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Show I'WcJR1ALS AN1) TROUBLED -OF THE .ATHLXTIC ljl ' :!l lSfe H RECORD BREAKER m ,' J$&: S " ' '&MANY Snare?' and PitfaUs Mark (he Path of the Strhiri for Supremacy, in the World of Sport Gallant Effort fif ' ' .' : ,'.; M. L.Sometimes Fails Purely by Untoward Mischance '-rZ3 '''' JW ,- -.Xt0 ' ' '-' '. '''V' ""'J -?' ' si l F if - ';,., 5V ' '- V mtjRw "hh ..-rsrs MELVIN SHEPPARD RALPH ROSE MARTIN SHERIDAN f LsA.A.0, OLYMPIC AC ,-AA.C j ICnrr!ch(. 1011 by the .New YorL nerald Co All Ylcbt rcsrvcd.l I '' llie raan JiTes who Cftn wato11 unnoved the break- 9 lng of a world's athletic record he must be liicklnp in j I warm, red blood. There Is snmetilng so wonderf'ully ? y1 stirring about the thought that the best of achieve- nients of hundreds of one time -champions hare been 2 I laid in the dust that one can harrtly help joining thc-en- t thuslnstJc crowd as it rises Irresistibly to its feet. 1 i eager to voice its tribute to-hc newlv crowiiea king n with rousing cheer and frenzied haudclaj). ' j - But, with it all, ho-w many lu the eijcitetl throng ai ' 4 really appreciate to Its full -worth the value of a 5? ' : world's record, How many realize the amou'ut of ""'it' r ' ft S gruelling work, the constant sacrilices. the bitter dls- 5 I r appointments that are the lotof the iconoclast before ifc ' the goal is reached? g i ;". It is only those wJio hare themselves trodden" the ii i hard path that know of the hardships thnt have to be i ' t endured, of the obsticle&and pitfalls lo'the way, of the it y, shattered hopes of those who have, failed nudtasted L : : the fruit of defeat, often through no lack of merit. 4i i : Everything militates against the record breaker. - ;i Numberless seeming trlllcs may set at nauglit hip best -; feefl'orls. Any little passing body ailment a slight cold, jjj f n bruised muscle, a strained tendon is quite sufllcicnt ; . to kill hl chances. Unfavorable conditions, such a ,'j a head wind, chilly weather, a poor track or soggy 5 k ground, will also handicap him beyond hope, and I I ' the danger is ever present of even the tot perform-V perform-V ances being thrown out on technicalities by the lu-jj lu-jj flexible censors of the rccoid committee of the Ama- ? teur Athletic Union. f 'm. w On and off the cry is raised that the present craze" I & for now standards Is causing the authorities to ac- ! M :ept questionable mari;s. But what an absurd and I 3 nnjust calumny this Is! If anything, the athletic jl tribunal sins by too niuch'rlgldity. A doubtful record i A has as much Ukelihood to pass the cxauilitfug boaid -j unchallenged as the Biblical camel to aqiee7.e through (i : the proverbial needle's eye. The ttouble Is that some : persons appear to be unablo or "unwilling to realize i : that sports are progressing, thnt long experience, the ? Introduction of scientific mehods and the growing ;' tendency to specialize have Increased tenfold the pos- j , 3lbillty of turning out better men lu every way. (?L! Poor athlete! Handicapped right and left, devoting , the best years of his life to the elusive pursuit of , fame, and then reaping only doubt and scepticism ji f,rbeu he touches buccess! ,-,- ' Pro tests Generally 'Unfounded ) - A recent episode will give an idea of how unfounded it' ' ' v .lie protests generally are aud how unsound at times ij ) the opinions of even, the best judges. Not long ago ji -f i prominent college coach became convinced, for uu- 7 i known reasons, that the running records being estub- ? , i U . I lislicd at Celtic Park by Melvin Sheppard, of the Irlsa- b l " i t American Athletic Asboclation, were boyond the Iat- ter's ability. Being on friendly terms with Jamca E. I Sullivan, of the Amatenr Athletic. Union he decided to mention the matter to him, and frankly told him that, having complete fuitb in the Integrity of the officials, he had co"me to the conclusion that the Celtic Park track must be short Mr. Sullivan likes nothing better than to have supposed sup-posed Irregularities brought to his notice and he made up his mind to settle the point then and there. 