VAGARIES OF STARTERS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 January 1929, Page 11

VAGARIES OF STARTERS

j DEEDS AND MISDEEDS. > ATHLETIC REMINISCENCES. (By “Physical Culturist.”) For ever and a day longer* will the old-time peds. relate the deeds and misdeeds of incompetent starters. I would not like to say just how often after an old-time sports meeting have I heard the “man with the gun” both | “cussed” and discussed. in those good old days of 40 years ago it was every man for himself, but not the starter for us all.

■ Practically all clubs had their own rules, some, of which were printed and others which were not. Included in the latter were the rules of starting. It was generally understood a, snap cap with no explosion was no start and the field would be called back. But this did not always work out in practice. That I learned to my sorrow. Before the “set” system came into vogue it was my experience that there was but little confidence between the peds. and the starter. Consequently flying starts were the order of the day. My first experience of this was just 40 years ago in Wellington, when a starter’s inconsistency and a judge’s lack of backbone cost me easily a tenner in cash and a £l4 gold medal. Off a short mark I had qualified through the heats and semi-finals for the final of the 100' yards, in which the starter duly impressed us with what the penalties, etc., would he if we broke before the gun. This was in the “dab start days,” when the official assurance was that anyone who broke would go back a yard each time and the third break would mean “stand on the bank.” With the confidence of youth I stood like a, statue waiting for the gun, when off burst Bam Thacker closely followed by the rest. Next came the sound of the gun, and then my trainer’s voice yelling, “Go on, you bally fool.” By the time I grasped the situation and got going my mark mate, Sam Thacker, had got a, ten yard break. He went on to win by a street, in time returned 9ssec, tno runner-up beating me by a foot. The judges declared me third. While 1 was in the dressing tent unlacing my shoes “Baldy” Cameron, from Turakina, entered,, saying, “i thought you were third.” “Yes, so I was,” I replied. “Oh, well,” he continued, “you had better _ go out quick, or the judges will give it to another, fellow. His friends are battling for him.” Jumping to my feet with one shoe on and one shoe off, I ran out to the track. Edging through the crowd gathered round the judges, I said: “Did’nt you say 1 was third?” One of the judges replied: “Yes, we did, but we made a mistake. Mr 1 ‘So and So’ and Mr ‘So and So’ say tliis man was third, so we have given it to him.” And all that I could says was “jam.” A year or so later 1 was running in the hundred in Wanganui, and being a back mark; man I could not afford to miss the biis at the start. The starter was armed with a regular Queen Bess type of blunder bus; sometimes it would go off, sometimes it wouldn’t. I was drawn to run in either the third or fourth heat. In the first two heats when the starter nulled the trigger the hammer fell, but no report . followed. Some of the peds. started to run and others stood still. After each false start the boys were lined up again to start with the report. These snap cap breaks tickled some of the spectators. who clapped and barracked the starter, and this apparently rattled his nerves.

When it came to my heat lie said “get ready,” pulled the trigger, and once more the hammer fell with no following report. Every man butj myself got away together. Looking at me, the starter said: “That’s a start.” By the time that I got going I had no hope, and once more said “jam.” Then there 1 were starters who worked the confidence trick on to the competitors. Once the “set” system became established it confidence between the peds. and the starters. A quarter of a. century ago there were ' quite a number of peds. who used to travel from meeting to meetig making their living at the game. These men in tlieir training used to practise the “set” system of starting ,and providing the starter was known to be reliable, it was quite the exception to see one of these peds. break before gunfire. As soon as they arrived at a meeting one of them would ask the starter if he would give the word “set.” If he replied in the' affirmative he would have no trouble with them. But if, as sometimes happened, he turned them down, his life would be«miseraable for the rest of the day. He was “gone a million.” Feilcling had a fine starter in Mr. Hartgill, who used t° start with a weapon that looked like a horse pistol.-, It was not very long before the peels, learned that Hartgill would stand no nonsense. Ilis- word was his bond.

In his early days Billy Aniott, the hurdler, won quite a lot of races by being on tbc move at pistol crack. Before the “set” start became general he was a- particularly hard man for any starter to hold on his mark. As Arnett was very popular with the public, the starters used to stand more breaking from this scratch man than from most, a- fact of winch Bill used to take- full advantage. Amott had made his reputation as a hurdler after leaving his home town. In the meantime Hartgill had also made his reputation as a starter, and was not inclined to let a Feilidng-boru or any other athlete pull the wool over his eves.

The first time Arnett started under Hartgill the wills of two men clashed. Hartgill said: ‘‘Get on your marks!” Off went Bill. Then was heard: “Arnett, go back a- yard.” No sooner did the starter turn his back than away went Bill again. “Amott, go back .another yard,” said the starter. Again Bill bolted, but this time it was not “go back a yard,” but, to- Bill’s astonishment, lie heard a voice say: “Arnett, sit on the fence.” And sit on the fence it was, for Hartgill would brook no argument. Some considerable time afterwards Billy Watts, who dearly loved a quiet joke, introduced his chum to Hartgill, whereon Avnott (who had always chafed under the indignity of being blocked from, starting in the- race) said: “Oh, you are the. man that sat me on the fence.” Hartgill said: “Did I sit yon on the fence?” “Yes,” said Billy, “you did.” “Oh, well, Amott,” was the reply, “if I sat you on the fence it’s a moral you deserved it.”

