| Points. | |
| Oakland High-School | 42 |
| Berkeley High-School | 38 |
| Lowell High-School | 26 |
| Hoitt's | 8 |
| St. Matthew's | 6 |
| Polytechnic High-School | 5 |
| —- | |
| Total | 125 |
N.B.—The odd point in the 120-yard hurdles was left unscored, there being but three men in the race, and one of them, Dawson, O.H.-S., being disqualified.
O.H.-S., Oakland High-School; B.H.-S., Berkeley High-School; L.H.-S., Lowell High-School of San Francisco; P.H.-S., Polytechnic High-School of San Francisco; St. M., St. Matthew's School; Hoitt's, Hoitt's School.
The Spring Field Day of the Academic Athletic League of the Pacific Coast was held on the University of California track at Berkeley, Saturday, April 18th, with the results as shown on the preceding page. It was a bad day for track sports—cold, and eventually rainy, with a cross wind that brought no help to the racers. Nevertheless, the performances were noteworthy in several cases, and a glance at last year's record of the California schools' games will show that the tendency of the records is downwards. Drum took the 100 after a hot fight with Jenks, and also scored a win in the 220. Jenks had been looked upon as a pretty sure winner for the longer sprint, having equalled the Coast record in his heat; but Drum was too much for him, and Switzer came near cheating him out of second honors. These two defeats seemed to discourage the O.H.-S. man, for although entered he did not compete in the quarter. This race went to Woolsey, who got his points through heroic treatment of his distance. He wanted to save himself for the relay, and yet take the quarter too, which he felt confident he could do, having covered the distance in 54½ sec. So he set a hot pace from the start, covering the first 220 in 25-1/5. The field followed close, but the pace killed them, and Woolsey came home in the excellent time of 56-1/5 sec. The A.A.L. record is only 1/5 sec. lower.
Steele, O.H.-S., had trained to run his first quarter of the half-mile in 60 sec., counting on these tactics to slaughter the rest. But the bunch fastened on, and at the end of the second lap Shaw of Lowell showed unexpected endurance and crept ahead. He and Steele then ran within a yard of one another to the tape, which Shaw breasted first in 2 m. 12-4/5 sec. There was a big field for the mile run, and a remarkably tight one. At the end of the third lap Haseltine hit up the pace, but Cutler of Lowell was good for it, and rushed in a winner. Dawson was unfortunate in the hurdles. Some one has taught him a bad trick in practice—to run around an obstacle after knocking the previous one or losing his stride—and he suffered for it. He knocked the top bar off the eighth hurdle, played his trick of dodging the ninth, took the tenth, and beat Cheek to the tape. Of course he was disqualified, but as an O.H.-S. man won, his error was of less consequence than it might have been. It is always better to work in practice just as the rules require that you work in competition. Then you have an advantage over the other man.
In the high jump Grant, P. H.-S., proved a surprise. His form is wretched, but he has springs in his feet. He tied with Hoffmann for first place, and lost the honor on the toss. Cheek could have done better in the shot after he won it, in going for a record, but forbore on account of his other events. The hammer throw was somewhat complicated by the failure of the judges to mark accurately Lynch's sixth and last throw. The least they could give him was the 102 ft. 9 in., but to make the thing square all three were allowed a seventh throw. Smith and Johnson did not improve their marks, but Lynch threw 109 ft. In doing so, however, he fouled by overstepping an inch, and the event went to Smith of Hoitt's.
In the relay race the Berkeley team led all the way, and won in 3 min. 31 sec., which is within 10 seconds of the Pacific Coast record, made by U. of C. in 1894. Drum did the best work for O.H.-S., but his mates were not in condition, and the event was lost to them.
Every school that competed at the meeting scored. This fact is especially creditable for Polytechnic H.-S., St. Matthew's, and Hoitt's, all being new members of the A.A.L., and not so seasoned in athletics as some of the other schools. Their teams give good promise, and if they keep on as they have begun, Oakland and Berkeley will have to look sharp!
The Princeton Interscholastic tennis tournament was not held last Saturday, as had been announced. The date was considered too early in the season, none of the school players having yet had sufficient time to get into tournament form. The date now proposed is May 23d.
George W. Rollins, Boston, Mass.—The best kind of training for a ten-mile bicycle race is to take short spins of a mile or two at speed on a track, and long rides of from fifteen to eighteen miles on the road, on alternate days, for two or three weeks previous to the date of the race. If you can ascertain what road the race is to be run over, it is well to become as familiar with it as possible; but do not try to ride the distance on time more frequently than once in ten days.
F. J. Chapman, New Richmond, Wis.—See answer above for your question on training. Cold baths are good, if you rub down well afterward. Never continue exercising when you begin to feel the slightest fatigue. It is not well to go to bed immediately after exercising; and it is better to run early in the morning rather than in the evening.
The Graduate.