Evening star., 1947-03-12
Scholastic Federation
Pressure May Bring
District Into Fold
BY George Huber

BY George huber
District public high schools, whether
they like 1t or not, may find it
expedient to join the National Fed
Grafton Of High School Athletic
Associations, headquarters, Chicago.
It's a case Of "If you can't lick 'em;
join EN-" The public highs here
haven't been trying to lick the fed
Grafton exactly, but the federation is
getting such a hold on athletics
throughout the country and has such
a dictatorial attitude that D. G.
schools are being squeezed out.
All States except the District, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, Texas and
Rhode Island are in the federation,
and Virginia seriously Is considering
joining. 1t may be noted that even
In member States there are isolated
spots of non-membership- greater
New York City and Baltimore
are examples-and some individual
schools have been tossed out for
infractions of federations rules.
It affects track and basket ball
particularly because of the big meets
and tournaments, but the federation
also has its own playing rules In
other sports. These are said to be
better for boys of high school age
than the intercollegiate rules used
hereabout. You play under fedora
ton rules or you don't play any
federation schools. And you run
your meets and tournaments their
way, or you don't run with federation
schools.
Rivalries Are Broken Up.
Some long-standing rivalries and
meets are being broken up by the
sudden federation growth. The
Drake Relays handlers now have
changed their rules so that schools
outside Of Iowa no longer can COM
pete in the high school division.
The Penn Relays had an agree
ment with the federation about
who was to compete last year, and
for some reason the sanction re-
quirements were violated when q
few extra schools competed. The
Penn people had a little trouble
over that.
The national AAU secretary In
New York, Dan Ferris, also had a
difference of opinion with the fed
Grafton about what regulations were
to govern and who was to compete
in the interscholastic part of the
AAU indoor track and field cham
pionships at Madison Square Gar
den.
The &C" club track meet, which
has been running swell since 1919,
is having its federation troubles.
The federation refused an okay, SO
therell be few public highs from
out-of State in it. The federation
didn't like the &c" club because
prep schools also compete, and also
because some teams travel good dis
tances to take part. It doesn't like
too much travel. It's okay, though,
for high school students who win
debating or science or similar con-
tests to travel to the Nations Capt.
tai from as far away as California.
Sports probably are not considered
educational by some school authori-
ties.
&C" Club Will Do Okay.
Thee" Club will do okay, though,
without Federation schools, and also
without Virginia public highs. Incl
dentally. Virginia Is not yet Fed
Grafton State, but it seems to be
guided to some extent by Federation
policy. Also this year it suddenly
has changed the date of its cham
pionship meet to that always used
by the &c" Club, the third Satur-
day in May. According to Virginia
school officials, 1t had nothing to do
with the difference of opinion Dis
trict schools had with Washington
Lee High several years ago.
Basket ball tournaments such as
that sponsored for Is years by The
Evening Star may have trouble get
ting a Federation sanction. The
Federation doesn't like outside"
promoters, regardless of how much
they've done for the sport or how
much support they've given it when
school authorities were ignoring it.
The Federation frowns on private
and parSchial schools competing in
the same events.
1t may be noted that there were
no Prince Georges County CMd)
teams in The Star tourney this year
because of membership in the State
Association which in turn belongs
to the Federation. Bethesda came in
because it has not yet ratified the
state constitution, but the Bethesda
girls team Immediately was barred
from competing for the State cham
pionship.
The Duke Durham basketball
tournament also is on the Fedora
tion black book. Teams in it this
year are from Federation D. c.,
Baltimore, Virginia and North Car
olina plus two teams from Green
vile, S. c. That either is a non-
Federation spot or is choosing to
ignore it such as did the Kentucky
team which won last year. and
which incidentally is not back this
time