Evening star., 1961-01-26
WIN, LOSE OR
DKAW By FRANCIS s1ANN
Little Man in Space

IN THE EVENING STAR GAMES Saturday there
will be four pole vauters who established 15footers
but in his time the late A. c. Gilbert of Yale at least
as sensational as say Don Bragg Or at least that's what
the sports history books suggest.
Gilbert who died at rs this week. vauted IL feet 2
inches in the 1908 Olympic Games in London but he had
to settle for rst-pace tie with his fellow American,
E. T. Cooke of Cornell There other l2foot vauters
in those days. and adding to the distinction Of Gilbert and
Cooke the fact that primitive bamboo poles in
use far cries from today's tapered metal poles.
The British, who running the show, didn't
allow wooden box well" for the end of the pole
is standard equipment This another hardship
for the vauers and probably accounted for Gberts fall
ing short Of his record vault of IL feet 74 inches In the
Eastern tryouts.
But most astonishing perhaps that Gilbert, best
known later the manufacturer Of Erector Sets and magic
kits, was little man, small that he national COL
legiate wrestling and gymnasc titles at 125 pounds.
OF THE GREAT POLE VAULTERS today, Bragg best
fits the physical Specifications down by most stu
dents Of track and field Not many ago Dr. T. D.
Anderson only the second Bshe to vault l3 feet wrote
The ideal type of man to make pole vaulter would
seem to be at least feet tall with powerful shoulder
and abdominal muscles yet carrying excess weight He
should be sprnter and have the control and coordina
ton Of gymnast Such If he persists in perfectng
his technique might well clear Is even l6 feet even
tualy!"
Bragg is 6-foot3 and weighs 200 pounds, which look
lean his frame He's lost track Of all of his l5foot clear
Is feet e is the indoor mark and last summers IS feet
inches broke the Olympic record.
Bragg wants to play TarZan In the movies The late
Mr.. Gilbert, apparently man with sense OF humor,
would have chuced at such goal for himself But he did
make fortune via magic and considering his small size,
he must have used magic to clear IL feet 7 inches
THE 1908 OLYMPICS like all others that are supposed
to breed international good will controversial as
the three preceding Oympcs and all that have followed
hafn m
refused dip the American flag to King Edward VII Of
England during the opening ceremonies.
One OF the three beefy New York policemen on the
team Marty Sheridan of Sheridan Flanagan and Nc
Grath senced the argument to whether the flag should
be dipped by saying This flag dips to no earthly king
The British little put out when the United States,
alone Of the competing nations carried the flag on high
The British were having little rhubarb within the
tight little isles anyway because the Irish wanted to COM
pete separate country However the British olympic
Association ruled that all athletes from the isles would
have to compete for the United Kingdom AS result sew
era Of the leading Irish athletes declined to take part at all
THAT WAS THE YEAR when little Finland issued a
declaration of independence Of its The Firms sue
cesSfully campaigned to have their points scored sepa
rately from Russia The Bear made this concession but
wouldn't stand still for the carrying of the flag OF Finland
which wound up with third place good for one point
AS for the Americans they should do we'll today In
point scoring The United States Is gold medals and
1O silvers for total of 114s points far outdsancing
the runnerup United Kingdom squad which had 6613
Gilbert who had the role of Tarzan in mind returned
home to graduate from the Yale Medical School in 1909
but didn't have the practice of medicine in mind either
I'D like to be athletic COACH, he told his banker
father land think medical training will be valuable
in that field Turned out he got an idea from Watcn-
ing some girders being installed by the New York New
Haven 81 Hartford Railroad and made fortune manu-
featuring Erectors Even grown-up commuters conceded
the New York New Haven g. Hartford mad performed
useful and beyond the call Of duty 1nad-
Vertently, OF course.