Impressions of Northern Athletes and Athletics

knowing look – when in the course of talking I addressed him as “Mr So-and-So” instead of “Captain So-and-So!” Several like examples could be adduced. Conducting the Contests. Two events should not be brought off concurrently, but especially if one interferes with the other. The impetuosity of certain members to have the feats finished is sometimes really irrefutable. They do not seem to notice the obvious indications of disinterestedness of the crowd, which sometimes finds more attraction in the side-shows and hurdy-gurdies outside the ring, owing to the painful blank following the rushing of two or more events together. Starting the Sprinters frequently incurs much annoyance; but when the starter knows his duty he will not be obliged to rehearse his business over and over again, ultimately effecting his task in such a way that one or two runners will come galloping to the winning post, while the others are left scattered about the starting point. Furthermore, it does not favourably impress one to see the sprinters rush to the tape, and, unable to restrain themselves in the small space allowed, going headlong into and almost wrecking a tent, or, still worse, crashing into the spectators. John O’ Groat Journal , Friday 15 November 1912 Caber Tossing Continuing my last article, I will now endeavour to show the proper manner to judge a caber-tossing contest. I have always noted that when judging this feat the judge stood some distance behind the performer, instead of standing away to the side, so as to see properly the elevation the caber attains, and in the event of it going straight over, to note its speed. Beyond almost all feats, the judging of the present one is the more apt to be involved in disputes, and therefore, it is very necessary that the judge should be competent. In the first place, he should stand as above indicated, and carefully note upon a piece of paper the angle which the caber attains when it fails to go straight over. Sometimes it occurs that two or more athletes send the caber diametrically across, and in such cases it requires expert acuteness to discriminate between the differences which can be distinguished only in the speed at which the log goes over the vertex point. It will thus be inferred that when two or more athletes succeed in tossing a caber, it does not follow that they are essentially equal. The Risky Tosser Much care should be taken to see that the Caber is perfectly perpendicular when going over, as the athlete might quite easily give a dexterous twist to the log, which would swerve round and fall procumbent to the same position as would more genuine tosses. When the caber