A PLACE FOR EVERY BOY

Evening Star, Issue 24103, 26 January 1942, Page 2

A PLACE FOR EVERY BOY

PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETICS NOTED COACH'S VIEWS Great interest lias been taken in the lectures and demonstrations to local athletes and coaches by Dr Frederick E. Gallas, who enjoys an international reputation as a physical education expert and athletic coach. His visit, arranged by the Otago Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, should stimulate track and field activities here, and the largo attendance at Saturday afternoon s demonstration on the Caledonian Ground Indicated the enthusiasm that has been aroused by Dr Gallas’s visit. Dr Gallas, who is physical education director at -Wellington Technical College, holds medical and physical education degrees, and during the course of his training in physical education methods on the Continent and in the United States be had the opportunity of participating in and studying . tho technique of nearly every event on tho athletic programme, though his best performances were put up in run-' niug events up to 5,000 metres. Dr Gallas is also a well-known alpinist, and lias done a good deal of climbing in New Zealand as well as in the Swiss and Austrian Alps.

Dr Gallas is not one of those coaches who believe that the aim of track and field athletics is merely to produce champions. He believes that, athletics aro of. considerable value in the development of character, and that there is a place in tho sport for every boy. “We should be able to find something in athletics for every boy-,” he declared in an interview with the Star.’ The percentage of persons not capable of doing any athletic event is a very small one, be slates. The opportunity for, young people to show proficiencyin some branch’ of' athletics, ’ even if they should never develop into champions, has its psychological side also. . Most centres in New Zealand are able to point to athletes who, rather than specialising on one particular branch of the sport with a view to winning championship honours, engage in a variety of events with considerable pleasure and enjoyment to themselves. Dr Gallas does not condemn this attitude. He does not believe that athletes should be tied down so long as they do not oyerdo tilings. “ Sometimes,” ho says, “it is necessary to sacrifice some personal success in order to achieve that comfort and happiness that some athletes find by taking part in a number of events.” The choice of event or events, he believes, depends largely on the coach or teacher. If the coach is particularly adept at one or other branch of athletics, it is usually found that that commands a good following. Tho matter is largely one of outside influence. Some hoys, of course, are naturally physically endowed for a particular event, but most boys will take part in ivliat is made interesting for them. Dr Gallas was asked, for instance, whether ho thought the success of the Finns as distance runners was attributable to the influence of Paavo Nurmi, but be suggested it went further than that. He says that communications in Finland were so bad that tbc people had to rely on their own means of locomotion. Honce their development as outstanding distance runners and exponents of ski-ing. It was the influence of generations. Like most associated with snort in New Zealand, Dr Gallas has found the. school teachers very helpful when the _ question of coaching methods has boon raised. He believes much good could bo accomplished if short duration courses of coaching methods for teachers could bo arranged, or, failing that, if instructional leaflets, on coaching were issued to teachers. He favours either method to having a teacher coaching his pupils with a second man beside him. The training of physical education specialists which is now taking place, however, should remove many of the difficulties that have had to be faced in tho past. Dr Gallas thinks athletes should engage in some activity in what is usually termed the “ off season.” This should be filled with some form of recreation, and he mentions basketball as a particularly good activity for athletes, requiring a good deal of co-ordination and being good for any type of athlete. In the course of a general discussion on tho growing popularity of field athletics it was mentioned to Dr Gallas that, while secondary schools meetings almost invariably produced many good performances in tho high jump the standard in New Zealand did not show the rise that might be expected, and those who were capable of clearing tho bar round about the 6ft mark were few and far between. Dr Gallas says ho has found the high jump a very popular event in many New' Zealand schools, but only a few schools have devoted much lime to coaching in this event, wdiich is ono that essentially calls for technique. Most of the competitors still favour the scissors style of jumping, with which an athlete requires enormous natural spring to reach 6ft 2in. Dr Gallas suggests that where a boy shows that he has some natural ability as a high jumper he should be changed over as soon as possible to - a distinct style, the coach finding whether his charge is best suited bv the Eastern cut-off or Western I’oll. Probably it will be found that tho higher percentage are bettor suited to the Western I’oll. Ho also says that if a school produces a good sprinter it should not bo difficult for him to record good distances in tho long jump, in which speed plays an important part. Dr Dallas is (o lecture to athletes at tho Caledonian Ground to-night after the Otago Centre sports meeting, and further demonstrations arc to bo held during the week. On Thursday night he will screen a number of athletic sound films.