ATHLETICS

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13699, 14 September 1908, Page 3

ATHLETICS

CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP. Press Association-By Telegraph-Copyright Received 1 a.m., Sept. 14th. SYDNEY, Sept. 13. The five mil?s cress-country championship of Australia -was won by Huffr: n, of Victoria, in 32min 30sec. REAL RESULTS. A PROPOSED TEST. (By Eustace Miles.) It is interesting to calculate what will be the real results of the Olympic Games on the athletes and the spectators, on games and athletics in general, on international relations, and so forth. I think the '" Games" will have convinced athletes that, if they want to win, they must specialise more and more. Itis not of the least use a man of good general athletic qualifications—prompt, strong, enduring, calm—Jto compete In any event with the hope of victory. If he* merely wishes to get the exercise and the experience that is a different matter. He can then compete with advantage to his body and mind. But if he wishes to beat the others be simply must study and master the technique and devote laborious hours to special practise. ANOTHER TRIAL. Will the. "Games" tend to make the most athletes —and most spectators , too — aim at a moderate all-round athletic excellence, or will they make them confine themselves- more and more to a narrow groove, such as javelin-throwing or longdistance cycling T I am afraid that the games will encourage specialisation more than ever. It i 6 Tery doubtful whether this extreme specialisation is gcod for all-round health and fitness, or For the future of games and athletics in general. I believe that in remarkably few cases has the training of the athlete being in the least like the habits he will find useful in his ordinary life. In fact, I believe that the training may be a positive handicap to health and fitness in the ordinary life, by over-deve-loping certain muscles, and by encouraging dependence on open-air and abundant «x----erck=e for physical condition. The interesting and instructive thing would be if, some time after the "Games" are over, numbers of the best athletes of carious nations —not the narrow specialists —took part in some of thtse competitions, and tried what they could do in a really amateurish way with the discus and weight and high jump and sprint. In other words, if these people gave us a better idea than the narrow specialist* could as to how the various forms of sport would be likely to amuse and interest and benefit the ordinary healthy person. If such a series of " Games" are over organised, as I trust they will be, let us hope that the prices of seats for spectators will not be as high as pc€6ible, but as low as possible, and that there will be a fair proportion of absolutely free seats, with uo charge for admission. SOME LESSONS. A week or two ago a large fund was rapidly collected with which to entertain the non-English athletes. The public contributed freely. It is astonish'ng to me that no fund was collected or ever suggested with which to-provide free entrance and free beats for the poorer •classes. It is true that the prices of seats had been lowered. But that is not enough. Even these lower prices will bar out the masses, who, after all, need to see the " Games" and play the " Games" even more tlwn the " classes " do. My own opinion' is, then, that the j " Games " will have done remarkably little I for the health or the play of the masses. They may even have tended to confirm the idea, that "Games" are for the " classes." not for the poor. The chef benefits which the "Games" will have conferred on the world in general seem to me to be twofold. First, there has been promoted a reverence for the spirit of fair play in at least one department of life. Let us hope that this reverence will extend beyond this narrow sphere. Then there has grown r* belter understanding between different peoples—based on ignorance and reliance or inaccurate traditions—have become lessened. There is no better means towards international friendliness than competition in athletics. These two results of such "Games" are recognised by everyone who has given the matter any serious thought, and probably they justify the expenditure and the trouble involved. There Ls yet a third benefit, at least for those who realise the lesson. It is that the regular road to success in anv pursuit is s]>t-cialisation and the mastery of tl»e technique. It is a lesson which we, as a nation,, aiv? slow in learning, especially in business. What we ought to be conv : nced of is that our businets, to thrive, needs devotion to details, hundreds of hours .«i>ent on sensible practice and study of theory, every whit as much as high -j tun ping and discus-throwing does. CLASSES AND MASSES. The**; to lw among the good fruits " f ,he /* (;, «'' s " B"t Ido "not think -the "Games" have done very much to break down class distinctions or io produce excellence. There is about, them too much of tli,. sjiecial and spectacular, too much of tin- sudden and stres-ful stran, too much of ihe only-once iu-a blue moon idea, too littb- of the" tiulv amateurish spirit of play, the blend of keernitei and abandon that cannot !>«,' defined. About the Olympic Games of Greece there Has a wonderful romance, and theie U some romance about, these modern "Games" at Shepherd's bush. Iu both raves rotnpetiton, ate driving f„ r their "country's" victory a f , well a* for their own. Hut in th"* Game* of Greece there was apparently no financial consideration and no tendency tui excludo the verv poor. In these •(James" n England a high pric ha* Im-.ii charged tin- spectators, and thus a very great deal of tlw benefit '•I the "Gam.*" for the majority ha* been nullified. My oun ~,.,{. is xiieiue one. I had to p.,y for .oinpeiing j„ ( | K . Olvmpie Game, 'I-niia,; 1 had t(> j K ,v for "tli* use «.f ih.- rotirt: And. in the final m.iVh. >|n.-ctatoiK were ehaiged 10*. This • ewiis to ni.> an utterly wrong Mate of affaiis. h docs not tend to population play. 1 may he quie wiping. |, U t I rather imagine t!i,i ihi* s.„t ~f ~., cxh hitmii U rather likely to dHc«itiia X e the maw,, (torn att.-nip'mg t.. u-.oii a oil.in n»<. derate level of skill in various four., ..f ; - Games" and athletics. J t ; .j the impression that it L, su|>-tlat \<- excellence alone that is worth ivjioitins in the news jwijiers. Whereat the real l*»eiit tof " Gamer. " would be for them to !»•« plavctl fairlv wcll by millions, no) only eju<«<iin-Iv well by a d»«ii or two. T>> achi.\,'in* roMili ur sli.,]l n ..c,| s ■ iitferenr, from - .b«- pn-vent "Game-."