4T1I tell you what,"-he said to the visitor, "I value 'your opinion so highly that I would be glnd if you would personally investigate the case for me at once. J -, 'Fred' Itublcn is in the next room.and I'll ask him to j accompany you. He Is a civil engineer and thoroughly j qualified for Uic task. He will measure tho track in f your presence and you can then report results to jnc." i The coach welcomed the opportunity to prove his j ' contention and the two went away together. ,y j A couple of hours later Mr. Sullivan's telephone bell jj I sounded. "Tills is So-and-Sof" said u voice at the L other end. "1 just called you up to say that I'll never I question an Amateur Athletic Union record again. J - We measured the track carefully twice, and both j, i times found It a little longer distance, instead of 0t short" M '' it ' Other doubters would soon be converted were thev Zt ' - ij to tike tlie trouble to loolc Into .the mgtliods of thd R 'Record Committee. A c:igF lu poliU av br-fej. JHnS. I & i w -A .72'-- ? Zi3B '"'y - I M? 'w " .V " --fflSiBrr , ' T ' '- ' MSps - ' C. M. DANIELS - - . N Y A C ,. I tratc how minutely any unusually high class or .unlikely .un-likely performance is investigated '. t Every time a record is-established the Auiatcjir Atii-lotlc Atii-lotlc Union requires adldavits j)ropcrIy signed by. the refetce, mcaMuor. judges and time keepers before taking tak-ing cognizance of It. If the athlete has proved by previous pre-vious work his probable nblllly to create the new figures fig-ures these affidavits are deemed sufficient, but In the contrary case, or if the officials are not well kuown, every detail Is carefully dissected. " " The "Dan" Kelly Record. - '---" Thus, when "Dan" Kelly was credited with having ruirlOO yards 9 o.5 sccondS( tile committee" was not sntisilpd with the papers turned In, although they were In perfect older, because Kelly was practically n .newcomer. Question blanks were immediately sent to nllHhc officials, asking them to state Vhnt expe-ilcnce expe-ilcnce they had had In the position in which they had served. Also, the measurer was, requested to give particulars as to his quallllcations, the tape he had used aud his reason for asserting the record was correct. cor-rect. The timers were requiied to tell what stop watches they had held, of what make, when they had last been verified, and by whom Tlie.e blanks were returned so clearly and convincingly con-vincingly tilled that It was Impossible to offer furtlici objection and the mark was accepted. Note, on the other hand, what the system accom plishes when everything is not Just "so. Just before the Olympic games of 100S another 0 3-3 second record rec-ord was applied for from New Orleans. -Once more the blanks were scut oyt, and not n single one of them was ever seen again. Careless and Incompetent officials have been the cause of losing many well earned standards to tho unfortunate nthlete' I will long remember the first worlds swimming record ever created by an American, Amer-ican, aud Its sad fate. It was at the Olympic games of 1004, in St. Louis. C. -M Daniels, of the New York Athletic Club, had just broken into the championship class and new figures were expected of him in the two hundred and twenty yard race When the start er's pistol sint the men off on the punishing sprint twenty watches were snapped In uuison, aud with eager anticipation the spectators saw the contestants plough the Ilrst leg of the one hundred and ten yaid -'course in a swiil of foam, turn In sen led ranks'and strike for home. Then the pace began to toll aud soon Daniels' blond head wab seen to forge to the front, his long arms flashing In the sunlight Nearer and nearer he came, rapidly Increasing his lead, and it became npparent that the old mark was doomed. AVhcn hc at last touched out In 2m. -11 l-3i., lowering- Billiugion's record, the news spread like wlldiirc apd the crowd went mad with enthusiasm. But the joy wus of short duration. 