ATHLETICS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17029, 1 May 1923, Page 3

ATHLETICS

By

■FIXTURES. July 1 and B—Swedish International Games at Gothenburg. July 6 and 7- English A.A.A Championships. Stamford Bridge, London . September l —Australasian Cross. Country Championship. Randwick Racecourse (live miles orer steeple chase course.) The second annual meeting ot tli, Christchurch Harriers and Amateur Athletic duo was held in the I‘ioneer Sports Club rooms last evening. The annual report was read and adopted and officers were elected for the ensuing year. -Mr J. H. S’alder was elected secretary and treasurer ol the club. Mr Xalder is the present cross country champion of Canterbury, and is also a prominent middle distance track run ner. Mr G. C. Crump was again appointed club captain, aivd Mr G. M. Mo rrison deputy captain. The opening run of the present harrier season will take pl*c<- over the Canterbury College steeplechase course, Caahmere Hi 11%, on Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock. It was decided at last evening's annual meeting to circularise all football clubs inviting their members to take part with the harrier club in a aeries of evening runs, and al«o on Saturday ait e-means, it any club has a bye in its grade pi the football competition, lr the auggestioa is taken up it* adoption will not only very materially increase the number of participants in the runs, but may result in increasing the membership of the club, which is at present very small. Mr C. M. Taylor, junr. will represent the club on the Canterbury Centre of the .New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. A test athletic meeting was held ox tifce Natal Amateur Athletic aud Cycling Association at Maritsburg on March 10, just prior to the South African championships. The best - performances put up were 10 1-dseo for th • 100yds. by H. P. Kinsman; 16sec for 10yds hurdles. by S. J. M. Atkinson : *nd oft otin (from a bad takeoff) by E. G. Sutherland in the running high jump. D. A. H. Leathern did not start in the middle distance races It is understood that R. Johnston of South Africa, who was a mem her ; of the Springbok athletic team which visited Nor, Zealand in 1921, has definitely retired from the track. J. W. Buko.- and D A. R. Leathern, who were also members of the same foam, hare also practically decided to retire from the game. An important announcement regarding New Zealand representation at the British Empire Exhibition sports am! the . Olympic Games wrs made at n meeting of the New Zealand Olympic Council last Tuesday evening. Mr C G. (’amp represented the Dominion Advisory Board, and it was through him that the council became acquainted v ith a big scheme which had been propounded for adequate representation of the Dominion at the two notable sports meetings. Tim desire of the board was to raise sufficient funds to send about fifty representatives rrom New Zealand. Mr Camp asked for the of the couneii in ibe matter The scheme met with the hearty approval of the council, and it w.«~ unanimously decided to co-operate with the Dominion Advisory Board. A subcommittee. comprising members present at the meeting, was set up for the purpose. In view of the magnitude of the scheme, it was considered that there should be a re-organisation of the Olympic Council in such a way as to secure representation from all sports bodies who were at present without representatives. It was decided to circularise all sporty bodies requesting delegates to the New Zealand Olympic Council. A- New Zealand was at present without a representative on the International Olympic Games Committee, Mr J. P. Firth was requested to accept nomination for the position. He agreed to allow his name to go forward a« the Dominion’s n-ominee. Mr B. A. Guise, who has been honorary secretary of the council since 1911. having resigned from that position on account of pressure of business, Mr C. G. Camp was appointed to fill the vacancy. The most strenuous season on rieord has definitely finished, states a vrtiter in the “ Dominion.” By next season the athletic performances will have been more or less forgotten—as w©U by athletes as by those whose habit it is to remember such interesting trifles. For a month or two they w-ill be a source of annoyance, not to say despair, to handicappers. By wav o minimising the annoyance, and •-» the beginning of a scheme that may in time develop into a definite system of ranking, L would seriously suggest ta the centre that it ask its handicap pars—Messrs Kitto (track) and M’Kay (field) t-o make out for a series of events- -sav those finding a place on the championship programme—a standard set of handicaps based on the form of the season. The handicaps would Ihj. of course, primarily concerned with the multitude of Wellington athletes, but in cases where the Dominion champion i„ not a Wellington man he could be taken as the scratch mart, and the handicaps worked out from him. Thus would there be a standard—goo ! enough for any part of the Dominion on which to estimate the capabilities of any one of our local athletes. Ail the data tor such a standard handicapping is available. To Messrs Kitto and M’Kay the task would be an easy one To the man himself it would be of value as indicating an expert's vie a of hi* progress during the season. IV) outside handicappers. since the scratch man would be the Dominion champion, the ha no imp would be of even greater practical value It at the end of each session each centre prepared such a set <it marks and circulated it there womd **x>n be an end to the everlasting complaints about unsystematic handicnnping. Each year. too. there is sufficient travelling done to enable one like Mr Kitto to prepare, from the various standard sets, after a comparison based on his actual knoweledge of a man here and there from each centre. ,i standard handicap for the whole of New Zealand. In the event of anything like the above being adopted, it would only be necessary for a man at th beginning of each new season to give

