The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-12-05
i s:..s Centre SPORTS . i Il. E wsst

Sport s. |
| Wags- & |
BY Chuck Rattle
New Era Comes To
Basketball Towns
OttesOn Plays Chess
In Europe, Africa
BUGS Look Like
First Rate Club
S. G. Has Center
Legend to Protect
.
Return Of both Swanville and
Osakis to the Sank Centre schedule
on not a single game, but a home
to home series basis Is news cheer
ing to those in the hinterland.
The return is briefly summed up in
the fact that both schools now pos
sess new gymns. New larger
places for basketball competition
that favors the local team not one
whit. For a time schools with
the smaller, older gymns were han
dicapped in scheduling arrange
ments. . It was regretable but
in many cases necessary. -.
It Is not SO much that these
towns have new gymns that Is
the cause for rejoicing but I'm
q single instance IL reflects q
generally rising trend toward
Sterilization and standardized
ton of basketball. Ordinar-
lily those are much overworled
and disliked words. But I'm
sports when competition be-
comes standardized to such q
degree as IL ever can be, then
Il makes better ball games. -.
In which we all Of us are in
More than any juggling of teams
for tourney pairings, Of any mad
cap breaks, this trend toward erect
ing new, finer gymnasiums with
ample room to meet any competi-
ton from any town is the small
schools bid for it's place in the
sports picture. It is generally
conceded that the use Of better
equipment. more efficient coaching,
not to eliminate the more rare
choice of material, have conspired
to favor larger schools in the pic
ture. The best attack against
big school domination of the small
er members is strengthening their
home defenses in proper equipment
and proper coaching. a.. Their lone
handicap remains then the choice
Of material naturally narrowed in
smaller population areas. -.
We well remember the gym
Swanville used to have. You
could nearly jump across the
floor from a standing position.
The free throw lanes nearly
converged with center circles.
.. Beams and rafters conspir-
ed to down shots. In games
with Swanville the visiting
team was desperately handi-
capped. They couldn't possib-
ly know, coming from a larger
floor, the eccentricities of the
small court. But far more
important schools like Swan
Vile were SO far at a handicap
when they met larger schools
in tournament play they could
rarely figure strongly in the
Our statements are no indict-
ment Of any town or its progress
siveness. In a little more mature
way Sank Centre suffered the same
fate. It outgrew its britches too.
But it points Interestingly to
a new chapter in high school bas-
ketball history. In which Is
written the virtual death Of the
cracker box" the near end Of
handicapping smaller schools, the
new rise of a new standard of bas-
ketball competition. :.
.
In spite of all this the
things that really contrive to
make sports entertaining are
the boys themselves. These 9TH
or accoutrements only add to
their respective chances. But
when q gang comes along such
as Osal1is crowd Of last year
with the spirit, the heart and
the ability, they go down the
line.
Chess to the uninitiated has GER
tain oblique fascination that
smacks of the systicism of the
Orient, and seems as far removed
as the east itself. But to those
who know and love the game it's
one Of the greatest challenges to
mental agility yet invented. i.
There are very few players of the
game in this town, and prime
among them is Walt Otteson. f.. .
There's a certain affinity about the
game that draws players from all
over the world together in a sort
Of bond. At the present time
Walt Is playing one game by mail
with a Londoner, has six games go
ing in Africa. Ease Of indicat-