TRACK AND FIELD

Evening Star, Issue 23745, 28 November 1940, Page 12

TRACK AND FIELD

[By Pistol.]

SOUKD COACHING SCHEME PROPOSED

N.S.W. Schoolboy Performances. When the head masters of the great public schools of New South Wales cancelled all athletic premierships for the year the combined sports came under the ban. The N.S.W. Amateur Athletic Association ran its championship, however, and all classes of schools entered the contest with zest, 550 young athletes competing in the seven classes, the ages .ranging from under 20 to under 12. An outstanding performer was Stuart Suhan, of Sydney Church of England Grammar School. He is the junior middle-distance champion of the State, and won the quarter-mile under 20 in the record time of and the half-mile in 2min 3sec, 4isec better than the existing record. A. V. Maxwell, of the same school, who is the State junior champion, won the 120yds hurdles in 15 9-10 sec, and J. Austin (Newington) won the mile under 18 in 4min 43 2-ssec. L. W. Davies cleared the record ifiark of sft 91 in to win the high jump under 18. A very fine performance was that of J. W. Pittard (Newcastle High), who jumped sft 5-iin to win the under 14 high jump.

Good Effort. Highlight of the day at. a recent meeting in Sydney was Doris Carter’s 90yds hurdles in 13isec. Compared with the Australian record of 12scc at Perth this year by Decima Norman, the time does not sound impressive, but considering that Miss Carter had done practically no training since last season and had to battle against a strong wind, it was a good effort. Civil Service Coaching Scheme. The Civil Service Club has drawn up a 'coaching scheme by which it is hoped to give summer members greater benefits and an incentive to train and participate in the track and field activities. Coaching is to be carried out on the following Saturdays, commencing at 2;—November 30, December 21, January 11, 18, and 25, February 1. Should a sports meeting be held on any of these dates the succeeding Saturdays in February will be utilised until six coaching afternoons have been held. Members will be coached in all field events and running. A sub-committee has been appointed to set a reasonable standard for each event, both track and field. These standard times and distances will be within the reach of the majority of chib members, it is hoped, and with the necessary coaching and training a member should bo able to equal or better any standard. The club is having a special tie or coat pm made, most probably in the form of « small shield, and done in club colours and having an attractive appearance. It is intended to award these pins to all members who attend and participate in the six Saturday afternoon coaching meetings and also equal or better two or more standards set by the sub-committee for the various events. It is proposed to permit members to make special attempts at any time in order to qualify for a standard performance, or any of their performances in evening meetings or club championships or other sports meetings will be accepted by the committee. The Civil Service Club is to be heartily congratulated on devising a scheme which has real possibilities and should do much to retain and stimulate interest through a difficult period.

D,I.C. Club Active. The D.T.C. Ladies’ Club is now off the mark with its season’s activities, and it is expected there will be at least a dozen athletes competing et the evening meetings. It is hoped to have two relay teams competing regularly, and the combination that won the Otago title last season will probably be available again. It consisted of Misses E. Nauman, B. M’Combie, M. Walker, and I. Fogarty. Eunice Nauman, who has made a complete recovery from her recent illness, began training during the week, and will probably be seen out at one of the approaching evening meets. Competition among the sprinters will be very keen, but it will take a first-rate performer to beat Miss Nauman off the same mark. The D.I.C. athletes are being coached by IR. E. Nauman, the well-known Anglican Club athlete. Ladies’ Field Day. So successful. was the field day held by the Otago Ladies’ Club recently that it is almost certain another will bo held on Saturday week. Pat Mutimer, who was one of the mainstays of the D.S.A. Club last year, is still nursing the knee injury sustained last season, but she expects to be able to compete in hurdle races after the holiday period. The club has another acquisition in Jean M'Grath, who made such an impressive debut locally at the recent centre meeting, and the younger members are also showing exceptional keenness, the advance made by the club being indicated by the fact that the membership now stands at 30. In Training Again. After a season’s inactivity F. Taylor, a former Wellington provincial half-mile track titlcholder, is in training again. An intercollege champion in his day, Taylor had a rapid rise in open company. He looked one of the best middle-distance prospects in years, but like so many other fine schoolboy athletes his progress was arrested in mid-air, as it ■were. This perhaps was in considerable measure due to his own folly. Taylor developed a tendency to beat his fields home in spectacular, finishes instead of putting his best foot forward all the way. His efforts in the home straight might have satisfied the crowd, but they were hardly designed to improve him. Taylor is still a very good runner, and at 21 he should have his best days ahead of him. If he concentrates on performance he might still go a long way. Decima Norman's Opinion. * Members of the New South Wales Women's Athletic Association do not agree with Miss Decima Norman, who visited the Dominion a couple of years ago, that the association has not progressed and that there is not the same interest in athletics as previously. Brilliant representative of Australia at the last Empire Games, Miss Norman recently expressed these views when announcing her retirement from athletics. “ I am voicing the sentiments of most of the athletes when I say that Miss Norman’s statement was premature,” said Mrs Doris Magee, the association secretary. “ Miss Norman has not attended athlclics since last season, and has not attended any council meetings.” Performances in Nelson. Years ago (in 192 b) Nelson College produced a national athletic champion in It. Stevens. As a Canterbury representative and straight from school, he won the high jump at sft 9in, second place on that occasion going to J. P. Wayte, the all-round field athlete from Otamita, near Gore. Today the college has another youngster who may do big things in t lie middle-distance world later. He is E. T. O’Connor, maker of three records at the recent annual sports meeting. He won the quarter in 54 l-ssee, ilie half m 2min 3 l-ssec, and the mile in 4min 3S.9sec. Ho clipped 1 l-ssco from the quarter record which had stood since 1911, 5 3-ssec from the 880yds, and 23-10 sec from the mile. His figures, especially his halfmile and mile times, were admirable for a lad. They have been beaten by other schoolboy runners, but not often. O’Conner is clearly of marked promise (says the ‘ Sports Post ’).

