as there has been occasion more or less of late to deprecate the holding of so-called "junior" events in track-athletic meetings, it is perhaps an appropriate time to devote some space to the subject of athletics for younger sportsmen, and to try to impress them, if possible, with the fact that any kind of training for boys under sixteen years of age is not only inadvisable but absolutely injurious. if boys of that age wish to take regular exercise—and they all should—there are better things for them to do than to train for contests of speed and endurance. they will do better for themselves if they will restrict their endeavors to a milder form of athletics, to simple body motions or calisthenics. this, of course, is not so interesting, and i know these words will fall upon many deaf ears, but their truth will be recognized none the less by those who have the slightest experience in such matters.
it is perhaps natural that young boys who see their older companions constantly at some kind of preparation, or training, for some branch of sport, should wish to imitate their elders, and go in to some similar kind of regular work. the older athletes, and those who look after their development, ought to use all their power to prevent the youngsters from trying to train, instead of encouraging them, as they do, by offering medals as prizes in "junior" events.
the last thing that growing boys should try to accomplish is to get hardened muscles. this sort of thing retards growth and development, thereby defeating the very end that the boys think they are attaining. the best kind of training for the younger lads is to keep regular hours, both for meals and sleep. they will find this more beneficial than to keep a regular hour each day for running or jumping or putting up heavy dumbbells. the boy who gets his breakfast, luncheon, and dinner at a regular hour each day, and who sleeps eight or nine hours each night, and who bathes every morning, will make a much stronger man than the boy who trains for "junior" events.
but, as exercise should form a part of each day's occupation, the sixteen-year-old boy should take his exercise in a way that will do him the most good. he will probably not find it so interesting at first, but he will soon discover that he is becoming a better specimen physically than his fellows who can run a hundred yards or a mile under a certain figure, that really does not mean very much.
fig. 1.
there are a number of body motions that can be performed at home alone, or in the gymnasium with others, that develop the chest and the arms, the back and the legs, so that when the time comes when it can do no harm for a young man to enter into regular athletic training, his muscles are supple, his skin is clear, his chest is deep, his back is straight, and his legs are firm enough to allow of the natural strain which comes from any kind of training.
fig. 2.
one of the simplest methods of developing the strength of the legs is to stand erect with the hands on the hips (fig. 1), and to perform what is called the frog motion.[pg 346] that is to bend the knees and to squat down, rising at the same time on the toes, and keeping the body erect, from the waist up (fig. 2). this motion should be continued up and down until you feel tired. stop at once when the slightest sensation of fatigue is felt. at first a boy will not be able to perform this motion more than ten or a dozen times, but if he keeps it up every morning he will soon find that he does not become tired until he has dropped and risen again some seventy-five or a hundred times. the important point, however, that must be kept in mind all the time is not to overdo.
fig. 3.
having gone through the exercise just described, for a few minutes, it is well to try something else that will exercise a different set of muscles. for instance, stand erect and lift the arms high overhead, the palms turned outward, and then bring them rapidly down to the level of the shoulders and up again (fig. 3). do this a few times, and then try another arm motion. stretch the arms forward, the finger-tips touching, and then swing them horizontally back as far as possible, rising on the toes at the same time (fig. 4). as in the case of any other kind of work, this practice will tire the novice, but at the end of a few weeks it will be surprising to note how long the exercise can be kept up without fatigue.
fig. 4.
these three exercises will be found sufficient for the first few weeks, but thereafter a greater variety may be adopted. an excellent exercise is to stand erect, with the hands lifted above the head, thumb to thumb, and then to bow over forward, keeping the knees stiff (fig. 5). at first the hands will not come within eight or ten inches of the floor, but within a week or so it will be an easy matter to touch the carpet with the ends of the fingers.
fig. 5.
another movement that will develop the muscles of the waist and back is shown in fig. 6. stand erect, with the heels together and the arms akimbo, the hands firmly settled upon the hips. then move the body about so that the head will describe a circle, the waist forming a pivot about which the upper portion of the body will move. at the start the circle described by the head will be very small, but as the muscles become limbered and the waist becomes supple the body will swing easily about through a much broader area.
fig. 6.
there is no use denying that all these things are at the start uninteresting, and i know from experience that even with the best intentions there will be a strong temptation at the end of a week to give up the whole business. but here is where the sand and determination of the american boy must prove itself, and the lad who sticks to the monotonous exercise in his own bedroom will be the one in after-years to stand the best chance for a position on his college crew or eleven.
there was a man in my class in college who as a boy lived in a small town where there were no athletic contests. some one told him that if he wanted to get strong he ought to start in in the morning and dip between two chairs, lacking parallel bars. his adviser told him to dip once the first morning, twice the second morning, three times the third morning, and so on. it is evident that on the last day of the year he would dip 365 times, if he could only keep up this regular increase. he soon found that he was unable to do this, but he was surprised at the end of the year to notice how easily he could dip a number of times between two chairs, whereas his playfellows could barely perform the act three or four times.
