The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1936-07-28
SPORT SLAN7S

bration to far Guido their best prev
ious efforts. Just glance over the
list of athletes who are to repre-
sent America in the Olympic Games
at Berlin and you will see that it is
dotted with names of youngsters
who were unheard of year, or
even a month, ago.
Fellows like Archie Williams, our
leading hope to win the Olympic
400-meter championship, for ex-
ample. A year ago Williams was an
bscure quarter miller attending
Sacramento Junior College and was
unable to beat 40 seconds. His
progress has been little short of
phenomenal. This year in three
successive meets he turned in 46.1,
1853 and Al seconds for 400 meters,
46.8 for 440 yards, compared to the
listed world record of 46.2 (400
meters) and 464 GAO yards. He
lost only two races this year, once
when he tripped and fell at the
start in dual meet with U. S. c.
and again when he barely failed to
overtake Harold Smallwood after
being badly bumped around in the
nationals" in Palmer Stadium,
Princeton, N. J.
He avenged the latter defeat
when he led Smallwood over the
finish line in the final Olympic
trials at Randalls Island Stadium
in 46.6 seconds. Williams is a pow
erfully built negro with tremendous
early speed and driving finish.
Wrong Way Gets Results
Then there is John Woodruff,
gangling Pitt freshman. 1t is doubt
full if Woodruff entertained any
great hopes of winning a place on
the Olympic team prior to the day
he stepped out on the track in
Harvard Stadium for the sectional
tryouts and led Chuck Hornbostel
to the tape in the 300" in the
astounding tfor an unknown time
of 1913.
The giant negro, with his unor-
thodox style of running, ran his
trial heat at RandallS Island in
1:499 despite the fact that the
experts and coaches shook their
heads in disapproval when he toss
hic hand ka0E 1nnnfhnnnd
his ground eating stride until it
seemed that he would split in two.
He may run all wrong according
to accepted form-but one thing Is
certain: he gets over the ground
mighty fast, and generally faster
than the other fellows. Woodruff
gives the impression that he is only
beginning to run. When he gets a
little experience in the fine art of
rating himself the half-mile and
800-meter records will be at his
mercy. The mile record might take
quite a beating at his hands If
Woodruff ever makes up his mind
to try that popular distance.
Archie San Romani made some
threatening gestures toward track
greatness last year, but he came
along rapidly this spring to hit his
peak when he finished inches be-
hind Glenn Cunningham in 3:49.9
to clip the Olympic 1900 meter
standard set by Luigi Beccali of
Italy in 1882. San Romani beat out
Gene Venzke and Bill Bonthron
in that wild dash down the
stretch.
Morris Miracle Man
We had no real hope in view to
defend the decathlon champion
ship which Jim Bausch won at Los
Angeles in 1882 until Glenn Morris
suddenly came to light at the Kan
Sas relays with record breaking
performance in the 10-event test.
Morris was known as fair quarter
mile hurdler a few months ago, but
today he is figured to have fine
chance of winning the Olympic de-
cathlon crown.
A schoolboy Louis zamperini,
flashed through in the final test
to win place in the 5000 meters
by running dead heat with Don
Lash, our main hope in the dis
lance races. Fritz Pollard, Jr., son
of the famous negro football star
of Brown University generation
ago, came from nowhere to beat
out block of established athletes
when he finished on the heels of
Forrest Towns of Georgia in the
11O-meter high hurdles. David AL
britton, Ohio State, was rated a
capable jumper, but who would
have dared predict that he would
clear 6 feet 9A inches to tie for
first place in the running high
jump?