Olympic Trials

An eight-oared crew was to be selected to represent the U. S. at the Olympic Games. Canada had already picked the Argonaut Rowing Club of Toronto. The U. S. problem was to find out whether undefeated California or undefeated Yale could be defeated. They met on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to decide. California took the lead at the start. It was a small lead--one-half a length--sometimes it grew to three-quarters of a length, but never did anybody see any open water between the shells of California and Yale. They were going along at a high beat of about 40 strokes a minute; yet the two crews seemed tied together, side-by-side, by a rubber band that would stretch just a little. A short race (2,000 metres), it was soon to end. Coxswain Stewart of Yale pulled out his red handkerchief, which told the eight boys facing him that they would have to sprint like mad. But they had been sprinting all along, and so had California. The rubber band contracted to a quarter of a length, at the finish. . . . It was decided; the eight boys and Coxswain Blessing from California (University of) will represent the U. S. at the Olympic Games.*

Two conclusions were drawn from the Olympic track and field trials at Cambridge, Mass.: 1) the U. S. team is of sufficient strength to outscore its opponents in the Olympics; 2) many of the ablest performers on the team have their homes in California.

There is 18-year-old Frank Wykoff of Glendale High School in southern California, who defeated all comers in the 100-metre trials and four times equalled the Olympic record (10 5/8 seconds). Charles Paddock, whose amateur status is being investigated, was too slow to qualify in the 100-metre dash, but he finished second to Charles Borah, also of California, in the 200-metre finals and made the team.

Other Californians who qualified are Lee Barnes in the pole vault, Robert King in the high jump, Clarence Houser in the discus throw, Levi Casey in the hop, step and jump.

Two world's records were broken in the trials: Edward Hamm of Georgia Tech broad-jumped 25 feet, 11 1/8 inches; Lloyd Hahn of the Boston A. C. ran 800-metres in 1 minute, 51 seconds.

*A Yale crew was victorious at the Olympic Games, four years ago.