'Agitated officials offi-cials were seen talking excitedly to one another on tho float, and before long the announcer's m'eguphono bellowed bel-lowed tho distressing Information that, one of Ihe timekeepers time-keepers having failed to catch the performance, the record would not stand. It mattered not that a dozen competent experts were leady to take their oath that the figures were coiroct. rules orbade taking their testimony nnd tho recoid had to be rejected. A Just and praiseworthy decision, of course, but Daniels and the sport suffered by It. A similar occurrence was chronicled in 1910 on the trick. Ii was .it Celflb Park on September 5. John ITellcr, of the IrKh-Ameilcan Athletic Aiso-clailcn, Aiso-clailcn, negotiated a LJTii j.ud Illicit ot low hurdles In 2!) 3-3 seconds, as against Schweglei's former standard stand-ard of 31 4-3 seconds. But only two watches were clicked and the mail: neer found lis w.iy into the. Amateur Athletic Union book. Luckily Eller has since improved Ills form, and a few weeks ago he was credited with a record of 20 1-3 seconds for the event Official lieglecl and Incompetence-lake other foims. too. In the summer or 1D0S YV. iL Diay. of Yale, exceeded ex-ceeded by a couple of Inches the polo vault lecoid of 12 feet 0i. inches, held by himself.Cnt a meet in Connecticut, Con-necticut, but those In charge had forgotten to provide a steel tape, nnd when the performance enme up for investigation It had to be set nsidq,: for rules do not nllow the acceptance of heights measured with a tape liable to stretch. , - " That same summer, if memory serves me right II. L. Tiubc. of the New York AthletljuCJiib, 'was moving In groat style and his previous bi caking of the indoor one mile miming record gave hopeof his scorinz out-doors; out-doors; In tlie championship, held afyljravers Island, he hnfl his chance, but tho lap counters' made a mistake v - - V - I - I, ri- ir 1 . I; g; W30 yf)j V jsJw mmfm riM ' ; mU.Mz tmhm mkm n fi mm Wi -. mm iBBfeaBMifesi gitl 1 j 1 ji " b 1 PLATT ADAMS MATT McGRATH H PORTER , , ' J. NYAC NYAC l.-A AC 'X A -' &t . Ls- - Va --W JOHN ELLER I -A A C. 1 ' ' and stopped the race before the full distance had. been coyered. It had to be run over again, of course, aud Trjibc-'s chance was gone. Like happenlngb might be quoted by the score, but letj It suffice to mention Just one cnae In each iu-stance. iu-stance. Ilaul luck and unfavorable conditions have often been responsible for the loss of rccoids. It is the custom cus-tom in high jumping to placo upon the bur a while handkerchief or cloth, to permit the contestant to better bet-ter Judge his leap. In one of the indoor meets a couplo of years ago Iliirry Porter, of Pennsylvania, tried to clear record height, and succeeded, but tho bar hud been Insecurely placed aud so lightly balanced bal-anced that, although ho never touched It. the stir of the air produced by lib, body going over fluttered the hnuflkeichluf and this was pnouglj to bring the stick tumbling after lilm. lie failed in his next trials-, iiml thv officials been less careless a new Indoor standard would have been created. A slioke of bad' luck robbed Piatt Adams, the .Ncv Yd,rk Atlidulc Club' all round athleic, of a world's ipark in tho broad jump. In 1010 at Celtic Park he MMnncd 21 feoL 11 inches, beating M. Prlnsteln's The Lap Counters Made a Mistake and Stopped the Race Before the Full Distance Dis-tance Had Been Covered record of 21 feet 74 Inches, but In landing he unfortunately unfor-tunately brushed the ground with his hand nt 23 feec OYj inches", aud although the Judges could And