A COMING CHAMPION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 586, 27 December 1915, Page 3

A COMING CHAMPION.

SCHOOLBOY ATHLETE BREAKS RECORD.

It was know when the United States Amateur Athletic Championships were decided at San Francisco last August that in Frank Sloman, who had won the junior quarter-mile, a very fine athlete had been discovered. There was a boy still at the San Francisco High School who not only proved a long way the best of the juniors but had followed home J. E. Meredith in the senior event, wherein the latter had shown 47 seconds —ou a straightaway track and down wind. The time flattered both men, just as it had done Sloman when earlier running for the Caledonian Club he had carried off first honours in the Pacific Coast try-outs in 47 3-ssec. After that Slomau had a hankering after another distinction —that of beating the 48 4-5 sec which stood as the world 'a interscholastic record for a quarter of a mile. That had been established in 19.1 U, and had been the means of drawing the attention of the United States athletic authorities to the wonderful merit of J. E. Meredith, then a schoolboy at Mereersburg Academy, and showed thelu that there was a likely candidate for high Olympic honours at Stockholm.

Oji October 10, then, Sicilian went after the record on the Panama-Pacific Exposition district track, and succeeded in knocking three-lifths ot' a second off the old time.

Commenting on this performance, an English athletic authority writes:— "But one thing must not be overlooked. If the Cali.foruian did 48 .1-5 on a straight.-away course it cannot bo compared with the feat of Meredith, who accomplished his achievement on a quarter-mile track. "It. may, of course, be that the circular course was used, but the fact that the 'dirt track' is specified suggests that the path on which R. Mcßride did his Ulsec for the furlong and Meredith his 47 for 440 yards was used: for the rounds course is not of 'dirt.' At the same time, there is no getting away from the fact that Frank Roman is a wonderfully line quarter iniler, who, if he can take the form he shows on the Pacific Coast with him to Newark (New Jersey) when the 191(5 championships are held, should make the best of the Easterners and even Meredith himself move.

"There should be big futures for both Sloman and the young sprinter, R. MeBride, whom Rochdale folk will remember. In the case of the latter a fault of •style will require to be remedied before lie ever becomes a top-sawyer, lie runs with his body bearing so far forward that in a very keenly fouglit-out finish lie is apt. to overbalance himself and fall. This is exactly what happened to him in races at San Francisco. Had lie been able to run against J. Loomis on the day .of,the senior 100 yards, the latter would have had a far stiff or fight.

Sloman beat Drew in the Tests, and it has been declared that as a result the little coloured runner took cold feet when the championship sprint came along. It should be borne in mind, when reading —these interscholastic reports, that the performers are pretty hefty chaps. Meredith was going out of his teens when he did his big run, and Sloman is as old as the average 'Vnrsity Freshman in this country."