On the Track

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 91, 14 October 1922, Page 14

On the Track

EARLY START WANTED

CLUBS AND MEMBERSHIP

OLD BOYS AND MARIST IN THE

RUNNING.:

(By- " SranreEß.")

COMING EVENTS.

23rd ' OctoT>e*—-Labour Bay Sports, (Najptown Park.

2%d October.—^Levin A.A. and Cycle r Gluiys Meeting, Levin. 23rd October.—Bemonstration and j Sporta Meeting, Masterton. oifd November.—Wellington Secondary I Schools' A.A. Championships.

The purification, of the annual report «f <bhe "Wellingtqn Contra of the N.Z.-

«A.-A~A. and the contents therein in/idicsite the fceen desire of the officials to make a start with tho season's programme, and there is plenty of Evidence that the athletes themselves are anxious to Ret moving^ on the track. The resume of last season's activities makes interesting reading, and, with the possibility of an enlargement of the programme, to ba drawn up by the new committee, inI terest in amateur athletics should be wall sustained throughout the summer months, A pleasing note in the centre's report is that all the clubs are in a flourishing condition, but that does not . [ altogether apply to the interest of some • j clubs to get moving. There is no doubt 1 , that _ a very large band of athletes are ".' waiting for .ths inducement to come out, ■*■ and clubs -should"lose no'more time in *? meeting the wishes of their members. ;i It should not be left to the centre to , civa a lead in starting off the season. Tho,clubs should move bright and early, i and! nothing in the way of management and representation should be loft undone by the time tlie centre's annual meeting is held. Consideration by the clubs of matters relating to tho welfare of tho sport and instructions to' dele- ( gales will enablo the centre at its anj nuul meeting, and thereafter, to be 1 fully conversant with the requirements ;for the season, and to work accordingly. The opportunity for a big- season of ath- , letics is op^en, and it is to bo hoped . that the offers for service in official caI paeities will bo numerous. Clubs which

| have not yet held their annual meet--■-lings should lose no more time. '', In the activities that have already conrmonced, it is worthy of note .' that a. new club has been formed,' and that a club which has not hitherto played a very prominent part at sports '.meetings is showing keen interest. The .former is Old Boys, who are applying {for affiliation, and the latter Marist, /iwho were affiliated a few seasons ago. -'Old Boys have a strong body of officials, and, with the promise of support from .Messrs. T. R. Cresswell (principal of /Wellington College) and J. P. Firth (ex- • principal of the college), the interests '• of their members should be well looked ' after. The club has a good supply of i promising- runners, among whom is WalWer Barclay, who competed at times List season. Mr. Cresswell has granted the club permission to- use the Wellington College ground for gaining purposes. Jlarist are likely to turn out a •very useful team, including some of the [footballers who showed plenty of pace on the field during the winter. With • the representatives of mora clubs in the ■■field, competition will be keener, but in -tho opinion of some followers pi the sport it is not altogether advisable that too many cloba should bo affiliated, for tine season that the standard is not like'•fir to be improved. Enthusiasm, however, must be encouraged, and if each dub can obtain th« facilities for trainibg and' can secure the services of an ex-athlete as a coach, there is no reason why the standard' of the sport should be not only maintained but also improved. The notable progress of ' amateur athletics in recent years should encourage "old-timers" to take a more '•ajctive part in developing the young ■ runners of to-day. Points about style 'and action would be most helpful, provided that advice 1 is not accepted as in the case of last season of a young runTier of promise, who,, when approached iWy a former athlete who knows something about running, remarked: "I won jone race like this., and it is good enough I for me." 1 j Members of the various Harrier clubs are preparing for the season, and from Sjheir ranks some very fine distance runners will be seen. They provided many

interesting races last summer, and with ian increase of distance runners there is tevery prospect of competition of an even imbre interesting. nature this season. It lls said that the active part that harrierI clubs are now taking in athletics during ithe summer is affecting the membership

;of the older clubs. But again, enthus|'iasm should not .be dampened. Athletes | should avoid, as far as possible, trans-

if erring from their old clubs—those I which have kept the sport going.' ) At Hhs same .time, however, all those: who |hay« the interested of their clubs at.-heart should not be content to \rest •On their

oarjf'. Club membership will riot show any, vppreciable increase.,, without,, effort.;, ,;/ I "' i ":.notM* .--'.'.-.;..,'/;-\; I* Among those early off the mark in entering for coming events;, are :—-Fi iHill (Brooklyn), a fair runner'in handicap sprints., L. Richardson (Athletic), who with a few yards in a hundred can very ■often run into a place, J. M'Kinlay, S 'distance runner who should be much

