. That
will bother VarOff, worlds record
holder, and the other pole vault
ers, provided their runway
doesn't differ greatly from the
surface of the circular track.
There's a chance in the high
jump, though. The field is small
and most of them use separate
runWayS to the take-Off. And
johnson or Albritton or some
body is going to do six, ten be-
fore the year is over"
Fortunately, he sees most of the
key-men not at all handi-
capped by the new track today and
tomorrow in the tryouts. Most of
them, you see, are "striders," not
"pounders" who need hard, fast
surfaces to get their drive.
Jesse Owens, the three-ring
man, is a light strider who will
do we'll enough at Randalps
Island. So will Frank Wykoff,
who skins" the ground. But,
says Robertson:
"Metcalfe, while a Striding
runner, seems like a man who
will run best in heavy going.
If what they tell me about
the Berlin track is correct, he
may turn out to be our best
Sprinter at the games.
"The Randall'S Island track
ought to favor Cunningham'S
low, smooth stride. But it also
has a springy quality and that
will help Venzke, too. So far
as can see, the three best
half-miIers, Eastman, Beetham
and woodruff, should run to
their real races at the tryOuts,
for all of them are smooth,
light StepperS.
cat 400 meters, 1 can't see how
Williams. Lu Vale, OBrien and
Smallw0od will be affected, ex-
cept that Williams won't be run
ming any Is ITO, as he did at
Chicago. On, yes, he did it, all
right. 1 know because I held a
watch on him. But the track
was faster than practically any
thing I've seen, outside of Los
Angeles.
The writer asked about that
promised 14-second hurdle race by
Forrest Towns.
Hell do it," said the man, in
stantly. "some day when every
thing is just right.
cat the island I'm only worry
ing about Towns having some
thing happen to him, such as
happened to Percy Beard in the
1882 finals. don't think it will.
for Towns has been told about
it.
Beard, you see, didn't take
into account a following wind
as he cleared the seventh hurdle.
He didn't come down quickly
enough, with the result that his
Striding carried him into the last
hurdle and George Sailing went
on to win"
If didn't happen to know that
Mr.. Robertson deeply resented
some writer calling him the
gloomy Gil Dobie of track and
field, I'm afraid I'd have to toss in
something bright, for a snapper,
about him being the sunshine spe-
cial. Without a doubt, he's GER
tainly one man who absolutely
fears the best.