The Detroit tribune., 1963-05-04
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One day in 1864 or 1868 you might n;ct -, a.. -
paper and read the headline Two Detroit Girls Win c",a
Medal" medal for what you say? Well I'm TALKING ahon,
olympic uo'o MEDALS You smile and say hardly Well
donl DC 'oo SURE MAYBE s improbable but its not inn
possible
Why? Because have two teen-ape sneeds,ors no.u
y ready right now. Each is being coached bv former
Olympic star lhese two young ladies are the prime en
mime sprint prospects in the nation TODAY Dependno IN
how each develops either could make it big.
The first young damse in question is 14-vearold
Barbara Powell VINO demonstrated her agile ground COW
eng potential last year when she was unoiciay cloked
1913 in the lO0yard dash You say SO what? Well she
did it from standing start and was very close TO the
American record for women
After watching her rum Eddie Tolan - perhaps the
greatest sprnter developed in the State Of Micboa
and former double winner the 1882 Oympics in los
Angeles had this to say "Shes got all kinds of poten
ta she's an uncut diamond Why she doesn't even know
how to run yet But even you see she looks like
champion
Eddie was the first person to introduce Miss Powell
TO starting blocks and the crouchng start Before Eddie
took her in hand she had done all her racing from stand
ing start something only distance runners do now II she
do 1913 from standing start and without crouching
she should fairly blaze with the proper beginning
The other sprintng lass is 15year-old Billie White
Mumford High sophomore with the same natural scramp
ering ability Miss Powell Until recently Billie had run
along in the Junior Olympcs competing against boys and
girls She won every event she entered for four years
Then she under the trained eye of Hayes JONES'
Detroit Public school teacher and one of the greatest
hurders in the world bar Jones is also former
Olympic champion He recently broke Harrison billiards.
record of consecutive wins
With Hayes still working on her running form Billie
entered the Michigan Federation Indoor Track and Field
Championships at the University of Michigan this year.
Miss White came away double winner She set Yost
Field House record of 73 seconds in preliminary running
Of the worens 60yard dash and matched it in the finals
t prove il wasn't just luck Billie also won the womens
22Oyard dash in the very good time of 269
Most recently Billie had another chance to put Hayes
fine coaching to the test She attended Oympc Night
clinic at Michigan State University There she was matched
against Maryn White presently considered this counrys
tsfnest woman spriner Marilyn UCLA student, holds
victories over such top performers as Wilma Rudolph
Ward. former Olympic Gold Medal winner and woman
athlete of the year and lutte Hene of Germany also an
Olympic champion
Marilyn, edged Billie in the 60yard dash but poth
were timed at IL which only 20 of second over the
world record Billie wasn't downhearted after TINS ire
mendous performance she commented 1T was pretty close
but she beat me- We both had the same time
Well Marilyn did beat her. but Billie had never met
anyone like Maryh before Considering eVeryhhs' .is
lady mercury did alright for herself Billie is now running
under the banner of the Varsity Club OF Detroit She races
her moment of truth in Dayton, Ohio on july d i'e
National Women's Track Championship
So don't shake your head and say mo- IL couiun' M
happen" These two girls could make 1t all come 're "'
a bang This is the City of Champions, isn't 1t!