Show Main ain Function kP Of All Sport Is Recreation By Sol Metzger p t- t kinds have Athletics ot of of many b been en made mado to many purposes But their main function is tion To be sure all sports do 10 other oth oth- ones one's phy phy- er r things They build up strength and vitality and should freshen ones one's mind and clean ones one's whole b being but but tho the main function Is recreation The winning athlete docs does not always always al- al benefit from ways was derive e the tho most v port Not ot ot lone ions ago I played In a aBed fled Bed Cross Croes golf tournament The finals Inal brought tO together a very and sour old looking skilled player another man who ho ho enjoyed every overy moment moment on the links as well as off We Pe all felt pretty much alike re regarding ye- ye garding th grouch Never Joining joining- us liS at odd moments on the links and the nineteenth nineteenth nineteenth nine nine- at never even e appearing he lie was rarely seen except at nt mealtimes and when scheduled to toI play his matches matcheR lie Hc apparently I had no friends nor did he seem to wish for an any Ills golf gait Wn was tho the most serious thing In the world corre correctly tl One man mm sized It all up when hen he hc remarked If It I act d like golf golC It that I sure wouldn't play would hurt too much Golf Golt with this player although It tt should have been recreational for man many rea reasons wa was entirely a serious and like business matter J tho those thoe e height bright lights wl which contribute so ao much to the popularity popular popular- It ft ity of the sport or viewing wing tho the to be viewed game hame a as It wished were ere things beyond his comprehensIon sion What's the matter with 1 that that s man I asked of or a man who twenty twenty twenty ty years ears before had graduated from rom Princeton but who looked a member member member mem mem- ber of or the class chIS of l OS In pite of ot a a. business career in western Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- earned him the sylvania that had I sobriquet of at Coal Baron m- m Oh hes he's the kind of at n a man who of ot doesn't know the meaning most sport he replied lies Hes like fellows who stick to tho the serious side of at golf too long All MI sport Is Isa Isa a pretty serious proposition with youngsters youngsters its Its It's the only way way they they have of at rubbing elbows with the rest of oC humanity null and of at learning losIng losing los- los the tho game of at life lite Winning or ing when in our teens hits us all fairly hard But after aCter that ago we s perspective e begin egin to get a right Wesee Ve c see aee that sport was as Just a preparation preparation prep prep- preparation and If It we ve are to l keep it up at nt odd times we must get only health and fun out of oC It it Professionalism In athletics is Is' nothing more than tho the degree of ot seriousness you ou put into pia play If It you take it seriously it crowds out of at your our L. L head those thoRe things you OU must be serious serious seri serl- ous about and you ou are aro doomed Golf Golt like Uke an any game garno should be pursued only for the relaxation andi and LI i fun you ou get out of Qt it tt Its It's a tonic that has haB all 11 the patent medicines and cocktails licked a mile because the benefits are permanent Its It's also a direct aid to a man in teachIng teachIng teaching teach- teach ing him to know mankind In fact I all sports are arc but life Ufe In miniature The he personal element clement Is as strong In them as it Is in business or professional pro- pro careers The fun iun un of ot the game Is IB In sizing up your opponent nt bett before ro he sizes you ou up For example In m my match toda today I attempted making the other fellow fellow tellow fel tel low do a certain thing at a certain point the poInt the turn of the match math I IWas Iwas Iwas was him some twenty twenty- five yards ards Coming down No 6 I dubbed m my tee lee shot he got away bout wout forty yards to the goo good 1 From m my lie I could not clear the wat water r trap but I knew he could If could If ihs his was perfect Each Ench of 01 ofus us need needed d that hole so I did some tall tan thinking Jo I I deliberately dubbed m my ray bras- bras ne taking care to run it far enough to have a sure third over the wa water vater ater va- va ter hazard I figured Cig m my opponent would seize upon this as his