Evening star., 1939-06-14
1emperamentaI Only
In Regard 10 His
Profession
Farm Boy, He Won First
Race at II as Grade
School Student

This is the first OF three articles
telling about the exploits of Sgd
ney Wooderson, England'S "1Dizard
n1iler," 1Uho ,DiH run in the mile
OF the century" at Princeton Sat-
nrddy against Glenn Cunningham
and other crack American milers.
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN.
LONDON, June IA (NA.N A.
Sydney G. Wooderson, "the young
London bank clerk" who has run
the outdoor mile, half mile, three
quarter mile and 800 meters faster
than anybody else in the world,
neither is very young nor is he a
bank clerk. He'd like Americans
to know that, now that he is to race
a special mile at Princeton Satur-
day in an event that will pit him
against Glenn Cunningham.
He is "a years old and solicitor
in other words, a lawyer. And he
would appreciate it very much If
people stopped calling him clerk"
Otherwise, Sydney is just about
the least temperamental person you
could find on either side of the At
lantic. He knows his own mind, but
he isn't a prima donna and doesn't
believe in blowing his own trumpet.
Swinging Stride Betrays Him.
The name Sydney" describes the
champion better than any amount
of verbiage. He is definitely on the
small side, with heavy black eye
brows, an inquisitive long nose and
horn-rimmed spectacles. Except for
his swinging stride you might mis-
take him for any of hundred
thousand other Londoners. That is,
when he is off the track. You
couldn't mistake him for anybody
9 else in the world when he puts on
his working clothes and gets down
to business
Sydney outlines his own history
with distressing lack of trimmings.
He is proud of what he has done, in
his own modest way, but he sort of
leans backward not to seem that
way.
The Wooderson story begins some
where back in the '20s on farm in
Kent, where Sydneys family was
living at the time. Sydney himself
thinks that the fresh air and exer-
else that he got in that way went
a long way toward making his sue
cess possible.
The healthy life certainly helped
to give me a good physique" he says.
But I never did any running until I
went to school. 1t never even en-
tered my mind"
First Win at 21z Miles.
Together with his brother Alfred,
who is 3 years older, Sydney at
tended the Sutton Valence School,
near the family farm. They catch
them young at these English public
schools ls'-which really are private
boarding schools-and take athletics
much more seriously than they do
in American grade schools. -,-.,.,
Sydney had reached the ripe old
age of II when he won his first race
"a junior, cross-country handicap
race of 2l2 miles for members of
the school. On the same day, his
brother Alfred, who also was a
promising athlete, captured the SEN
ior race.
Il used to do a lot of cross -coun-
try running at school and did well in
competition Sydney admits. Then
during my last term at school-in
1881 set up new public school
mile record in 4:298'
Sydney's first great thrill came in
1884 after he had left school and
entered open competition. At the
southern counties championships
that summer, he came in ahead of
the great ]. E. Lovelock, who already
was recognized as one of the great
est middle distance runners of all
time. Sydney got only second in
the mile, but Lovelock was third
Later, at the Empire games of that
year, Lovelock got his revenge by
beating Wooderson despite the lat
ters smashing time of Alb. Love-
lock did it in 4:128.
Joins Class of Greats
BY that time Sydney had emerged
from the twilight wherein most good
and middling athletes dwell and had
stepped up among the greats" He
confirmed the growing feeling that
he was going to be another Nurmi
at the British championships in
White City Gondon) in July, 1885.
Lovelock was back from America,
where he had won the mile of the
century" from w. J. (BilD Bon