On Track and Field Amateur Athletic Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 14

On Track and Field Amateur Athletic Notes

■■ By “SPARTAN” ■

THE SEASON’S FIXTURES Tho following is the season’s programme of the Auckland A.A. and C. < *lub:— Next Saturday.—N.Z. amateur 50 miles cycling road race championship and Auckland two miles crosscountry championship at Alexandra Park. t September 17.—Auckland 50 miles amateur road race championship, and three-mile steeplechase at Alexandra Park. October I.—Joint meeting with Franklin A.A. and C. Club at Pukekohe. October 24.—Labour Day sports at Domain. CHAMPIONSHIPS November '2.—Auckland provincial amateur athletic championships at the Domain. December 9 and 10.—New Zealand iimateur athletic championships at Christchurc l. December 26, 27, 28 and 29.—New Zealand and Australian amateur athletic championships at Wellington. GILCHRIST AGAIN By winning the steeplechase on Saturday, G. Gilchrist again revealed the form which led him to victory over a much stiffer course at Onehunga three weeks before, thus confirming the remarks made in this column that after a winter of mediocre displays he had struck form. He has now to his credit two wins, two thirds and one; fourth in steeplechase events this winter and should take a prominent part in next Saturday’s race. MOVING AT LAST There are signs that the Auckland centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association is moving at last. The athletic public in general and athletes in particular will welcome this. The officials of the centre have conferred with a city councillor with a view to bringing before the City Council a proposal to build an up-tc-clate running track for Auckland’s athletes at the Outer Domain. Whether o.r not this move was the result of the stirring up administered to the local centre by he Dominion Council has not yet been disclosed, however. ■Whatever the cast 1 , the centre’s officials are to be congratulated on their effort and exhorted to keep it up till this deserving scheme Is realised. SATURDAY’S PROGRAMME Next Saturday rt Alexandra Park, Jlpsoin, under the auspices of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association will be held the 50 miles amateur cycle u road race champi Dnship of the Dorn minion. This event commences at 2.1 > H l>.m. and will be run over a 50-milc? Hcuursij cut to Clevedon and back, finish-

irig on the trotting track. The following is the supporting programme: Two Miles Steeplechase Championship and Sealed Handicap. IOOYd Handicap. 120 Yd Hurdles Handicap. 75Yd Ladies’ Handicap. High Jump Handicap. 440 Yd Handicap. One Mile Cycle Handicap. Half-mile Junior Cycle Handicap. One Mile Junior Cycle Handicap. Two Miles Junior Cross-country Championship—l 7 years and under. Throwing the Javelin. Field and Novelty Events. STILL GOING STRONG H. S. Roper is still running as con- ; sistently as ever in the weekly sprint events and finishing with just as much dash as when he was pitted against the great A. J. Elliot. He won a dose , race in the 75 yards handicap on Sat- j urday after a finish which very much resembled Elliot’s trick of taking the last three or four yards in one stride and cheating others out of a win they thought they had already gained. With the champion out of the picture, Roper is now a certainty for the sprint Cup and no one deserves it more than he. To be placed in all but one race for a whole season is a record few others can claim. CHAMPION SHOT-PUTTER 1). H. Grant, Auckland champion shot-putter and. hammer-thrower, who returned from a visit to Australia recently, has been seen in action at t r. e Auckland Club’s meeting* each week since then. His first effort with the shot was 33 ft 3in, but last Saturday he added another 3in to this. Should Grant continue to improve thus —and there is no reason why he shouldn’t — he will prove a force to be reckoned with at the Dominion championships to be held at Christchurch in December. HYDE’S GREAT RECORD George Hyde, the Australasian amateur champion long-distance runner and winner of the Australian and New Zealand 10,000 metres cross-country race at Adelaide a month ago, is reported to be still going strong with brighter prospects than eve.r of repre.serting his country* at Amsterdam next year. Since he won the three-mile caclet championship of Victoria in 1922 records and titles have come his way thick and fast. If he wins the crosscountry championship of his Sta te —and on paper he looks a certainty—he will have won his thirteenth title and put up a record not achieved by any other runner in Australia—that of winning the five-mile cross-country championship of his State on four successive i occasions.

GERMANY MOT READY Germany is not ready to take a conspicuous part in the Oylmpic Games at Amsterdam next year, according to the athletic authorities of that country. She intends to content herself with gaining experience at Amsterdam in preparation for the next games. The German athletes in Holland will not play a big part in the games—perhaps good enough in the sprints—but it is in 1932 that Germany hopes to become a leading nation in athletics, that is if the Olympic Games are still in existence. * * * PELTZER FOR AUSTRALIA? A letter received in Australia through semi-private channels from Dr. A. Peltzer, the German middle distance runner and holder of the world's record time for half a mile 1.51 3-s—states that he would be willing to visit Australia if an invitation were sent to him and his expenses paid. It will be remembered that Dr. Peltzer won the 192(5 British half-mile championship, defeating D. G. A. Lowe, the Olympic 800 metres champion, in the last few yards, in the time mentioned, which superseded J. E. Meredith’s 1.52?;, Lowe also being inside this time. If Peltzer goes to Australia, the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Council should endeavour to arrange fo.r him to come to New Zealand either on his way there or on his trip back again.

