Fig. 2.
The ideal distance between steps in a high-hurdle race is shown in the accompanying diagram (Fig. 1). The runner alights about 7 feet 6 inches from the obstacle, and then takes the short quick step already mentioned (4 feet 10 inches); then he makes a long step (5 feet 10 inches), and then another short step (4 feet 4 inches), which brings him within 7 feet 6 inches of his next hurdle, and he makes that spot his take-off. A fatal fault of many hurdlers is to bring the forward foot down in such a way as to cut off the length of the jump, as shown in Fig. 2. The first foot should be made to shoot as far forward as possible along an imaginary line, as shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
As the last hurdle is cleared, the head should be thrust forward as the athlete lands on the ground, and so held, for this will greatly aid in the sprint for the tape. There is a difference of opinion among the best men in this event as to whether the standing start or the crouching start is the better. Those who take the upright start assert that they can get off quicker and are in a better condition to take the first hurdle, which is only fifteen yards away, and say that it is difficult to rise to the proper jumping position in such a short run. Those who favor the crouching start deny this. This is a case where each individual must decide for himself which method he prefers. Another vital point that must be observed is to rush for the first hurdle with the utmost speed, for the way in which the first obstacle is reached and cleared often decides the race. A hurdle race is a constant drive from start to finish.
The hurdles should be cleared by as narrow a margin as possible. From the standpoint of speed it is better to strike the top bar lightly rather than to clear it by several inches, for this margin makes a loss of time. The athlete shown in the illustrations is E. H. Cady, and these photographs give a very good idea of the position a man should train himself to assume when clearing the sticks. The eighth illustration gives a very good idea of the distance of the landing-spot from the hurdle, as shown also in the diagram. The single thing which requires probably the greatest practice is to get the exact length of stride for the various steps between hurdles. A good way to get this is to mark these spots on the ground, and then go over the hurdles, lighting on these spots, until the stride has become absolutely natural.
The first annual in-door games of the Long Island Interscholastic Athletic Association brought out a good crowd of athletes from the two cities, and although no records were broken, the sport was good, and each event was well contested. Everything went off promptly and sharply except the pole-vault, which was not started until after five o'clock, and dallied along for almost two hours. Even so, it resulted in a tie that had to be settled by the toss of a coin. Forney, Hurlburt, and Eddy kept abreast until the bar reached 9 feet, and there Eddy dropped out. The other two then struggled for first place, breaking every bar the committee could furnish. Two broken ends were spliced to keep up the contest, but the imperfect bar sagged so deeply at the centre that it was impossible to tell how high (or low) the mark was, and finally Forney and Hurlburt split the points, and tossed for the medal, luck favoring the former.
Berkeley won the banner offered to the school taking the greatest number of points, the scores of the contesting teams being as follows: Berkeley, 21; Barnard, 18; St. Paul's, 12; Brooklyn High, 8; Pratt Institute, 6; Pingry's, 5; Adelphi, 4; Drisler's, 4; Cutler's, 3: Oxford, 3; Alling Art, 1; Brooklyn Latin, 1; De La Salle, 1; Poly. Prep., 1; Stevens Prep., 1; Hamilton Institute, 1. The struggle for points was reduced to a duel between Barnard and Berkeley very early in the afternoon, St. Paul's being the only other team that made any kind of a showing.
Irwin-Martin, of Berkeley, had an easy thing of it in the quarter-mile, taking the lead from the start; Hipple of Barnard likewise had his own way in the half-mile, although he misjudged his pace, and failed to make as good time as was expected of him. Moore, of course, made a double win in the dashes, for there is probably no better sprinter in the New York and Brooklyn schools than he. Berkeley depended on Armstead for five points in the Junior 75-yards, but although he won his heat, he met a better man in the finals. This was Robinson of St. Paul's, who proved so far superior in speed to any of his rivals that we may well count on hearing from him as a first-class man in the near future.