no flaw in the Jump and allowed him the latter distance, the record could not be iccognied. High winds have caused many performances to be discarded, and probably on several occasions without reason. One nia. take as example Melvin Shoppurd's COO yard run In 37 1-3 seconds, made in July, 1010, which equalled Burke's world llgures. It uas rejected because the breeze was thought to have helped him. A few days later he icdnced the time to 57 3-3 seconds on the way to GOO yards, which leads to the belief that the other performance was most likely a fair one. technicalities frequently stand In the way of the athlele. In March, 1010, M. Kirjassoff, of Ynle, stepped half a mile indoors in 1 minute 30 -1-5 seconds, record lime, but he was competing In a relay race, and this made the mark unacceptable. Officials Hard to Satisfy. Weight tossers have tabulations of a like nature, and others besides. Martin Sheridan, of the Irish-Anicrlcau Irish-Anicrlcau Athletic Association, can tell souiethiug about It lie appears to have 4he knack of hurling the discus further and further at will; otherwise he might well feel Indignant lie has thrown the Greek missile to record distance time and time again, 011I3' to have his performances rejected on some plea or other. Ir September, 1010. at Dexter Park, he sent the wooden disc 1-12 feel 1 inch, belleriug his own standard of HO feel 3 inches, but it was claimed that the Held had a slight downwind slant, and although alils was not peiccptible. to the average morlul It was thought suf-cliMit suf-cliMit cause to deny a record to him. Again, on October Octo-ber 0, nt Celtic Park, he threw 1-12 feet 2 Inches, but n stiff broee was blowing, yet although eyewitneacibs say that its direction hindered instead of helping him, the authorities decided against lilm. UecenUy he put out the discus Ml feet -1 Inches in the face of a light wind, and, all other conditions being favorable, It is likely that the mark will stand. Inaccuracies of missile has more than once proved fatal to athletes in the held events. The fr.ictlou of nn lijcli lu length of handle or a small part of an ounce lu the weight aie never overlooked by jhe shaip eyed officials. But In these mafters'the man himself hrto 'J blame so let them pass'. It has hipjipnui at times; , - l however, that the circle from which the contestants ' ' threw was marked loo small or too large. In the for-" mq'r oiise tlie chances of a foul are increised. render- H lng. more difficult a rocmd performance, and in the I I ' 1 1 IH latter the. Amateur Athletic Union refuses acceptauce,. " J so j,hul any eiiur..in ulc one w.i.v 01 tin :ihiv. -n.v.-frys - 'I works; ju the disjffivantngo of the anibilijus athlete., ' jfl "Soggy yr wet ground is a handicap Hut w.eight ' rl " .to.l'is ipquciill.. Iir. c to eon1 end with. One June 3 1 H . at-l'r.lvexsJsland "Mntl"' Me'Jr.itlu of l he New VTjrk ' ' H AthlrticMiih. was Mimrd for U it-oid with tlie six- y . H toon j)oiiy(l lunijner, and in o':r- of hl tlnV.ws sejll the ' -H le.ldeiisp!iere some three fct beyond .nI-iihIiuiI ill's- H rnyec. rijhic-kil;.. it had rainrd in lhe iimnting -hours M , H and the throwing iliVle was slijprr, ijJiriUr.s foot ! H sli6 about an Im-Ii ovcy Ihe IIo. .ud thr judga caHed ' H tho foul qii him. -Had c-oudiiiwiu luen it'.c;ii lie would I . JH jirobnbly not only have escaped the foul 'but thrown ''. .''B cvpu fuither. So. many factors enter iut -the consldciiirlon In il' rerd bieaklng that wcsh6uld be iMilv.vir icady'to I' '; M aochiimf'the victor. The cohibinurion is necessaryt i'- nn athlete at his best n.liieli. comt.uy to pu'JijVnu- , 5 H loij, Is a njlher mie ocenrrpnce.j.arjil !lf,tl y.v:nVi;ioji"s f"i -B nejihcr uhfiivoruble. for then rcior.f! is .thirtjtiUm- ''; 3H poll)lc. nor In the lea't raorinic, for Impu to out- ft H wiyd influences Is a Unbilled theihigh'MbtiKlHVd ufjilfiu ," jH jiorfornmuce. and