SATURDAY’S PERFORMERS

H. L. GREY, of the Auckland University College, who is at present the New Zealand University champion shot-putter, turned out at the Auckland Club’s meeting on Saturday. His effort in this event measured 31ft BJin. N. It. NILSEN has been a frequent competitor during the winter. He ran close to Roper in the first heat of the 75 yards, but did not gain a place in t i© final. "VV. WATT registered another good performance on Saturday when he narrowly missed winning the final of the 75 yards sprint. He does consistently well week by week and should turn out a top-notcher next season. A. E. KERRISK won his heat in the sprint in tine style, but found the competition too keen in the final for him to gain a place. R. G. KIRKWOOD, too, ran well in the second heat of the sprint handicap, but, like Kerrisk, failed to show up in tie final. ALP. CLARKE is still doing well. He came third in both his heat and the final of the sprint and was decidedly unfortunate not to be further up in the lat:er. He did not do as well as usual in the steeplechase, however. A. BARKER showed many of the steeplechasers a thing or two on Saturday when he finished second in the distance event. He was well up all the way and shows promise of becoming a champion in his line. B. F. WHITE is another runner who should do well in the future. He looked as if he might win at the end of the first round of the steeplechase, but although he only finished third he was lucky to get that far up in such a hard race. J. GREEN is said to be running for training; purposes, and does not therefore run all out. He is always well up early in the race, but gives way towards the finish. E. P. HENSHALL again conveyed the impression that he is not in top form, especially when his run on Saturday is compared with his brilliant

performances of a month or more ago, when he ranked as Auckland’s third steeplechaser—coming after Savidan and Cooper.

TRAINING HINTS

This is the third of a series of articles spscially written for THE SUN by Mr. C. H. Taylor, of Christchurch, former Australasian middle distance champion. Recognised as one of the great stylists of his day, Mr. Taylor’s views should prove not only interesting, but instructive to athletes, especially the younger brigade. CARE OF THE FEET There is no more vital element in training than proper care of the feet, and the first step in this direction is cleanliness. The feet should be bathed every day after training, and boracic powder or some well-recommended foot powder sprinkled on them. Bathing the feet in sea*-water hardens the skin, and at the same time soothes the nerves. The importance of proper running -shoes cannot be stressed too strongly. Nothing can be more aggravating to a contestant than to lose a race by inches, and, undoubtedly, many losses may be turned into victories if proper attention is paid to footwear. The writer has often seen a runner come out to start in a race with shoelaces tied in knots. Just as every runner should have two pairs of running;- shoes in his kit, one for training and one for trials and races, so he must have at least three pairs of laces. Football bootlaces are excellent for the running- shoe.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

WHAT IS N.Z. DOING? In nine months New Zealand’s Olympic representatives will be sailing away to try their skill witli the pick of the world’s athletes at Amsterdam. Time is passing, and as yet the Dominion Olympic Council has done but little to choose and train a team to> represent this country at the games. How different the position is across the Tasman. In April last the council of the Australian Olympic Federation met and decided to select about 30 athletes from ail branches of sport to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. They thereupon set about the task of raising the £IO,OOO necessary to finance the going of this team. One hundred pounds was allotted to each State for the coaching of those men who had shown form approaching the Olympic standard. Further than that they decided to hold a National Australian Games on Olympic lines at Sydney in January next, for the purpose of raising the money required and also to help in the final selection of Australia’s team. If Australia can send 30 athletes, surely New Zealand can send five or six! It would cost approximately £4OO per man and the sports bodies of | the country ought to be able to raise I the sum of £2,000 among them. | "With the coming of the 1927-28 track season, no doubt the Olympic selectors will get busy. It is, however, imperative that something should be done before then, by coaching those men whose claims for representative honours are greatest. Mr. H. Abrahams, the present Olymj pic 100 metres champion, put the se-

lecting of a team for Amsterdam concisely when he wrote: “Two types of men should be selected: those who a.re within striking distance of Olympic standard, and those who are young enough to suggest that four years will see in them a great improvement, and to whom the benefits of super-competition and the contact with super-men will be of infinite assistance.” In New Zealand there are any number who fill that category—brilliant young athletes, boxers and swimmers who would worthily uphold the name of our country on the fields of Holland. It would indeed be a pity if financial assistance. Surely it is time some step was taken to raise funds to send our men away!