when that boy came to college he was the strongest in our class about the chest and arms and back, and could perform wonderful feats of lifting himself and of dipping on the parallel bars in the gymnasium. but, unfortunately, the man who had suggested to him to dip each morning between two chairs had not thought of telling him that he ought likewise in some manner to develop the muscles of his legs, and so he was consequently overdeveloped from the waist up and under-developed from the waist down. this goes to show that when exercising it is imperative that all the muscles of the body should be given an equal chance, otherwise some parts of the anatomy must suffer at the expense of others.
a very little exercise performed regularly and for a long period will do much more for any boy or man than[pg 347] vigorous exercise performed for one or two hours a day for only a few weeks during the year. it is the little drop of water falling constantly that wears away the stone.
correct way to hold a hockey-stick.
the accompanying illustration will give a better idea of the proportions of a hockey-stick, and the manner of holding it, than any description can do, better even than the photograph published in the last issue of the round table with a brief description of the game.
the members of the arbitration committee of the new york i.s.a.a. at a recent meeting voted to ask the university athletic club to accept the responsibility of acting as arbitrators in any future disputes between the schools. it is to be hoped that the university a.c. will undertake this, for a committee of college graduates can, beyond question, be more serviceable to the interests of amateur sport in this matter than any committee made up of individuals whose interests are closely related to scholastic athletics.
it is pleasant to note that the officials of the n.y.i.s.a.a. refused to allow the tie between berkeley and de la salle for the skating honors of the league to be settled by the unsportsmanlike expedient of gambling. one of the schools wanted to toss a coin to settle the matter, but this was very properly overruled. there is only one step from this sort of thing to the settling of all contests by the arbiter of a coin without taking the trouble to go to the field. that is not sport. when it is proved (as in a jumping contest) that two contestants can do no better, after repeated attempts, one than the other, it is just and proper that some method be adopted to determine who shall have the medal—although the points must be split. if both contestants agree to toss for the medal, well and good; for the medal is merely an evidence of success, and does not in any way affect the merit of the contest which has already been settled and recorded, before the owners of half a medal each determined to take the chance of possessing two halves of a medal or no medal at all.
the renewal of athletic relations between exeter and andover seems to have put new life and energy into every branch of sport at the new hampshire school. an enthusiastic meeting of the entire school was held a few days ago in order to collect money for the management of a track-athletic team, and a very respectable sum was realized. more men have turned out for practice than for many years at exeter, and the captain of the team feels greatly encouraged over the prospects for the winter and spring season. a team of exonians will go down to the big in-door meeting of the b.a.a., and a still stronger team will probably be gathered to represent the school at the new england i.s.a.a. games in june. dual games with worcester and andover will probably also be arranged. it is pleasing to note this renewed activity at exeter, for there was a time—just about ten years ago—when the p.e.a. accepted second place to nobody in athletics. the decadence which the school has just passed through, and from which she is now making a vigorous endeavor to arise, may prove to have been a blessing in disguise. the fact that all this was the result of questionable methods in sport should stand as a glaring proof that straightforwardness, after all, is the only path to success in athletics as well as in any other work. exeter now stands as a champion of purity in sport, and for that reason we may very well look forward to her brilliant success within the next few years.
in connection with the news of activity in northern new england comes the report from new haven that the hillhouse high-school will not put a track-athletic team into the field this spring. at a recent school meeting this action was definitely determined, and it was voted that the school would support a baseball team only. if it was found that the school could only support one of these two branches of sport, the choice to keep up baseball was a wise one, but at the same time it is regrettable to see so strong a member of the connecticut inter-scholastic league as h.h.-s. fall out of the ranks. so far as i am able to ascertain at the present writing, the reason for dropping track athletics was purely financial, but as the connecticut association seems to be rich just now, perhaps this obstacle may be removed.
the comment upon the dispute over the football "championship" going on between the southbridge high-school and the north brookfield high-school, printed in a recent issue of this department, has called forth a number of letters from partisans of both sides. the actual standing of the affair seems, however, to be very clearly settled by mr. t. e. halpin, vice-president of the worcester county south a.a., who assures me that there existed no league for football in the worcester county south a.a. this fall, and that therefore there was no possibility of there being any "championship" of football in that association, since the w.c.s.a.a. claims no jurisdiction over football affairs. it would seem that southbridge and north brookfield have been wasting a great deal of valuable breath and writing-paper over nothing, and if the two schools are uncertain as to which is the better in athletics, they might preferably wait until next spring and settle the question on the baseball-field.
w. s. mcclave of trinity winning the novice race at stamford.
at the skating-races held recently in stamford, w. s. mcclave, of trinity, proved himself one of the cleverest of the skaters present, and won several important races. the illustration on another page represents mcclave winning the novice race.
it has been decided that the race between the crews of the milwaukee east side high-school and the st. john's military academy shall take place on the last saturday in june.
it seems necessary to repeat every few months that the editor of this department can pay no attention to anonymous communications. correspondents who desire to have their questions answered, whether by mail or through these columns, must give their names.
"track athletics in detail."—illustrated.—8vo, cloth, ornamental, $1.25.
the graduate.
