Abbreviations.—Connecticut H.-S.A.A.: L., Hotchkiss School, Lakeville; H., Hillhouse High-School, New Haven; H.H.-S., Hartford High-School; B.H.-S., Bridgeport High-School; H.C., Hartford Classical School; N.B., New Britain High-School; B.M.T., Boardman Manual Training-School; B., Bulkeley School, New London. Western Massachusetts I.S.A.A.: M., Monson; H., Holyoke; W., Westfield; C., Chicopee; A., Amherst. Dual Games: P.A., Phillip's Academy, Andover; W.A., Worcester Academy.
A mere glance at the reports of the three interscholastic meets held in New England a week ago Saturday will demonstrate that scholastic sports, in spite of their prominence and excellence, are still in a suit of "go-as-you-please" state of perfection. For instance, half the associations use a 16-lb. hammer and a 16-lb. shot, whereas the other half use 12-lb. weights. In some instances, such as at the Worcester-Andover dual games, the contestants put a 16-lb. shot, but threw a 12-lb. hammer. It is impossible to make a comparison of relative efficiency under such conditions. Why is it not just as easy for all the schools to use a 16-lb. hammer, and thus equalize things? Then they could not only compare their own records, but they could see in what relation they stand to college-men. The principal argument in favor of the 12-lb. shot and hammer is that school-boys are not strong enough to use the heavier weights. This does not seem to me to be a good argument, because fully half the associations use the 16-lb. hammer and shot, and there are no reports of resultant evil effects. Besides, a school athlete who goes in for those events is usually a well-built and muscular boy, who, if he is going to college will probably continue to put the shot and throw the hammer. It is pure nonsense, therefore, for him to become accustomed to lighter weights, for it will be like beginning all over again for him when he enters college sports, and his classmate who started with a 16-lb. hammer will have a considerable advantage over him.
For some time I have wanted to speak of this matter and of kindred subjects, but as I have not space enough to go into it fully this week, I shall only say a few more words to start those interested in it to thinking. The kindred subjects are the other events on the scholastic programmes. Why not have the card at school meetings identical with the inter-collegiate programme? We all know that there are too many events, anyhow, on both cards, and I am glad to hear that next year the colleges will eliminate the mile walk and the bicycle race. The schools cannot do better than follow this example, and those leagues which have throwing the baseball, standing high jump, standing broad jump, and other acrobatic feats on their lists will do well to start in on sweeping reforms. There is nothing athletic about throwing the baseball, especially, and it certainly is not a picturesque feature of any meeting.
Uniformity is a great thing in any branch of human endeavor, and the sooner we can attain to it in interscholastic sport the farther advanced we shall be. The formation of a general interscholastic league, such as I spoke of last week, will be of great service in that very direction; for the greater association would adopt a definite programme, and all of the schools holding membership would have to accept it, and would no doubt be delighted to do so. I am glad to say that the suggestion of forming a general league has been favorably received by many enthusiasts in interscholastic sport, and, so far as I know, has been unfavorably commented on by no one. I have received, already, several letters endorsing the scheme, and the only point so far on which my correspondents differ is concerning the best place to hold the annual meeting. Until representatives from all sections are heard from, however, it will be impossible to say what the preponderance of opinion really is. Mr. Evert Wendell is heartily in favor of the formation of a joint league. In his letter he says that such a thing would increase the interest in the subject everywhere, and would prove a great success.
Continuing, he writes: "The only part of it of which I disapprove is the holding of the meeting in a distinctly college town. The interests of so widely representative an interscholastic meeting must be so diverse that it would be unwise, for many reasons, to hold it in a town identified only with one of them. New York would be the most central place for it, and, to my mind, the most advisable choice. The best tracks are here, the best-known officials are here, and the greatest number of spectators would doubtless be gathered here. The Inter-collegiate Association has chosen New York as the most central and representative place in which to hold its annual meeting, and the localities of the various associations which you propose to have constitute members of the new-school athletic body would in general be drawn from about the same parts of the country as the colleges in the other organization. So have the meeting, by all means, but have it in New York."
