Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-02-24

Major JOhn Grill
fifth, Big Ten athletic commissioner,
believes Mccormick is right, adding,
Il know the way Minnesota goes for
worthwhile things in sports and this
meet is the most worthwhile thing of
the year."
If these forecasts are correct Min
nesota will provide the largest crowd
that has ever watched a track and
field meet in the United States or
anywhere else excepting only the
Olympic games.
The United States Olympic team
of 1910 will be made up mainly of
the college boys who will compete in
this meet.
AS Tug Wilson, Northwestern ath-
letic director, said, make team out
of the winners of the 1888 N. G. A.
meet and it would be good enough
to win any Olympic games ever
held"
Frank Mccormick brought the
meet to Minneapolis mainly because
he wanted to stimulate interest in
track and field sports so that the
University of Minnesota would ultim-
ately benefit by the development of
better material in this territory. BY
engaging Jim Kelly as coach McCor-
mick has already provided the coach
ing talent. Now he wants to give the
coach the right kind of material.
In order to arouse the interest of
youngsters in track and field special
arrangements have been made to adj
init high school kids to the two days
of the national meet. Any high
school in the state, desiring to send its
athletes to Minneapolis, may get the
details by writing to Mccormick and
/ do not hesitate to recommend that
all high schools which have track
and field team make sure their boys
see these great stars in action. 1t will
be an experience they will never
forget.
AT recent meeting at which pre-
liminary plans for the meet were laid,
Tug Wilson told of the experiences
of Glenn Cunningham, greatest miller
America has ever produced-of Ar
chic San Romani, the man who is like
ly to succeed him.
Cunningham's legs were so severely
burned in a schoolhouse fire that
doctors told him he would never run
again. But he would not be downed.
He taught himself to stumble along in
spite of many painful falls, later
learned to hold the tail gate of farm
wagon and be dragged along, TAX
ing a good step now and then until
he had developed his legs so that he
could keep up with the wagon. Then
he put bride and long reins on
farm horse and stumbled and rolled
along behind him until he had learned
to keep pace. That took years. Fin
ally he could run a little without aid
and he kept running until he had
set world record and had run more
miles under four minutes and ten
seconds than any man in history.
San Romani, Cunningham's great
est rival. was run over by a wagon,
had both legs crushed. Physicians
said they would have to amputate; but
a famous surgeon, by sheer accident,
happened to be delivering lecture
in the little town at the time.
81 believe we can save the legs"
said he, ''but the boy will always be
a cripple.
Now San Romani is beating Cum
ningham half the time. These two
are the greatest mile runners this
country has ever had.
1t is such spirit that makes boys
outstanding performers in track and
field events. When the best of them
are all gathered in one big tourna-
ment and you know what courage and
stamina they need to excel at their
events, you can guess they are well
worth watching.
1t may be less spectacular than foot
ball or basketball but there is more
true heroics in track meet than in
any form of competition we have.