“Half-Miler”

his standard handicap for the previous season when making his first entry iui every particular event. There was a huge attendance at th-.* second annual indoor championships o* the Inter collegiate Association of Ama tear Athletes of America, at tlie Twem ty second Regiment Armory. New \ork City, on March 3. A perfect eight laps to the mile board track, banket! a both ends, had been prepared, and per forinances all round were very solid. The University of Pennsylvania won the teams championships v ith 29 points, followed by Cornell University (holders) 2b points. Dartmouth University 18 points, and Yale ami Princeton a tie for fourth place with 16 points apiece. The most notable performance*' o‘ the evening was the 7 1 iOsec for < oyds by Harold B. Lever, captain ot the Pennsylvania team —it is a world’s record for Other notable performances were :—Mile run. imin 17 4O.sec, by J. J. Connolly (Georgetown): two miles run. 9min 39 3-lOsec, by El mer O. M’Lane (Pennsylvania): pole vault. 12ft bin. bv N. B. Sperrill and B A. Owens (both of Pennsylvania); running high jump. 6ft 22 in. by Lerov T Bi own (Dartmouth) : and putting 161 b shot, 45ft SJin, by R. 0. Hills (Princeton). OLYMPIC GAMES. A meeting of leading men in sport, commerce, the professions and public life was recently held in London, called together by the British Olympic Association. and after a lull discussion -d arguments for and against the Olympic Games, it was unanimously decided that it was most desirable, in the interest ot good relations with France, as well as in the interest of sport, that Great Britain should continue to participate in the Games. A body ol athletes, thoroughly representative ol ail the national sports of this country, will be sent to France to compete in the Games. J n this way (states an Knglisa exchange) the British Olympic Council h«i»es to regain tor Great Britain the prestige which she formerly enjoved in international games, and to impress -n* all those countries whom she meets in friendly competition that spirit oi sportsmanship for which she is note! throughout the world. Fund.c. arp now being raised for th * equipment, transport, housing and feed tug of the British tp*m at the Games. The contributor*, include the King l LI00). the Prince of Wales (£SO). and the Duke of York (£SO). Included n the programme of the British Olvmpie Association are the following points: (1) The athletes of (treat Britain are unanimous in their desire to participate in the Onnies. and are contribut ing to the funds. (2) Those who represent Great Britain on the International Olympic Committee. which controls the Gaines, are determined to take every possible step to ensure th it the amateur spirit is maintained throughout, not only by our own athletes. but also by those of overv other coum.rv participating in the Games. <*> Those who are responsible for ,hv selection of the British representatives, and of sending them to France, are determined to take ererv possible means to ensure that errrv athlete v. V* i selected to represent G oat Britain •oes to France with the full knowledge bat lie is taking with him the responsibility of maintaining his country’•Teat reputaton tor sportsmanship, an ! that from the commencement, to th--* conclusion oi the Games his every acDon must, be directed toward- that end.