Other fine efforts at the Nelson gathering were a 21ft OJin broad jump by T. C. Brown and a 10 2-ssec lOOvds by W. H. Wilkes. A college lad who can exceed 21ft in the long jump obviously has ability above the average, and an accurate 10 2-ssec is fast tramping at a hundred for any youth. Wilkes’s time equalled the i-e----cord established in 1927 by A. Newman, later to become' well known as a Wellington Plunket Shield cricketer. Unpleasant Reactions. John Sutherland, New Zealand 100yds track champion, at present at the MVrriloril Camp at Waiouru, had a spin over

a furlong against some of the Artillery boys tho other day. He was handicapped out of it, and anyway, without having had a shoe on this summer, he was hardly likely tc shape as a national title-holder should. Sutherland’s only memory of the event will be that he lost a mgal after it was all over. The race was staged immediately after tea, and runners, good, bad. and indifferent, are likely to have unpleasant reactions galloping right on top of a meal. No shoes were used. The competitors just rolled up their trousers and ran.

Monday’s Programme. The Otago Centre will stage its second evening meet at the Caledonian Ground next Monday, and the programme has been arranged as follows; —220 yards, One-mile, 220 yards junior, one-mile junior 75 yards women, 75 yards primary schoolboys, 100 yards secondary schoolboys, broad jump, throwing the discus, men’s relay (220 x 110 x 110 x 440 yards), women’s relay (four x 110 yards), and a novelty event for women. ' Following this meeting, members of the Otago Centre are to meet to make a presentation to Mr B. R. M’Kernan in recognition of the splendid service he has given to amaieur athletics over a long period of years.

Meeting at Helsinki. The beautiful new stadium erected at Helsinki, Finland, for the Olympic Games, which were to have been hold there this year, was used recently for an international track and field competition. According to the Swedish International Press Bureau, teams from Finland, Sweden, and Germany met. After the first day Germany led, but in the last events on the second day Swedish athletes secured the lead and won with 147 points to Germany’s 141 and Finland’s 134. M. Jarvincu (Finlapd), who created an Olympic record at the Los Angeles Games in 1932 by throwing the javelin 238 ft 7in, and H. Woelke (Germany), whose 1611 b hammer throw of 185 ft 4 3-16 in was an Olympic record at Berlin in 1936, won their respective events. Both improved slightly on their Olympic records. Tho performances in other events were not outstanding. Germany won the sprint races, Sweden’s victories were in the long-distance events, and Finland was conspicuous in the jumping.—Exchange. Marathon Title Race. On Saturday week Otago marathon championship over the full course of 26 miles 385yds is timed to start from Mosgicl at 12.30 p.m. The New Zealand champion, George Austin, is looked on as a certainty for honours barring accidents, but some of the others are expected to perform well, though most interest will be centred on the time Austin is able to put up. As usual, he has undergone a thorough preparation, being just about as fit as the arduous training be has done on the road for months past can make him. Austin, at 57 years of age,_ is an example of what systematic athletic exercise can mean to a man, and present indications arc that be has years of athletic activity ahead of him still. The oldest competitor in the race will be B. R. M’Kernan, who, at 46, won the Temuka-Timaru road race last winter season, and whose presence will undoubtedly have a steadying influence on some of those appearing in the race for the first time.