AMERICAN ATHLETES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20807, 25 February 1931, Page 15

AMERICAN ATHLETES.

NEW ZEALAND IMPRESSIONS

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN. Tuesday.

George' Simpson, the American sprinter, stated yesterday that providing his leg recovered and he was able to strike his best form, he would seek another meeting in Australia with J. Carlton at the conclusion of the present tour. " Tho tour as i riginally scheduled has been rather strenuous for the runners," Raid' Harlow Rothert, the American shotputter and all-round field athlete, in giving some impressions of the visit to New Zealand of the American athlete*. Rothert rtatcd that since landing in New Zealand 1 'iey had run under all sorts of conditions; prune tracks were good, others not so good. "Wherever they went they found there" wa.s plenty of enthusiasm for amateur athletics, find this has been one feature of the visit which has made a deep impression upon them. Before coming to New Zealand Simpson had not been accustomed to running on grass tracks, as all big meetings in the United States are held on cinder tracks.

Roth Simpson and Kiser endorsed the remarks of Rothert, that they been rdecled adversely by running on grass tracks, but naturally tiiey felt, them to he flower and somewhat, dead after tho fantI'.rrs of cinders. Kiser said he now felt 1 bat he was getting into shape, and that he hoped to be at his best when the national championships were decided. " A lack of coaching is all that is keep-i-iir New Zealand field athletes back," stated Rothert. Most of the field men did not seem to,'realise how to obtain tho right kind of form.'which was only to be expected when they had to go out and practically touch .themselves. Once a wrong style was formed it was very difficult to change it. Rothert recognised that conditions were nther different in New Zealand from those in the United State*, but he pointed out flint America's promising athletes ha<l every inducement to excel, for in all high schools aud colleges paid coaches were employed for athletics, football and baseball. He snid they were told that Wellington was -the centre of athetics in New Zealand, but while they wero there, there was scarcely a day fit for athletics. The wind blew every day, and they did not start getting into shape until tho team left Wellington.