Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES 14-ft. class. Nowadays, however, coaches have no objection to athletes of 6 ft. 2 ins. or 6 ft . 3 ins. who weigh as much as I2t or a little over I 3 stone. As I remember the men who filled the first three places at the Olympic Games in I908, E. T. Cooke, U.S.A., was nineteen years of age, about 5 ft. IO ins., and weighed JOt stone, A. C. Gilbert, U.S.A., who tied with Cooke at I2 ft. 2 ins., was twenty-four, stood 5 ft. 7 ins., and weighed IO stone 5lb., while E. B. Archibald, who had won the Canadian trial at I2 ft. 5t ins., but could do no better than I I ft. 9 ins. to tie for third place in London, was also twenty-four, but stood 6 ft. and weighed I2t stone. Cooke and Archibald were good all-round athletes, the former in the sprints, burgles, pole vault, and broad jump and the latter in the pole vault, shot, and hammer. Frank Foss, U.S.A., who took the Olympic title in I920 with a new world's record of I3 ft. 5 ins., was short, stocky, and very strong, but his successor, Charles Hoff, of Norway, who took the world's record to within a fraction of an inch of I4 ft., was a tall, slim, beautifully proportioned specimen of manhood, probably 6ft. 3 ins. in height and not more than I It stone. He was right in the international class too as a high hurdler, broad jumper, and at the hop, step, and jump. He represented Norway also in the 400 and 8oo metres at the Olympic Games in I924, when he was a semi-finalist in the former and a finalistin the latter event. The case of Hoff is mentioned p~rticularly because I have said that the pole-vaulter must have plenty of pluck. Hoff certainly had his full measure of courage, for he broke his ankle not long before the Paris Olympic Games, was thereby prevented from competing in the pole vault, and suffered agonies in the running events. · W. W. Miller, U.S.A., who took the world's record up to I4 ft. I~ ins. when he won the Olympic title in I932, was another cham– pion standing 6 ft. 2 ins. He gave up hurdling to concentrate on the pole vault, but made sprinting and apparatus work in the gymnasium two very important factors in his training. Of the present generation of pole-vaulters William Sefton, who shares the world's record of I4 ft. I I ins. with his fellow-American E. Meadows, stands 6ft. 3 ins., weighs I2 stone I2 lb., and has a pair of tremendous shoulders. 1 shall also quote F. R. Webster, • the English record-holder, since both he and Sefton commenced their pole-vaulting careers at seven or eight years of age. Webster 320