/improved as -a result) of -his experience, ' hast,- season, M. Trpwer,"* H.'C-Beniujtt, A.' Evans, A. Mortonj; H..;'Kent . (Johnsonville), W. Gardiner, N. W. Craig J (Brooklyn), T. 0. Hurby, W. Kyle, D. jParis, and L. C. Todd. At the Wel-lington-Varsity meeting last season Morton, off 150 yards, won the mile . ovent by about half a yard from Rose (scratch). Craig ran prominently in

(half mile and'mile events last season,

Much keenness k being shown by tho officials of \ the Wellington Secondary •Schools A. A. Association.' At, a' meeting to an-ange for . their first championship .gathering next month, they had in attendance two of Wellington's most en■thpsiastic officials, ' Messrs. "Dorrie" Loslia and A. C. Kitto. " -....' The progress of amateur athletics is further indicated l>y efforts to form

clubs m Nelson and Napier. Mr. W. L. Dunn, a former secretary of the Wellington centre, is starting the movement in Napier, and in his efforts, he will proiably have the assistance of Mr. C. E. Sn'dge, a well-known local official. Local athletes will have a choice of three meetings on Labour Day—Jlasterton, Levin, and Wellington. The town

meeting will, of course, attract most attention. The programme for the Master;ton' meeting includes, a Labour Day Handicap of 100 yds, 220 yds, and 440 yds, and,handicap events of 880 yds, one and twd'miles, 220 yds hurdles, one mile walk, pole vault, and high' jump. The "special event"., is a 100 yds ladies' handicap.-, Field, novelty, highland, and cycling «v«nts a-re also to be held. The Harrier clubs deserted the hills last Saturday, and played a football tournament, "which was won by the Scottish Harriers. George Anderson, the well-known sprinter, playing for the wiruiers,, was a great success as a scoring T/ing^three-cfnarteT;' in fact, one cnthus-. iastic supporter reckoned that he was "far. and awa-y ahead of Steel, of the AH Blacks." A notable addftion to tho championship programme is the relay race over a distance oi one-mile.. Each, team will con-

sist of four men, and the individual distanoes will ba 880 yds, 440 yds, and 22Oyda (tyvo). Competition in this event should be keen at the next New Zealand championships, particularly if Bavidson and Webber are in the Auckland team,

The New Zealand championships 1 are to be held at Dunedin this season.

Mr. J. W Heenan exhibited a very fine model'baton at a meeting of the centre some time ago, and a proposal .was made that it be held as a trophy »or perpetual challenge between • Canterbury and' Wellington in>elay racing. With Taylor (Canterbury) and Rose (Wellington) among the competitors a relay- race between the two centres would be well worth seeing. To have those two runners competing over the half mile would, add interest to the event. Although the 1 big fellow from Masterton is better orer a longer distance,, the writer has seen him cover a half-mile in a Tray that would make a good many half-muers know that they had been running. < ■

The country districts are now moving ni earnest. The lire'club at Paraparaumu was to hay« held its executive meeting this week. For a good day's sport any gathering arranged, by that club is hard to beat

The Wellington A.A. dab, the oldest clob in Wellington, has been, somewhat slow in making a start this seasonl The same is to bo said of a number of other

