ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 9

ATHLETICS.

(Bt Meucciit.)

COMING EVENTS. Jan.- 15.—W.A.A.C; evening meeting. Jan, 22.—Worser Bay Sports Carnival. Jan. 24.—Hutt Valley A.A.C. evening meet- ' ing.' ' 1 . ■ Ja'n.»29.-rCivil:Scrvico A.A.C. evening meet- • ing. ••. • .... - ' , . . Feb. 1. —N!Z. Champiouship (Basin" Reserve). Feb! 8. —Hutt Valley A.A.C. meeting (Provincial championships). Feb. 29 and Mar. 2. —Australasian Championships (Hobart). Acting on the .suggestion of tho Otago Committee, tho opportunity afforded by tho Championship meeting is to. bo taken advantage of to..hold' a conference of delegates from tho various centres and tho Council of tho N.Z. A. A. A.,..with a view to bringing about a bettor understanding between tho Council and the affiliated bodies. Tho points at isuo aro many, and some of them fairly shriek for reform. • Chief among these is the present practico of tho .N.Z.A.A.A. • with regard to the cost of tho Championship caps and badges. In tho first place, the Council takes half the profits of every championship meeting as its share of the spoil,; 'a.-, share which surely should bo .ample, oven if it stopped at that. But it dbes not. Hitherto tho practico has been to ; deduct' ;: tlic cost of tho caps and badges won at each meeting from tho profits thereof before tho division is made, the offcct being that besides parting with tho SO per cent., the centre running tho championships is mulcted in' half tho cost 'of the caps, etc. — no mean sum as a rule. 'When it is considered that tho Council has 110 work or responsibility in tho matter, and runs absolutely no' risk financially, this can only he summed up as a rank piracy, and the sooner tho practice is amended tho better.

Another matter that calls for amendment ,is tho existing, system of allowing points for third places in championship events. It is a debatable point whether it is wise to give points at all for a third placo, considering tho great advantage tho homo enntro can generally obtain by packing up its team, especially in field contests. However, it is in tho events that are run in heats that tho anomaly exists—and what an anomaly it is! According to riilo, the two plaecd men only in each heat call start in finals, and yet the tiiird man in the final is credited with points. Who is to say that he is the third best man? It is quite probable that the next mini in merit to tho runners placed first and second started in tho samo heat as they did, in ■which case he wouldn't get a run in tho final at all.

It frequently happens that 0110 heat contains most of tho quality in a race, while tho other heats aro comparatively "soft," in which case the first and second men in the heat containing the "class" would fill tho samo places in tho final. Now tho question that arises is whether the third man in that final was capable of beating tho third man in tho qualifying lioat won by the ultiniato champion. Who shall say? Certainly not

tho Council that gives him Ills, pints for tho place. ■ ■,

Obviously, tho only .logical course is either to run tho first three men.in the final, or, bettor still, to. abolish the points for-third places. "

Another point worthy of discussion'is . tho advisability of fixing a limit for tho width of tho track. Last, year's experience of"the. Exhibition track would point to the.necessity for some such legislation.., . .. . ..... ~j .

W. F. Trembatli, of Gore, is still on tho warpath. At Dunedin, on New Year's Day-, lio added to his already long list of. wins this sciason' bj'carrying "off the 220 yards handicap fiom scrach in 2y 4-osec.y..a'ud<' tho half-inilo handicap in 2min.'.4-3-Ssec. ; ; His appearance here on February 1 is b.ciug eagerly- looked forward to, and his chances of : a-trip to'H'obart aro beginning to loom largo. .. '

W. H. Pollock, who started training early in December, only to bo laid low'by all attack of quinsey, is in harnoss-again, which, as Fisher may not bo available for' the quarter-mile. at the Championship ijieeting, is good hearing. - Fisher's ioot is on-:.tho mend, but the progress .is .slow, and lie doubts - whether he ■ will ■, bo able to get his shoe on for a fortnight yet, which will give him very little timo to get fit and.-well-by February. 1. Total .' rest, ■' however,works wonders with an injury of that description, and I think, there is a big probability of "Ted.'s" friends seeing him put up -a big run. on the day, despite tho fact that' lie may be a bit on the raw side. ' .

Recognising, that .it is now the time:,f6r every good.man and truo to comp to'tho oid of his party,.-:Goodbehere' has come, dowiiJoff .the.^shelf'-agai'ni.^arid.-'has^started ','traiihijig operations'; oil" the r Collegia ground'.'" To'in Slubbs, I hear, is also Hard at it in Palmerston, so .tho Wellington team should bp sound enough in tho sprint department.

