The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1946-01-19
Willis Ward
THE SIDELINE COACH

IN Inc 1892 Olympcs between Eddie Toan and
nnb Netcalfe. My memory is repete with the humor
an Of Tolans athletic well as the serious
% hat comes with training and work II is enough as
the serious side to state that every good race run
a., sfer perhaps dozens of during the week get
r fcav For every good start that spriner has on
MN dav in specific only be assured after per-
hans seventy one hundred practice starts during the
Week
Training and condition are the prerequisites Of
bnion and whereas there may be such things as born
bsnnion in the eyes of the sideine coach there never
n~ born champion encountered in his limited career
j an athlete. All of the really good performers were
KARI, workers who denied themselves of much of the fun
mi frAoly of being kid and youth. Much Of the fun
bat cano with developing skill at a game resolved it.
M 10 .,l plain hard and arduous work, panstakng re-
nts and constant Early in the champions career he
developed habits that became part of his outh
Nh pcrsonatv As he grew in strenuous effort become
bart him until he reached youngmanhood and did the
difficult With such ease and race that the onlooker Of
ION thought and therefore enormously concluded that he
must have been born that way. Actually such was not
me case The youngster had disciplined his body that
sfer eiian point in his career his body had diff
Guilty. doug hat il was asked to do.
After ms point is reached there is still the problem
II sayug an top physical condition Condition tells be-
cause without it, the Splinter pulls tendon and develops
hn plnt, he boxer in the sixth round the foot
BAN plan move out of his tracks in the
fourth pcrod and golfer can't come back fresh the
I'D 3al hilty-Six holes the previous day. SO
ardlts now early an athlete became proficient. he
mis-, ,at tn condition TO meet constant competitions
Whelc training is drudgery there be humour too
The follow eg story comes out Of the scene behind the
VAS coached and trained by Steve Farrell Terrell coach
"a manv greats DeIIart Hubbard Victor LeShnSky
Craig ana many who got more than the usual num-
her 90 ndRl dua championships Farrell retired during
Toan anor year and the midget Of the cindcr paths
pa> fen cached by Charley Hoyt himself national
sprint champion. Tolan was having great difficulty with
one t1,1re, simpson. who for Ohio State UnNc~it,
SIMPSON great Splinter having tied the world re-
oFd every up to two-hundred and twenty yards
lie ld over Iolan dating back to the time that
.fc n,h high school athletes and having held the
agmr ana on Tolan so often, Simpson held psyehoog.
al advantage every time that they met So much did
simpson hold the upper hand that when ever Eddie lost to
simpson, Eddie didn't feel particularly bad so long no
re mat inn out Of second place.
Chaa, lloyt, EddeS coach felt that if Tolan had
confidence himself he could part OF the
races ga 1eas losing Simpson and tried to get Eddie
duNA with an idea of beating simpson the next time
bat thes This program not well received by
Laae ho had feeling that ne couldn't beat simpson
ANYWAY Io prove his greatness coach, Hoyt decid
ID to da y trick what he could do otherwise. Tolan
Ma often alluded to as the Michigan Midnight Express
There bad been dull meet held and Of the local
nN>Nape reported the results of the short race Mch
%ns Midnight Express arrives on time again. foyt
H ~ an but the Midnight Express and got picture
Iolan and under it he pasted the words "Michigans
NdNrh Freight The demotion from a fast express
Tram ~ low moving freight train worked like magic. 1t
mense9 Mttriated Tolan TO such extent that ne all
most a q ne team and the University. So mad did It
make oan hat the next meet he beat George Slmp-
son and ~ new worlds record of 20 seconds for the
Ater beating Simpson and setting the worlds record
lolan She necessary confidence and the many
run between these two greats became the feature Of the
Snof's world because could be sure who would
VIM and Eddie took enough victories 10 be ashamed
% nearing he of George Simpson. In fact many
VS l'frteS say Tolan beat Simpson twice IN one day
I" 'ne STATE Fair Grounds during Pocemans Field day
nee So hard did those two each other that when
simpson os the second he stamped his feet grab
ID Ohio
- ana uangely enough Infatuated was Tolan over
NM al'I Hoy trick that they never close AS friends
men he Sidelne coach attended Michigan later Hoy
usvu 20 remark how personally sorry he that loan
rNtf seemed to like him. and that he wished that ne
lo1n crop IN and visit him Noneheless Hoyt stuck tol
IN guns and said that the trick he pulled right be-
e ne len Iolan the better Splinter and had mol
t,s losing Consequently Hoyt says he would do the
"' tung again. il the circumstances called for It,
~ mere are many things that go make champion.
NM "nlfle YOU see that is consistent winner can tell
VII ol Incidents Insignificant individually, but collect
f. tn'N are the summation Of his ability to win 1t IS
co. sn reason that the sdelne coach believer IN the
0ep' mat champions are made and not born.