There is also a school hockey team. Last Easter they played St. Nicholas at the latter's rink in this city, and were defeated, 10-2. Last Christmas a second game was played, and the school was again defeated, 5-1. A third game is to be played at Easter this year. The great fault has been that the boys have not been able to keep up the faster pace set by their opponents. The first twenty minutes has seen good play; then the New-Yorkers have done as they chose. The school has a large rink, which can be flooded at will. It is much used.
Golf has been tried on the snow, but has few followers. Coasting is fairly popular, and the hills are good, but some serious accidents in the past have forced the school authorities to certain rules which materially restrict the sport.
Members of the school hockey team (and one substitute) are allowed to wear the "S.P.S." sweater, with crossed hockeys behind the letters. These school sweaters are very highly coveted. They go to the school football eleven and five substitutes, to the school cricket eleven and three substitutes, to all who break records on the track, and to the best eight oarsmen—these last chosen from the first two crews by a jury composed of two representatives from each rowing club. Football and cricket and crew sweaters are marked S.P.S. The sweaters given for track performance bear in addition "A.A."
There was a number of events at the in-door meeting of the First Regiment Athletic Club (Chicago) in which high-school athletes entered. In several events they won places. In the 40-yard dash, Powell of Hyde Park (4 yards) took his heat in 4-3/5 secs., and McKinnen of Oak Park, with the same handicap, got first in another heat, 4-4/5 secs., but both were defeated in the semi-finals. The time made in the finals was 4-2/5 secs. In the long runs the track was by far too crowded with contestants for any successful racing, and one or two men were hurt at the turns.
In the half-mile run, Boyne of Hyde Park, with a handicap of 40 yards, took second place. Actually he was only third, for the man who took second was protested for cutting a corner. In the high-school relay race of one mile, with five starters, there were three schools entered—English High, Lake View, and Hyde Park. The event was won by the former with the close margin of six yards only, in the very good time of 3 min. 19 secs. Their relay team consisted of E. A. Fitch, D. W. Kelley, W. A. Boley, G. H. Stillman, and L. S. Wells.
The schools of the Inter-preparatory League held a three-quarter-mile relay race, four men to the team. There were but two contestants in this event, the University School and the Princeton-Yale School. The former won easily in 2 min. 47 secs. Their team was made up of G. Henneberry, Robert Ross, C. W. Popper, and F. Maysenberg. The half-mile walk was a scratch event, but in spite of this, Dowd, who is the best man at that event among the Chicago schools, came in a very close second to the winner, the time for the event being 3 min. 47-3/5 secs.
The University of Chicago in-door meet, which was held February 26, drew a well-filled house, and plenty of interest was shown in all the events. The most interesting numbers on the programme were the various team races, the one for high-schools coming next to last on the programme. Among the many contestants, some were from Northwestern University, Lake Forest University, Knox College, University of Wisconsin, and all the big athletic clubs of the city. The high-school boys showed up remarkably well; many of their best runners won heats in the 50-yard dash, but only one secured a place in the finals. D. W. Kelly, of English High, with a handicap of 10 feet, was beaten by the well-known, C.A.A. man C. A. Klunder (8 feet).
In the 880-yard run, a scratch event, having many of the University of Chicago and other university men in it, another English High-School man brought honor to his school. E. A. Fitch came in second, the time of the event being 2.14-4/5. Englewood did well in the walking events. In the half-mile walk, W. O. Dowd (20 yards) won the event in 3.27, A. D. Brookfield coming in third, having had a 30-yard start. The best amateur walkers of the city were in the event, including C. O. Berg, who took second place from scratch.
In the 440-yard run D. Bell, the fastest man for the distance in the Inter-preparatory League, took second place. In the 1-mile relay race for high-schools, eight to enter, six to start, Hyde Park repeated her performance of a year ago, and took the pennant. Her runners were Frank Linden, Roland Ford, Burt Powell, Paul Chase, Dan Trude, and Ralph Pingree, each going 1/6 made the mile in 4.59-1/5. English High showed up well. Englewood also sent a good team.
All in all, the evening was satisfactory for the high-schools. It brought out some new talent, and showed the schools something of what might be expected of their men in the spring meets.