Athletics and Football (extract)

200 ATHLETICS A.A.A. rules were founded, was to give the officials a free exerciseof their discretion ; but it is obvious that for the rules to work well the officials must be men whose discretion is guided by experienceand knowledgeof the sport. A dispensing and discretionary power in the hands of a noviceis apt to lead to blunders, but, as we have said before, there is seldom any difficulty,nowthat athletics have been in full swingfor a genera­ tion, in finding judges whoare both willingand able to act when asked, and the occasions therefore upon which the rules of the A.A.A. do not workwellare very rare. One of the officials,upon whomin a great measure success depends, although he is often not present at the meeting itself, is the handicapper. At most gatherings nowadays, there are more handicaps than level races ; often indeed, especially in London, there are no level races at all. In fact, the ordinary programme for a club meeting near London is something of this kind : a hundred and twentyyards handicap (open), a quarter- mile handicap (open), a mile handicap (open), a three-quarter of a mile steeplechase(open), a two mileswalking race (open), a hundred and fifty yards, half a mile,and twomiles handicaps (confined to membersof the club giving the race). Perhaps also there is a level race at some specialdistance arranged on purpose to bring twoor three ' cracks' together, or perhaps a handicap with a short limit (say a quarter of a mile,with a limit of 25 yards from the best runner of the day), this last race being designed to produce a field where there are no ' platers,' but only good class runners. As meetings of this descrip­ tion take place by scores in every part of the country, it is obvious that none but trained handicappers, who regularly study the art, can be trusted to bring the men together. Before competitors became so numerous, handicapperscould be found to do the work without reward,but first one and then another of the well-knownhandicappersbegan to demand payment for their services,and at the present day at least a score of men in one or another part of the kingdom are making a comfortable addition to their income by the exercise of their talents in this