When Hartgill resigned as starter to the Feikling Club his shoes were hard to fill. At the very next meeting some of the peds. doing the. cir-

emit were competing. One of these was making his first bid at -Feilding. A good runner, used to all kinds of starters, lie went up to the man with the gun, saying, “I am a stranger here. How do you start? Do you give the word ‘set’ before firing?” to which the starter replied, “Oh, yes,” in no uncertain tone.

j The ped. answered: “Oh, well, ) that’s all right. Now I know we will all get away together.” When ready the starter said, “Get on your marks,” hut the gun went without the word “set,” leaving the ped. standing. Annoyed, the .latter turned to the starter and asked what sort of a game that was to play. Grinning, the man with the gun replied: “Oh, I was not going to let you get any points on to me.” With that the ped. let off steam, and it is safe to say that for some minutes'the starter wished he were ail ostrich and able to hide his head. One day in Wanganui,- Billy Corby (athletic writer to the “Herald”), Billy Watts, the hurdler, and myself Impened. to meet in the street. Said W.H.C. to Watts: “Are you going to nominate at Marton?”

“()li, yes,” was the reply, “I must nominate at Marton. I always get a good innings out there. Joe is starter, and I can always get a fly on old Joe.”

W.H.C. : “How’s that. Carbine ?” “Oil, well, Joe always says ‘set,’ turns his head to one side, shuts his eyes and fires the gun.” I was always a good listener, so I sat tight, saying nothing, but I made a mental resolve that as 1 was also entering at the Marton sports in the same events as Watts he would not have liis usual fly from Starter Joe. In due course we arrived at flic sports. While friend Billy made for I lie dressing sited I howled up to the slurlcr, and the following .’dialogue look place: “Good morning; are you Mr ?” “Yes.”

“I believe vou are the starter?” “Yes.”

“Well, I hope you will keep an eye on Watts to-day, and see- that he does not heat you.”—“Oh, no, lie won’t do that.”

“Oh, well, 1 Mr . he has told more than one that- lie can always win under old .Toe . In fact, I heard him say as much to two men the other day, and that Joe always says ‘.set,’ turns his head aside, shuts his eyes, and fires the- gun, and he can always get a- flying start. Now, Mr ——, you know whether you do or not.”

The starter: “Oh, did he? Well, I’ll see that he doesn’t to-day; at any rate.”

With that I left him, feeling quite, convinced he would not shut his eyes to Watts. A few minutes later we stood on our marks in the hundred yards handnap. The starter, true- to his word, crisply sounded 1 the warning “all ready, set —Watts, go hack a yard.”

Again, “set —"Watts, go back nnyard. If you break again I’ll disqualify you.” Again “set,” and then the gun went. Billy got away with the crowd, but not to win.

Jn the 220 yard-s handicap the starter kept his eye on Billy, while- i watched the starter and got a good start. The ruse had worked. . Year after this occurrence I met old Carbine, and in running our races over again asked if he- remembered that day at Marton. He replied: “Yes, one of my off days.” I then told him how it happened. Billy slapped his thighs and laughed heartily, remarking, “I have often wondered how it was old Joe had me set that day.” I have often wondered how at country meetings so many second-grade-peds. get credited with first-grade times. I have often blamed the man with' the watch, but last season I learned the secret of some fast times at least. A reliable timekeeper starts his watch by tlie smoke of the gun. So far quite'correct, but this is what sometimes' happens, or it did last sepson not a hundred miles from ITawera. , i

A country sports was in progress. While the heats for the 100 yards were being run I happened to be at the .end where the watches were being held. Watching the men on the marks. I noticed in the first heat, twice in succession, there were, breakaways. Then they all started together. Turning to an official, I said : “That was a good start. They all got away together.” “Yes,” 4 he replied. “If you' want to see a good starter go down to the mark. He always get them away together.” Oh the time being returned I remarked: “They are a- pretty fast lot. [ t will go down to the start for Ihe final.” Tliis is what happened.

The starter: “Get on your marks — set.” Away jumped three men. but not one was penalised. Again from the starter: “Get on your marks. Set.” a second false start, several breaking. Again no one was penalised, but the starter said: “Now, boys, that was the second time. Get on your marks —set.” This time every man left the holes on t lie ; word “set” being given. They all moved simultaneously, . and had covered quite four, yards when the gun went. They had run 40 yards when I asked the starter: “Won’t you fire the second barrel?” —“Oh, no, they all got away together.” So they did. hut why need a- starter. In the dressing tent I twitted the hoys with: “You were lucky, weren’t you? Why. you were all running when the gun went.” “Oh, yes, hut Mr is a good fellow. We always get away like that.” And that oceounts for some fasttimes.