Athletic Sports (extract)

Physical Characteristics of the Athlete however, of all special exercises is to pro­ duce special results. The physical char­ acteristics which we have found peculiar to runners, jumpers, oarsmen, etc., have in a measure been acquired by long and ar­ duous practice in these sports. In many cases the special qualifications that make a man a first-class athlete are gifts ofnature. Add to this inheritance the prolonged training that tends to cultivate these spe­ cial powers to the extreme, and we get sometimes a prodigy, but more often a failure. It would be of interest to know if an inch added to Myers's legs would have made him a greater runner than an inch added to his sitting height; or an inch added to Hanlan's long body would have made him a greater oarsman than an inch added to his relatively short legs. There is certainly a limit beyond which the de­ velopment of special parts cannot be car­ ried without interfering with the functions of other parts upon which their ability to act effectually depends. This and many other problems of a similar nature can never be decided until an immense amount of data has been collected, and many ex­ periments have been performed. In the meantime wefeel prepared to affirm that IOI