chance and In order to clear clear the water press preas his second He I did Just as I figured he would tried to slug the ball and swallowed hook line Uno and sinker Splash it dropped Into the pond That gave me a safe lead Ann n nj won me th the match That sort I of t thing g I- I Is Ismore moie more satisfying CI g to to- to torn rn me than than winning Its It's the life of or the game I I like that personal element Ingolt in golf golt It makes the game so 80 much like Uke business or life liCe that it even helps me In solving my own minIng mining min min- ing lug problems After all success In life lIe Is but knowing kno men their strength and their weakness and andIn andIn andin In selecting and handling them ac ac- ac cordingly Playing golf golt also keeps 1 me physically fit fiL It Im I'm not afraid 1 to take business chances because m my heart is strong Indeed sport and life are arc so closel closely allied that were vere ver It it- not for the tho side of ot sport spore the two would be the arne pame Some men overlook this difference and sport Is la to them a weighty weight matter Ive I've arrived ed at atthe tho the conclusion though that Its It's far tar better to pIa play your our business like your our golf olf than run your our golf liko 0 your our business Some men he continued figure figure fig ure lUe It other otherwise lse The grouch Is one They let a a. game run away with them Sport becomes a 1 sellous seri sell ous ous cus matter That fellow makes as much of a business of at golf bolf as I Ido IfO Ilo do lo of oC business s only more so 80 He lie carries too big a load In his Is matches Ho lie Isn't and remade on the links linka Golf GOlt bears down upon him Some day hell he'll cl ck Wh Why ho lie Isn't a a. day over o 39 m my age but It te ze draft limit is raised to 45 5 and Uncle Sam goes alone that fellow tellow ll exemption Its It's tough that hell he'll get away with the championship I Ire re re- re marked He lie hasn't won it as yet et re replied replied replied re- re plied tho Coal Baron But will willI I broke Jn In Depends ho he added and left jrie me The following morning I next saw aw aw the Coal Baron lie He was L swinging down toward the eighteenth eight eight- playing a 8 s semifinal match V Hs Ills philosophy of at life lite and of ot golf golt appealed to me especially when there ther was at hand such luch a 0 clear cut tc contrast a as al the grouch crouch V As hp h nJ PrePared to pia play h hl his approach ap ap- shot bell f 1 a a. hop walked up Ato to him with a a. telegram U Up stopped long enough to read It it t then h n addressed hl hla ball pitched it if dead to the cup and sunk his putt for tor the hole and the rna match Seeing me he hc beckoned to lo meDo meDo me Do you OU know ho said as I 1 camo canto up Just as Ive I've earned the right light to pla play the lie grouch In the tho finals they wire me to return to the tho mines nIlles But nut believe belle me old Doc noc Garfield isn't going to Interfere with rn my theory theor of ot life coal or no coal Those fellows down clown In Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington sure have the nerve butting Into In my Red Hell Cross work ork Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomor Tomor- row I stay stav and tomorrow I win I lush laughed d at the tho s seeming sible Through some somo wonderful trick of oC his hIs hIs' personality he secured a bet with the The loser was was' vas vasto to subscribe a n. thousand to tho the lo local local lo- lo cal al fled Hed Cro Cross s. s And that day the grouch td for tho the first time In his golf career Its lt a matter of or human nature of oC studying your our man mail the Coal ConI Baron cd to me mc I ha haven't ent been Leon watching that sour taco face nil week for nothing Got It Into m my head Id I'd have to lo beat him so I r Played the game Thought ht he was wastI tI tight ht and found It H so Thou Thought ht ho lie was unsociable and found It so 50 Hence the bet and m my running fire of COn conversation about the thin good It was doing the boys Los over there every ery time wo we left heft a lIe He fought all and had me down but In iii the tho afternoon what hat I expected happened Ju Just Jutt t found his weak spot and arid waited for tor It to work ork You know kno and his eyes sparkled all you OU have to todo todo todo do Is guess them right and play accordingly and and you you u win viii Copyright ht Sol |