AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 5, 7 January 1937, Page 13

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

, TIME FOR HARD WORK. CHAMPIONSHIP PROSPECTS^ , AUCKLAND'S' WEAKNESSES. With the Christinas and New;. Year holiday .'.celebrations "how well behind them athletes will be turning to hard training on the track "once .more.. ', ■-.■.., .s. The big part, of the season' is now right ahead, and although there; have been enjoyable and keenly contested meetings during, the latter end of 1936, most have treated them purely as preliminaries for the real contests ahead. It is surprising how very quickly the weeks go by when one is training and racing, and-a little wet Weather, soon finds one only threequarters fit on championship day. The meeting that seenicd to be 'months) away suddenly looms up only a few days ahead. From now on training should. be very definitely scheduled on a plan of action all leading to, one or two special events. No matter what ] the,. temptation' the athlete who aspires for provincial and Dominion championship -honours,, must treat nil-intervening -contests as merely part of his or her training. : Jack Lovelock ■ advised ■ very strongly along these lines, and showed the world that the glanlour of small present glory, must be sacrificed to the. higher call of "real" victories.. So in Auckland or anywhere in the province the athlete should race only as part of his training and not purely ns a contest.

It will be a very busy time the next two or three "months, and Auckland has a grand chance of building up a provincial team worthy; of: staving off any southern challenge.'" ...

• So far our sprinters have ,not led us to bo very confident about their chances in the national events., Roberts.- -has .not been "able to compete very- much, but should bo to the.fore again shortly. ;<A lot depends upon Baiubridge,. especially in the furlong. - : Tapley, of. Dunedin, and Quinn, of Gisborne, are the two men to worry about,. and as yet we do'.not'seem to possess sprinters who can be. expected to-defeat them'. .'./...,..

■ Now that Don Evans is back in. form' and most likely concentrating upon the mile event, our'hopes in this" race are greatly lessened. ~Norman Cooper is the runner who may pull us out of the fire. Boot, of Canterbury, ;!McLachlan, ' of Napier. Feme, of the same team', ■ and Luke Wilsbn, of Wellington, along : ' with Evans andGeddes of Otago,\niake up .a very strong mile field. ■". ' Savidan and Cooper "look well as our three mile men. .however. In the Jialf mile.,.. Ball, Sayers.'. and' Buckley are.'strong'runners, but not; of the' class of r Boot, Feme, Anderson and Ogg. That is, they will.have.to beat 1.57. before we'cam enthuse over their.chances. We have a.great chance in the jumps, but ohly.V-Clegg, arid Gillespie' arouse any enthusiasm for.'our chances in field events. We badly need a Munro, a Spillane or a Leckie to boost up our standard in these events. ' ''.;-'; '; '*■ • -V. r Cameron and McCarthy have a.tough walker to beat in .Driscoll, who is fast and strong-in ' the heel-and-toe events. The three-mile event vshould suit- the ■Napier star evgn more/than the. shorter races of' the ; past few years. - •' Now'that Miss Gudsell, of. Canterbury, has retired,.'there ; seeiris to be .no real rival for lliss Campbell in the .ladies' 100 yards. In all; ladies' events Auckland's chiU)' , es appear.- to be"'. extremely bright. : ■'.'"".■■■ '•" ['. : . ":,'

As mentioned; previously, our.hurdlers are a tower of strength, and if titles do. not come' our way in all three events it will be only -because fresh New Zealand' figures will have been 'established- over the "sticks." - , - ~../.