Coaching and Care of Athletes

COACHING AND CARE OF ATHLETES Company, Helsingfors, Finland, and so are also of quite the best pattern. · Another important feature of the new stadium at Loughborough College is the pavilion, which has been specially designed for athletic purposes. On the ground floor there is a stepped terrace, and inside the building a central hall which serves as a cafi. Opening from this hall are store-rooms, a Director's office, three large changing-rooms, a plunge-bath, a range of shower-baths, and washing-basins and lavatories. Upstairs are a sun-parlour and two excellent lecture-rooms, besides an open balcony from which spectators can watch all that is going on out of doors in the stadium. We come now to the various developments which took place in 1937. By that year the new stadium and pavilion were ready for use. In 1934 Armas Valste had filled the role of chief foreign coach, while J. H. Viljoen, who was in England for the British Empire Games, and Pierre Lewden had given him able assistance. None of these overseas coaches, however, was available in 1935. Valste had by that time been appointed chief Olympic coach in Finland, while Viljoen had taken up a physical training appoint– ment with the South Mrican Defence Force. Mikkola, who acted as chief foreign coach in 1935 and 1936, was also unable to give us his help in 1937. I had for some years been corresponding with Boyd Comstock, and there was no doubt in my mind that if we could obtain his services he would be the very man to act as chief foreign coach at the Summer School in 1937. Comstock (Plate IV, Fig. 8), himself a fine athletic performer in his youth, had subsequently turned his attention to amateur coaching, but later became a professional coach to the famous American universities of Yale and Southern California. He acted as chief coach to the Italian Olympic team for the 1936 Games at Berlin, and had phenomenal success in improving their performances. Our correspondence had shown me, moreover, what a keen and comprehensive knowledge he possessed of all forms of athletics. Mter some negotiations with the Marquis -Ridolfi, head of the Italian Olympic Committee, that body kindly consented to loan Comstock to England for the period of three weeks. Incidentally, the Ita~ian Committee made it a condition that before granting their permission to Comstock to come to England he should sign a contract to continue as chief coach to the Italian Olympic team until the Games at Tokyo in 1940. 46