local clubs.- ', Entries for the Labour Bay Carnival' at Newtown Park are coming in verywell. The athletic events will be under the direction of tho officials of the local centre. Mr. A. C. Kitto is doing the handicapping. He is of opinion, by tno way, that it is time he took a rest and gave some of the younger blood a trial at bringing the competitors together. Thsv, like "Dolph," would then no doubt hear, quietly, how badly the handicapper treats the competitors. The Wellington Caledonian Society^ is applying for two days for its meeting this year. The officials hope to make the gathering an even greater success than aThe annual report of the Otago Centre of the N.Z.A.A.A. says, inter aba, that at present there are thirteen clubs affiliated to the centre, two new clubs from Inyercargill having affiliated, and one club (Port Chalmers) dropping out during the yew. Many of the clubs have catered well for sprinters and held events, and the coming summer traclc season should see many new men competing in the different events-. Ihe attendance of members at the. Saturday afternoon runs wns not up £o the standard of former years owing to the keenness shown in football. ' REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES. A new rule that will come into force this season deals with the registration of all competitors. This question was fully discussed at tbo meeting of delegates from the various 'centres held at Christchurch at the time •. of the last New Zealand championships. A motion ' was passed 'asking the New Zealand 1 Council to make it compulsory for all competitors.at meetings held under the 1 rules of the N.Z.A.A.A. to have a re-, gisterod certificate. The council has acceded to the request set 'out in the moI tion, and it will now be necessary for all , competitors in , all events, other than ! club events, to hold a certificate. This , will entitle tho holder to compete in any amateur e^ent in New Zealand for which the certificate is issued, and ■it I must be produced when making an entry 1 for any open event The penalty isdisi 'qualification and the forfeiture \<A aIL prizes. The decision will not affect visit- , ing athletes from outside the Bominion. Determination of the amount of the* j#gistration fee is left' to the governing | centre in which application is made. A j rule dealing with the matter' has been I on the books of the Wellington Centre j for years, but in viow of the latest action it is proposed to amend the exist- ! ing rule and bring it into conformity with the council's decision. The matter will no doubt be a subject for discussion at|the annual meeting of the centro this month;, j OLYMPIC 'GAMES. i Although the Olympic Games, to be held at, Paris, are nearly two years away, the plans are well advanced, the programme is virtually complete, and all indications point to an Olympic surpassing any held before (says an American exchange). This is the estimate of Allan H. Muhr, international secretary of the Olympiad, who came to America as captain of the French Davis Cup tennis team,- and is; remaining in connection with his Olympic duties. International representation will be greater than in any previous Olympiad, nbt only because new nations, born of the world war, 1 will participate for the first time, but because older nations, especially those ' of South America, will send the first , teams. Japan, which sent onlyi a handful of athletes to Antwerp, will be a real contender \it Paris, the secretaiy said. Austria is already an entrant. Germany, iUso, may compete again. The i nation holding the games has the right to invite whom it will to complete, 1 Secretary Muhr explained. "Germany's I position in tho society of nations will de- ! cide whether an invitation to that couni try shall be issued," he added. In stadia i set up for the'sevoral sets of games, and in accommodations for trie, contenders, i Paris expects to improve on anything hitherto provided, the secretary asserted.

The Olympic Games centre in .the events of track and field.. For these,a great stadium is under way at Colombes, to seat 60,000 persons. This structure will be only one of three stadia on the 50----acre site, as swimming and tennis each, will have stands seating 10,000 persons. The tennis stadium will serve also as the scene of the fencing, wrestling, boxing^and weight-lifting competitions,*,for; which the/seating capacity may be increased by 5000 more. Tn no previous games, according to Mr. iMuhr; have the .competitive fields been so .well grouped.; .This centring of activities extends, also^' to the quartering of the athletes.. The' congestion of Antwerp will be obviated j' and the athletes will be kept close to their work by a. project to house .1500, of them in special structures, on the Col-' ombes plot . Convenient <k> these and to the principal" stadium a separate field, with tracks and pits will be;laid out for! training purposes. The athletic stadium will have a 500-metre track, with straightaways for the'loo-metre dash and 110-metre hurdle eventß. Under the Olympic rules, all other events will havo at least one turn. The quarter-mile will be run with- a .single turn. \Pits for jumping and vaulting will be plentiful.. In the centre, a football and Rugby field will ,be laid out. A permanent water ditch for the steeplechase will be a fea-, ture. The rowing events will take place on the River Seine, with a straightaway of two miles, allowing four boats- abreast.

The winter sports will have the call in January. They will be held at Chamonix, in the French Alps? under conditions that will make possible, a concentration lacking previously; Eugby in April, Soccer in May (with 40 to 50 countries already entered for play);, polo . in June; track-and field in-July; tennis to bo'arranged to'follow the 'British' championships at Wimbledon, and to end in time for the title play in the United States: yachting at Meulin; polo in the Bois d.c Boulogne';' rifle and trap-shootJ ing at yersaiiles; and horse-riding at the Grand iVMs. •

Women enter into the! plans for competition,..biit. not to the extent that they will in 1928. They, will swim, skate, play_ tennis, and take part in .mass*gymnastics, and, may participate 'in riding and in yachting' events, b\-" they will, have no part in the trac>.->nd field gamea\ aJiP-Ki«. .■":'■ y