For the fifth time since 1889 the Hartford Public High-School won the championship of the Connecticut High-School A.A. at the games held in Charter Oak Park, Hartford, June 8th. They scored 38-1/3 points out of a possible 112, their nearest rival, the Hotchkiss School of Lakeville, being just ten points behind them. Some very good performances were made, and eight records were broken, and if it had not been for a strong wind blowing up the track the time in the sprints might in many cases have been better. In spite of the breeze, however, the three trial heats of the 100 were run in 10-4/5 sec., 10-3/5 sec., and 10-3/5 sec., respectively, and the final was made by Conner in 10-1/2 sec. He ran a strong race, finishing a yard ahead of Dyer, his school-mate, with Davenport third. Ingraham, unfortunately, had to be put back a yard at the line for a false start, and could not overcome the handicap. Dyer turned the tables on Conner in the 220, finishing ahead of him. It was a pretty race, all the contestants running in one heat, the track being sixty yards wide. Luce proved a disappointment for the Hartford High-School in the quarter by going to pieces in the last half of the race after earning a good lead at the start. Consequently Foster passed him, and took first easily in 53-1/2 sec. Luce has done better than 52 in practice, and may learn from his experience of last week not to take any chances with his diet on the eve of a race.
The half-mile run was one of the most exciting events of the day. The runners kept bunched at first, but soon Bassett, Kearney, and Lawrence plunged ahead of the field, each one struggling for the lead. Bassett and Lawrence ran almost abreast until within fifty yards of the finish, when the latter was taken with a cramp in the leg, which forced him to third place, behind Kearney, while Bassett crossed the line in 2 m. 7-1/5 sec. This time would certainly have been bettered but for Lawrence's misfortune, for both he and the winner have done better in practice. I was surprised at Chapman's defeat in the mile, for I think he could have won if he had shown more "sand." He led until within sixty yards of the finish, when Buckingham passed him. Then he gave up, and straggled in second. The high hurdles made a pretty race for two Hartford High-School men—Field and Cady. Field is a most graceful runner, and he scraped the sticks in fine form, with Cady snapping along barely a yard behind. The time was comparatively poor, but I dare say this was largely due to Cady's weakness, he having dislocated his shoulder a few weeks before the race. He is a brother of the Yale sprinter, and from present appearances I believe he will do better than his senior when he gets the advantage of college methods and training. The improvement over his last year's style is marked. He came in third in the low hurdles, with Field again in the lead.
F. G. BECK, HILLHOUSE HIGH-SCHOOL, NEW HAVEN.
The fifteen starters in the bicycle event kept well bunched until a collision scattered the crowd and spoiled things for four of the riders. The remainder bunched again and pedalled along pretty evenly, until Steele, Rutz, and Baker forged ahead in the stretch and finished in that order. The time, 5 min. 18-2/5 sec., is excellent. Another unusually good performance at the Connecticut games was Butler's winning of the walk in 7 min. 17-3/5 sec. He forged ahead at the start with such a rapid gait that I felt certain he must give out before he could cover half the distance, but he kept it up, and finished strong fully a hundred yards ahead of Tichbourne. Sturtevant and Beck carried off the honors in the field events, the former winning both the pole vault and the high jump, breaking the record in each case. He is only seventeen years old, but he is a promising man. He won the vault at 9 feet 6 inches without ever touching the bar; then he had it raised to 9 feet 8-1/2 inches, and cleared it at the first trial. He could have gone higher, but was reserving his force for the jumps. In the high, he repeated his performance of the vault by winning first at 5 feet 4-1/2 inches, then by having the bar raised to 5 feet 8 inches and clearing it at the first attempt. In taking both the hammer and the shot Beck did excellent work, as our table of records will show. Both weights were 16 pounds, and I feel confident that he can make a better put in the shot when not competing in so many events.