OCR Text |
Show Thorpe Prefers Plain Food To Mirrors While Training ' AS TOLD TO DKA.V SNYDER. BY JIM Til 011115. AKRON', Ohio. May 15. When Jim Thorpe was training for the 1912 Olympiad they weren't using mirrors, movies or mimic. He rolled on the strength he got from the pure, crystal University in the heart .of the Cumberland valley, and on Coach "Pop" Warner. Naturally the Indian doesn't think much of the newer innovations that are in vogue In some of the big eastern east-ern schools now. "It might help a fellow to get .form by working before mirrors," saysj Jim. "but form is only a preliminary i for a great athlete. i "1 remember I practiced in an bight foot circle. to throw the javelin before; I went to Stockholm. My form' was perfect, all right. "But in the completion over there Javelin throwers, were permitted to run as' far as they liked before making mak-ing the feast. That was new to mc. My form didn't do mc much good, "The Finns and Swede? were shooting shoot-ing the spear out from 30 to 10 feet farther lhah I bad ever done. "I watched them closely. "When my turn came I, took a. long' run. as they had. done. My. cast taped I about 16S feet. -That onlyJTgavc me! third place. The beat l ha'd ever donej in the elght-foot: circle at home was 1 around 1-2$ Xeet. I "Form '"counts, of course, but it cer- talnly wasn't form that counted forj mc over ther.e. It was strength. That's why I believe In it so much. '"Running some every day and then eating pialn foods and plenty of them Is the best way, in my opinion, to build strength and to keep It. "Some fellows imagine thoy can keep strong by limiting themselves in their eating. "It can't bo done- You've got to I have food to put you over the other ! fellow's mark. I like eggs. Thrte or four of them at a meal go good with me." t. '4 And while Jim was saying this he whs sitting at a small table In a restaurant res-taurant demonstrating with a good sized order, pi Us an extra sido contribution contri-bution of fried bam. He also mixes Jn plenty of bread Thorpe doesn't mince around with a roll like it was scenery, either. He chews it with unmistakable relish. "They any I'm a big eater. The fel-v lows on the' ball team are always" kidding kid-ding me about it. But I get a lot of strenuous exercise out of playing ball and I need a lot to eat. "I remember one meet back in the old days at Carlisle. All I had to cat from 9:30 in the morning till 0 o'clock that night when we-'finished the meet was one lone egg. They kept mo so busy running off heats I didn't have time to oat. It seemed to inc I was running hurdles all day Jong. I could not ca,t anything that night for somo reason or other as I . had to go to morning mass. While I was in the confession room everything suddenly went black. I got out In the air and soon revived. That taught me. my lesson les-son about the necessity of food and athletics."-.. :.- And with -these remarks'.'-the greatest great-est athlete of all tlnYcS helped hlm- and . The table at. which Thorpe was sitting sit-ting was fenced in by shinning mirrors. mir-rors. Did he look in the reflectors to note his form? He did not. His eyes were on his plate. Jim enjoys eating Just like he docs his baseball, football and everything else that has served to put his name in the hall of fame to stay. |