the r.utlioritle: aIH not ai-cp' t It ' i M With the nii't.s wide apart and eomiill u- ever nn- " l certain, the leader will realize the diihcnltips In-the ' 'jH Ialh of the recnnl bieaker. lie Is indeed descrviugof ' M out highest ndinlrcitiui), so let us Jiandcl.tp. and, cheer I H . enthushistlertlly - tth the lest when h'e succet'ils, fdr he iH has earned our plaudits, 1 . H , - "HIM THAT GIVES GITS." ' i ' ISS SOPH IK. a pretty product of Plltslnirg.'who M J J writes bright things for the literary market', tH Iovck epigrams, and one of her r.tvorites h. "lilm ;H that gives gits," or wouls to that effect Whereof H herewith Is one leason: j H Among" the little kludues'ses that Sophie, has Mo ' H hef futuie cicdlt,.as well as piesont, is giving 53 iH a week to a worthy woman and her dependent fundi H .somewhere near Pittsburg. This she sands from H New York by check with extreuio regularity. On H one oQc'.Ion, lust Cluisiuius. say, the woman sL-nt H woid to Jer lienefactress that if she would send her H $2.30 ut once she need not send the usual $3. as sh'o H wuntel the money foi a special purpose and she JH would il ml a way to get the $3, as she already, had a 'H part of It. . . H .Miss Soihic forthwith sent a check for $7.30, al- ' H though .she was making some effort herself to -keep ' IH up with thdfcharitible procslon. Still she believed I jH In tlie epigram and was willing to take a chance. And 1 i see how It worked out Thlit'sa' ic wek'sbe recei'd 1 from an editor a check for exactly $7.30. with the ex- il planatiou that lu mauittg up her account for 'the pic- lll vioiis check ho had overlooked seven, and a half l dollars' worth of epigi-ams.' That sounds l:ke fiction, '' j perhaps, hue if there is one thing that Sophie can- ' ' not do .she can do many thing it is to prevuilcate; I ' and this story comqs direct from (he lady herself. r . ' As also docs this- one along the .same lines and Is H more recent: Sophie has a stenographer, a young (j ,H nnd pretty New England girl, whom she found out-of , H employment, or, at least, not w ith employmeiit yielding ' ' H n fair living wage. Now. lo, Sophie didn't very urgently need a stenographer, nor was she able to pay ' H extravagant wages when she did have one, but sue 1 H didn't want to r.-e the girl subject to the temptations 'JH that go with Insufficient pay. aud she agreed to give her ' H a place, temporarily, if $S a week was enough to meet jf H her expenses. Tlie ghl said it was three dollars' more it H than she was receiving and she uotild get along 011-lL H very comfortubly. The job was 10 continue only evtn llH wct'ks. beciiusp that uoulil bring the time up to Mi; jl dale of Sophie's summer dopnrturc, A tapid cnl- . ' fl ' calculation showed-that she would have lo curtail l iH her own e.peii(liliue.s fiG unless sonic good luck iMl brought returns, but she was willing to help a needy. j fjH sister, and the girl went to woik. , HH Within a week, as before, Sophie had a letter H from the editor of a magazine out of town which had j H been holding up a number of contributors, scv- f H oral of whom Sophie knew, aud none of whom' was f ijH suflgulnc of over getting anything for her claim. ijH The edlto? wrote that he regretted the financial coiidl- fiflH Hop of the miK'.-mnc and feared that some gf tlie 'i fll i-iedltors would luo'o to wait a long time, but he felt )j jjH that an extra effort should be made iu her case and he maiinged lo got a chuck for all the magazine owed her ifil aud he was enclosing it to her. The check called for N jH $.10.73. and when the, recipient looked Into Its face she tl almost Tyent into (.spasms. Now. If anybody of any Vl faith tells Sophlo that there -is no more lu the (- lH epigram "nim thut gives gits" than In any ono1 of 1 - f ' 'H thousands that sound well enough in print, she will ft, H throw a hot stovo lid at him. Aud no wonder, either. . j h |