Tho colonial youth is noted for his ajptitudp in learning the tricks of 'the running track, but for pure originality'and 'cutcness recommend mo to the Timaru youngster who won the schoolboys' 'handicap thero on .'Anniversary '' Day . (says.-ttlie- , Times"), It was a post-entry event,-.and'i'he. just wandered up in a."J6lmny-come-lately!' fashion,- with'.one eye oil the hiindicapper;and the other on the ground.. He - had ail his ordinary street clothes on, and tho proceedings did not seem-to :interest him a 'bit. Tho handicapper ' looked him .over,, and without hesitation put him on the limit mark. Then li change canio .o'er the sceiie.V With the ■ dexterity'. and ' celerity of;'. an; 'accomplished liiggor minstrel lie doffed his'clothe^'.performed., .the- ligtning . change trick, and 'licy presto"!-lie p'ppearod ; in f',ill',riinning:cost)ime.; ; He- won tho raco hands:.;.(lpwnj'.:and>thoj:hiin-; dicapper■ now; realises .ther. mistake-; of:.depending- :-too-much''upon jippQaraiicesr' -'-"-m:-. .

On New : Year's Day, in ; ' Sydney, tho-. 100 yards and half-milo amateur championships -.of Now South, Wales were run, and 5 both .were, annexed by Nigel Barker, the former by a yard in .10 3-ssec;,.and the latter easily in 2min. 3scc. .Barker must: bo getting back into tho form lie lost at Athens at the last Olympiad, and stands as one of the most .versatilo track performers extant in amateur circles. Ho holds, in addition to tho ovents above, tho. Australasian championships at 100 yds., 220 yds., 440 yds., and broad jump,: and. proved- himself to be an excellent hurdlor at the last. Australasian championships, which, for an all-round performance requires some beating. v : 'f

On the agenda paper for the meeting of tho" Board of Control of the 'A.A;''TJhion of Australasia, at Hobart in February, appears,inter .Mia, the following notices, of motionby N.Z.A.A.A. 1. That a now set of! walking records be established . under.;.; tho'' designation , .'!new! style,'the. 'existing records- being-.:Obtained; as "old style." ■,

■5. Racing Laws. —Pole vault: In,tho pole vault the following words bo inserted: "climbing the polo shall be considered a foul jump." ' . "

i..George /Blake has ■gonq....intg,..wqrk. again: with view to the Australasian championships,.; and if' possible tho "Marathon" race at, the. '-.'olynipio ; Games I ;''-in London, next June.-. Davis* the .440 ..yards"4iurdlcs world-rc.cord" holder,vis: also training,''and is shaping very we 11.... . ' .) '.

In addition to the 15 championship events, tho programmo of the Australasian championship Meeting, to bo held in Ilobart on February 29 and March 2, will include the following handicap:—First day: 120 yards, ono-milo running, one mile walk, four laps cycle. Second day: 300 yards, two-.mile's, and inter-Australasian relay' race running, and an eight laps cyclo race. Tho distance of tho relay race will be a mile, divided up into.-;qno SSO yards, one 400, and two 220.' Entries to these, events aro to be free to visi-: .tors.,''",'.; ; . -.-I

; That' Hector Burk has not yet;'struck form was again shown b'y his disappointing'' performance ,in the half-mile at, Milton on New Year's Day. The event was won easily by Foster, a big' marker, in. the slow time "of 2min. 9 4-sscc., which, however, .proved too much for Burk. In the mile; also lie failed to como to light, but is reported as having mado. a great effort, failing to catch the front men through leaving his run too late. Those failures add interest to tho meeting between Burk and Trembath, . which will take place at tho Civil Service. Club's Carnival in Duuediu on January 25, in reference to which "Amateur," in tho "Otago Witness' says:—Exceptional interest ivill be given the meeting by the fact that the public have tho opportunity of witnessing tho first meeting of Trembath, the Gore champion, and Hector Burk. The Southland runner has definitely decided to bo a competitor at the meeting;' whilo Burk..is in :steacly. training. with a view of meeting ,tno e champiph. from .tiiesouth. j!urk'.s!...pefformances; .over.. a quarter and half mile are two well known tq require repetition. He has proved himself.-a champion indeed, timo and again.. Trembath, on tho other hand, has just', within the last two seasons como into prominence.-His times show him to be a topnotcher over 220 yards, 440 yards, and a half mile, and there is no gainsaying the fact that in him Burk has a worthy opponent. The races between the pair will be watched with greater interest than any other athletic contest since tho • memorable race between Shrubb and Burk over tho mile, what timo the Dunedin athlete defeated England's champion.

; Otago's team for. the N.Z. Championships and the N.Z. team for the big Australasian gathering should be strengthened by the inclusion of Gerald Keddell, who is facile princeps in - the Dominion as a ,broad jumper. It will bo remembered that whilo jumping two seasons ago Keddell'injured a kneo to .such .an extent as. to compel 'him t<> givo up htliletics entirely; but the'injury has now monded sufficiently,.for.him to gel into training again, and he has niado one or two appearances in sprint events to test tho weak member. So far no ill effccts have beeri-felt, and he is now hard at it getting into fettle for the big jumping and hurdle events.