Evening star., 1940-05-28
Early Performances
Outdoors Indicate
Bevy Of Marks
High Jump, 440 and Mile
Standards Picked as
Most Vulnerable
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

~ 0<A w AtA<ANNG i
NEW YORK, May 28.-In the
spring running of track athletes
evidence accumulates showing that
the calling off of the Olympic games
has mitigated neither their ardor
nor their speed. In particular, the
achievement of Gordon Kemmer,
University of California, in turning
in 47-second quarter recently, has
reminded track enthusiasts of the
fact that the mile run is not the
only record likely to be broken in
the future.
Kemmer is freshman and his
time was so close to Ben Eastman's
46.4 world record as to warrant
belief it will be trodden under the
Californian's swift feet before he
has been graduated.
Then, Eddie Morris, Huntington
Beach High, in California, has been
running the century in .09.5-the
world record is .09.4-this spring and
the furlong in .209, the world mark
being .203 What will this lad do
when he is older and in college?
So with Harold Davis, first-year
student in junior college at Salinas,
Calf. He is turning in .09.6 in the
century and POT in the furlong.
Mehl Shows Great Promise.
Nor should some of the more
established runners be overlooked
Walter Mehl, for instance, who
sprang an upset at Los Angeles the
other day in beating Greg Rice in
the 2-mile run, time 9:01.8, thereby
repeating previous upset at
Memphis in approximately the same
time.
Running such as this so early in
the season is really extraordinary
when you consider that the best
time made last year for the out
door 2-mile was Greg Rice's 9:026.
1t is the more amazing because for
some reason it is much easier to
f1irt with 9 minutes and under on
indoor tracks than upon uncovered
cinders. Of course, there is Maki's
world outdoor record, 1892. but
that IS blazing exception to the
rule that athletes make easier work
of the distance under roof than
al fresco. Rice and Mehl. by the
way, are likely to run in the Prince
ton invitation meet.
Chuch Fenske's 4:08% at the re-
cent Cotton Bowl meet also was ex-
trer1ely significant. Add to the FORE
going citations the current high
jumping feats of Steers and Wilson
of Southern California. Both these
athletes already are jumping in the
vicinity of the world record, 6 feet
9A inches, and are earnestly in quest
of 6 feet 10 inches.
Finally, there is Al Blozis of
Georgetown, who broke the word TO-
pound shot-put record every time he
competed indoors last winter and Is
preparing to duplicate these feats
in the open.
California Leapers Keen.
Col. Bill Hayward, track coach at
the University of Oregon and one
of the leading figures in the sport
over a period of 38 years, believes
that of all events in track. records
In the high jump, the quarter and
the mile will be the first to go. In
thinking the present high jump soon
will fall no doubt he had the pair
of California leapers in mind. just
as he was thinking of young KEN
mer in relation to the 40.
Concerning the mile, Col. Hay
ward, talking to L. H. Gregory of
Portland, had some interesting
things to say:
"In the quarter it's spring speed
plus condition" he explained. "The
quarter mile is a sprint rather than
run, and sprinters don't get faster
with age. Furthermore, only in
college is a sprinter likely to reach
that peak of perfect condition the
man must have who betters 46.4
seconds, for only in college can he
obtain the supervised training to put
him in such condition. But the mile
Is different. It's a run, and en-
durance counts there. Athletes do
gain in endurance as they grow
older, up to certain point, and