The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-04-23
Rink Heads
Toss in
7owel
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

~ yVu W040 al UA4o N4V4AAUy
Of Eighteenth Street and Penn.
sylvania Avenue yester d a J
around 4 o'clock and thought
you heard q defamation, your
ears were not deceiving you.
Washingt o MS latest ice
hockey venture exploded right
in the faces of a couple Of dozen
indignant citizens who had
foregathered at the Securities
and Exchange Commission to
protest the building Of q sports
arena at Kansas Avenue and
Upshur Street.
DULL, SICKENING FLOP
The gathering, attracted for the
dual purpose of getting in the
last whacks at the proposed sports
center as well as to see whether
the Government would hold the
tentative officers for contempt
because Of their refusal to divulge
the identity Of some Of their finan-
cial angels, saw the whole issue
fizZle out like q wet firecracker,
when the proponents virtually
picked up their marbles and
stalked out of the room. The
least that can be said is that they
tossed in the towel.
In fact, it was no contest.
Faced with the alternative of Civ.
ing names of those who had prom
Used to advance option money on
the tidy parcel Of ground, or
being held in contempt, the regis
trants withdrew their application.
It practically amounted to a for
felt, and had it been baseball the
score would have been 8 to o.
But there was a sort Of anti.
climax that would have made Joe
Turner, Joe Louis, Rudy Dusek
and Danny O'Mahoney sQuirm in
their chairs. Had Goldie Ahearn
been present, I am sure he would
have required smelling salts.
A Chorus Of 'No"
A group composed Of educators,
community workers, Librarians
and at least one pastor appeared
to throw cold water on the propo'
sition for an indoor sports arena
in q neighborhood surfeited with
schools, Libraries, hearths and
homes, say nothing Of places OF
worship.
They did not wish the tran.
guilty of their domicileS invaded
by the raucouS and uncouth
crowds given to attending ring
affaires d'honneur.
Thus both fisticuffing and
wrestling were given pair OF
black eyes such as Hans Steinke
would dearly love to hang on Gino
Garibaldi, and the prize ring, with
the tawdry mob which 1t would
inject into the community Of even
tide, was stamped as undesirable
and tending to deterioriate the
general tone of the area.
IntOlerant Of Ring
Except to show that the distri.
button of stock for such an enter.
prise would meet with hostile re.
action from the arenas neighbors,
thus embarrassing the ventures
chances of economic soundneSs,
the recital barely came within the
jurisdiction Of the Commission.
wrestling and boxing bore the
brunt Of the attack from the citi.
Zenry.
There was no voice lifted
against indoor skating, ice hockey
or the dozens of other uses Of so
spacious an enclosure as was con-
templated.
The registrants heard no reply
when they pointed to the fact that
basketball, indoor tennis, squash
and badminton were healthful rec
reations within the scope of a
sports arena: paStimes which
would take children off the streets
and away from the dense traffic
which abounds particularly in the
late afternoon leisure hours Of the
normal juvenile.
On, Yes, tine LlDr3fy!
BY then the schools would be
through with their young charges
for the day. And by then also the
authorized new library would be
reckoning them-from one set of
studies to another.
These heavily-browed savants,
in their wisdom and familiarity
with child education, provide a
wide range Of sports and recrea-
ton in their school curriculum.
Wrestling and fighting are not
numbered therein. Neither is ice
skating nor the game Of hockey.
And no happy medium thereof
was acceptable.
At nights when the throngs
would be milling from all three
forms Of sport, this residential Sec
ton requires unbroken peace.
Perhaps, too, the community
center bingo game might disturb
the arena customers peaceful"
sleeping through a tin-eared wres-
thing match. but nobody at the
hearing thought Of thatI