Show SIX DAY PREPARATIONS GIVE VETERAN THE BUG By HARDY K DOWNING Veteran Cyclist It Is about six years ALTHOUGH A since Father Time slipped me mea a quiet tip that I 1 had outlived my usefulness as a racing cyclist and that I was on the and going at the rate of a mile a minute toward to to- ward the has hs been class the announce announce- ment that Manager John M. M Chipman Is selecting his teams for the coming six six- day race In New York has aroused my Interest as usual at this time of the year and I find myself speculating as to whether or not some new name will be written In the hall of cycle racing fame or some of the previous winners will again cop t the big prize and the glory that goes with h it While there are several so called six six- day races run during the winter months in Boston Chicago and other large In the East and the riders participate in them because racing Is their lon and nd there is some money to be made by firing so It is the big race m lin Stuart Square Garden that every rider has his h heart art on winning at some time or ether other I Man Many of them go through these ordeals year after year in a vain hopa hOp that at some time dame fortune will smile upon ri and carve their name in the hall hail of off f fame me as a man who at one time surpassed surpassed surpassed sur sur- I passed the world in speed skill gameness sameness and endurance Having spent twenty years In the racing rae rac ing lug game myself during which wIdth time rac 1 I Imade Imade made five unsuccessful ul attempts to horn into said halt hall of fame I know just how rooted t Is desire is arid and realize reaUze how bow difficult it is for a rider to quit trying tring even oven after aCter he lie has become the most pitiful pitiful pitiful piti piti- ful of oC all human beings an athlete who is through but cant can't realize It it Just why this ev event nt always draws so many thousands of people people- to the garden garden gar gar- garden den night after night has never been satisfactorily satisfactorily sat sat- explained either by the people peo peo- pIe who promote it or the fans who pay their money to see It Thousands of people sit for hours watching a monotonous grind with maybe l an occasional sprint to to quicken their pulse with expect expectation tion only to settle back I into the steady tead- grind again When a aJam ajam ajam Jam is Ia started by some team in an endeavor to gain a lap eu on time the rest of the field the garden is the scene of wildest excitement with trainers rushing wildly to training quarters to awaken one of the riders out of or a sound sleep to re relieve relieve re- re lieve a partner who Is unable to to stand the strain stra other riders relieving each other every half mile or so and the fans wild with excitement and standing on their seats throwing their hats and coats In the the air all and yelling like mad These Jams or sprints are re no rio doubt what draws the fans tans and once the they are there they will sit for hours hour with witha a a forlorn forlorn for for- lorn hope t that t they y will i see just one of si i h 1 i 1 tests is nf ys s sneed sned and endurance d n I I where 1 ie s some in feal teams s sh h have ve determined to put themselves a lap In front I have known own these so called Jams to last for several hours hour and they generally prove the real test of the race as it is In these trying that the class tells and generally when the time smoke clears awa away there are two three or four teams that have proved equal to the occasion and are still tied for first place with the rest of ot the teams from one lap to a mile behind I Once the time class of the teams t ams has he been en enest est established and it Is plain that the boys who h have ne survived rl the crucial test are so evenly matched that it is impossible to o shake each ach other off all are generally generaH content to watch the other for the re remainder remainder remainder re- re of the ra race e and anti hold bold the advantage ad advantage ad- ad vantage they have gained over the other teams and depend upon the final sprint at the time finish to tobro fortunate enough The fans who are keep 1 coming back in bro lp there at the time those and another Jam hopes Of f seeing in the hope llope that the who missed it come comae boys will start again The foreign riders from Crom across the Atlantic At- At lantic have always been considered great drawing cards at the garden widen as for foreigners who New York houses so many like to see th their Ir countrymen match speed and amid skill with the athletes of their I country but the I present 1 home or adopted European war has made It practicallY practical this any foreigners impossible to tim secure I exception of a year with the possible and couple who have remained here Manager Chapman is trying to devise new I schemes this year to keep up the Interest According to reports from the East practically all of the prize money this year will go to the first three teams with witha a purse for the winners for forthe forthe forthe the second team and arid 2000 for the team finishing third with the time rest of the going to the leaders at certain distances and winners of sprints all during the Tace race This will tend to keep the fans tans interested as It is generally after one of these sprints that some team or other sees an opportunity to catch a dangerous team tired and ana tries to gain a lap Jap I Another thing that always attracts hundreds of people to the garden is u utho If tIme the riders can keep ahead of the previous prevIOUS previous pre pre- record Accord According to Manager l I Chapman the turns will be built three feet higher this year than ever before so as to enable mote more riders to sprint I abreast In lii th their lr scramble for the special prizes but from my knowledge of the tIme I game came I am sure that his real object in banking the turns higher Is to make It Impossible Impossible Impossible Im Im- Im- Im possible for the riders to negotiate the time turns at a slow rate of spee speed and thereby force the men to maintain a greater speed all during the race and thereby keep them ahead of the record l. l If It this can be done no doubt it will offset the absence of the foreign teams Curtis Walker Valker outfielder for the Southwestern Southwestern South South- western vestern University team at Geor Georgetown Tex last year ear has announced that he has agreed agreed to play with the Philadelphia American lea league Ie teams this coming seasons seat sea sea- t sons soft on |