Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETICS Another sport which is less frequent at athletic meetings than was the case a dozenyears ago is that of throwingthe cricket ball. The secret of a good throw is, as all cricketers are aware, to keep all the joints of the arm loose until the throw is taken, and then to stiffen at once with a simultaneous jerk the muscles of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The Oxford cricketer, W. H. Game, has we believe thrown the farthest distance on record, something over 140 yards with a good strong wind behind him ; and the Etonian, W. F. Forbes, is credited with having done some magnificent throws while he was still a schoolboy. It is a pity that so fine a sport, whichought to attract the entries of manycricketers, is being allowed to fall out of the programme at open meetings. Yet another sport, not often practised, but very popular with spectators, is pole jumping. A pole of from 10 to 12 feet in height, shod with one or in some cases three iron spikes, is used, and is grasped with palms facing each other, one hand above the other, that hand being uppermostwhich is on the opposite side to the foot from which the spring is taken. As a rule, the lower hand is placed upon the pole a little below the height of the bar which the jumper is about to clear. A short run is then taken, the pole planted firmly in the ground, and the holder makes his spring. When the pole reaches the perpendicular, the jumper, who holds his body perfectlyrigid, by strength of back,arms, and wrist swings himself horizontally over the bar, throwing the pole back behind him so as not to knock down the bar with it. The skilful jumper often raiseshis body some wayabove his hands, and so clears a height which at first seems impossible. Of course the high-jumper has a great advantage at this sport, as his first spring is a great deal higher than that of any ordinary novice attempting the sport, and it is an almost invariable rule that the good pole-jumper is a fine performerat a high jump, as is the case with T. Ray, the champion, who has cleared 11 ft. 6 in., and is good for 11 feet upon almost any occasion. At the present time Ray is probably able to jump a foot