Bryn Mawr, New York, Baltimore and Rosemary Hall (Greenwich, Conn.) teams have been met repeatedly by the All-Philadelphia team.
Activity of Missouri Colleges
By Miss Lorena L. Parrish,
Physical Director Howard Payne College.
It is with pleasure that I take this opportunity to give you a glimpse of the work of the Junior Colleges of Missouri in Athletics.
In 1914, the organization known as the Junior College Athletic Association of Missouri was formed. Up until this time there were only a few of the colleges devoting much time to athletics. Howard Payne has for years been one of the strongest supporters of athletics for women, not only within her own college, but a strong advocate of intercollegiate sports. Since the organization there have been four out of the seven junior colleges which have taken up active intercollegiate basket ball-Christian College and Stephens College, both of Columbia, Mo., Lindenwood of St. Charles and Howard Payne of Fayette. I feel confident that in another year the remaining three will join our ranks. We also have our tennis tournaments every spring.
In the year 1915, we started for the first time work in track and field athletics. A dual meet was held here on May 17 between Howard Payne and Stephens. It met with such overwhelming success that we have planned to make it an annual event. There were several physicians present at the meet, and they were very enthusiastic in their praise of the work, saying that it was one of the finest moves that had been made within recent years for the development of our girls. Notwithstanding these facts, there is still a great deal of prejudice against this particular form of athletics, and the two questions that are uppermost in the minds of a great many are: “Are we taking chances with the girls’ future health by allowing these sports?” “Do the advantages gained overshadow the possible danger?” These questions should be given careful consideration by the physical directors and they should see to it that the girls under their charge receive careful training and supervision. It is only in this way that we shall be able to break down the prevailing prejudices. I should say that under proper conditions and supervision the gain in health and strength far outweighs the risks of danger. Here in our own school the girls who are most active in athletics are the healthiest and are rarely ever absent from classes because of illness.
Since the meet held here in Fayette in 1915 was the first intercollegiate meet of its kind for girls in this section of the country, it might be of interest to include in this article the various events used:
Target shooting
50-yard dash
Base ball throw
60-yard hurdles (3 hurdles)
Discus—2-l/2 pounds
75-yard dash
Shot-put—8 pounds
Running high jump
Basket ball throw
Running broad jump
220-yard dash
Girls’ Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League
Among the sanctioned activities of the Girls’ Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League are the following team games for the Elementary Schools: End Ball, Captain Ball, Basket Ball, Punch Ball, Indoor Base Ball.
End Ball can be played by a varied number of players. The playing rules are to be found in the Official Handbook of the Girls’ Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League, published by the American Sports Publishing Company. This book says: “The object of the game is for the guards on one side to throw the ball over the heads of the guards on the opposite side to their own basemen, at the end of the opposite field. Each such ball caught by a baseman shall score one point for the side catching it.