“TRUE SPORTSMEN.”

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1410, 26 June 1923, Page 7

“TRUE SPORTSMEN.”

TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEALANDERS.

GOOD LOSERS AND GRACEFUL WINNERS. IMPRESSIONS BY AN AMERICAN ATHLETE. “ A clay for toil, an hour for sport.” Emerson. “ Considerations by the Way.” New Zealanders truly have their “ day for toil ” and “ hour for sport.” At all times of the year they find or make time for their sport, and it is not always limited to an hour alone. Moreover, even when their work makes heavy demands upon their time, their athletics are not allowed to suffer from neglect. Every business man, no matter how busy he may he. is always ready to leave his business in the interest of good sports — whether it be actively to participate or to assist in developing the sport that is his particular hobby. That is the opinion formed by Mr C. George Krogness. the American athlete who, with Messrs M. M. Kirksey and J. Merchant, visited New Zealand some months ago. and ii is contained in an article published in last months i.'.sue of Western Sports.

The people of New Zealand are always doing something in and tor athletics. They are interested in athletics. Mr Krogness states, for the enjoyment and pleasure derived from them. There are two words which are often used interchangeably, but which have different meanings—“sport” and ‘sportsman.” A sport

is a person who engages in competition for gain, while a sportsman is one who enters into the play for the fun and joy and physical benefit it gives him. The New Zealander is a true sportsman. 'He is a gentleman always. Me is a good loser and a graceful winner. Track and field games in New Zealand are known as “amateur athletics.” During the war they received a setback. Fewer men engaged in this sport, and public interest declined. Since the war. however, the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has made earnest efforts to renew activity and interest in athletics, and has met with marked success. Interest in track games is continuing to increase, especially in North Island Throughout the country the keen enthusiasm of the public in horse racing is a handicap to be met and overcome, while in the South Island professional athletics is the handicap. The outlook for the future public interest in the track is very encouraging, and the action of the New Zealand A.A.A. (which body controls amateur athletics in the Dominion) in conducting the recent tour of three American athletes in their country served to create a greater and wider interest among the athletes and the public. That tour was arranged primarily to stimulate enthusiasm in New Zealand for the sport, and to obtain information and visual demonstration of the ; technique of the various events of | : track and field sports participated in |by [he American athletes One thing particularly observed by the American athletes was that the New Zealanders are close students of form. Whether it was the running of the hurdle events, the jumps, or the other field events, they were eager to learn the various forms in use there. The newsfpaper accounts described in minute detail the form used shown by each of the Americans in t'heir several events contrasted with the form of their own atheletes. The project was pronounced a decided success, for the public attendance at the various meetings was very good, and the interest i displayed by the New Zealand athletes, as evidenced by their desire to [learn points about their own events, was gratifying to the Athletic Council.

Their system of handicapping athletes in track and field games 'has its supporters and its opponents. Those who oppose the practice claim that it affords an athlete no 'incentive to improve. As the system now operates, a man who shows improvement in an event has his handicap, lessened as i rapidly as he progresses, thereby frequently discouraging the effort to improve. The supporters of the practice assert that it serves to encourage t'he younger inexperienced men to enter competitions which they would avoid simply because they knew that other men in the games could beat them. They want to retain the interest and incentive of the less experienced to improve by winning. Those in charge of athletics in New I Zealand have considered this matter very carefully, and have decided that in view of t'he small population (there are only about one and a quarter millions of people in the entire country) I the best interests of athletics will be served 'by conducting the meetings on a handicap basis. That is the presem practice at all meetings excepting the championship meetings. If this system were abandoned it would 1 esult in a few men dominating the various ' events. Beside the usual Saturday afternoon meetings, they hold what are known

as “ evening meetings.” These are held weekly after business hours. They consist of a few events which serve to highten local interest in the sport. Nor are the athletic competitions limited to the boys. Within the last year the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has promoted athletic competitions for the girls, and the enthusiasm, with which they have turned out is splendid. The events in which they compete at preesnt are the 100 yards, 120 yards runs, and the 440 yards relay races. The latter requires a team of three, the first two runners carrying the baton 100 yards each and thetliird runner 220 yards. If the interest of the girls continues lo increase, as at present, they no 1 doubt will be able to hold meetings of their own in the future. In considering the prospects and [possibilities of the New eZaland athletes in the Olympic games which are to be held in Paris in 1924, it must be borne in mind that the population of that country is small, and that consequently there will be only a small number of men in the Dominion of such ability as to warrant sending a team of men to compete against the world’s best athletes