Athletics of To-Day 1929

' The High Hurdles 133 The problem has been to find a means whereby a man may run 120 yards over ro flights of 3 ft. 6 ins. hurdles, with ro yards distance between each flight, in the shortest space of time. In the solution of the problem an improvement of between 4 and 5 secs., or approximately 45 yards in 120 yards, has been brought about. At first men merely ran the distance, jumping over each hurdle in turn and landing with both feet together, so that there was almost a dead stop in the run aft r each jump. Next came a (( sail-over" effect with body almost upright, front leg tucked up, and r ar leg trailing (see No. 4, Plate rg, K. Powell and . Elmslie). It was quicker becau e it allowed the athlete to land on one foot. But still a lot of time was lost while the body was sailing over the hurdle. ext it was discovered that a faster time could b achi ved if a man took seven or eight strides to cover the fifte n yards up to the first flight, going ov r on the ighth or ninth, and, ther aft r, taking thr e strides to cover the ten yards betwe n flights. Ev n with this improv m nt in method such fine hurdler as E. S. arni r, .U.A.. , H. K. Upcher, O.U.A.C., C. L. Lockton, L.A. ., and . F. aft, all equal to showing about r2 secs. for r2 yards on the flat, could produc nothing bett r than r6 to r6! secs. over hurdles, o that th y w re taking roughly 4 secs. ton gotiate the ro flights, as compared with Thorn on's subs quent 2 to 2 secs., since the anadian never show d anything like even time on the fiat. The early L ti s brought to light a young Oxonian with a gr at natur gift for th g me and the right typ of brain to study it t chnique. This was A. . M. roome, who shattered th illusion that graceful hurdling was good hurdling, his theory b ing bas d upon the as umption, perhaps, that what is pretty is v ry oft n not practical. What Mr. roome was 1 oking for was something which would put a punch into hurdling without d straying rhythm. He stated that (( th men who look nice wh n running ov r stick take th ir fences in the wrong way," and h gave th mod rn g neration the power for its ruthless onrush.