Impressions of Northern Athletes and Athletics

columns. Although I have never met Mr Sutherland, I consider it would be remarkable to match him with the Lochaber giant at ball-putting or hammer-throwing. I know Mr A. A. Cameron personally. The 48 ft. 10 ins. [14.88m] throw with the 16 lb [7.26 kg] ball at Bower must surely have been sped by the fairies! A. A. Cameron or Donald Dinnie never attained to anything like this! However, I wish my fellow Rogartian every success in the athletic world of sport. 5 WAS THE WORLD RECORD BROKEN AT BOWER? By J. W. Sutherland John O’Groat Journal, Friday 27 September 1912. SIR, - On perusing the columns of your last issue, I observe that an anonymous correspondent criticized my shot-putting achievements at Bower, inasmuch as it compared unfavourably with other throws. Obviously, the argument is based upon distances, irrespective of conditions and particularly the pattern of implements used. There is, of course, a difference between the terms “putting the shot” and “putting the weight.” Mr Horgan’s greatest effort in shot-putting was 46 ft. 5½ ins. [14.16m], accomplished in 1894, according to the British Official A.A. Association record. “Putting the weight” is similar to shot-putting, the weight being square instead of round, but also sixteen pounds avoirdupois [7.26 kg]. Mr Horgan’s one-time world’s record in this feat measured 48 ft. 2 ins. [14.68m] As will be readily inferred, the square missile is much more conducive to great performances than is the round one. Mr Coe’s winning “putt” at the Inter-’Varsity Sports of 1902 for Oxford was 43 ft. 10 ins. [13.36m] – exactly five feet [1.52m] behind my throw. Again, at the 1908 Olympiad he registered only 42 ft. 10½ ins. [13.07m]. His quondam record throw was accomplished either with a square or a lead weight. What kind of missile was used? Moreover, he might have inadvertently discharged the shot in a tangential direction: that would inevitably exaggerate the distance. At Bower I endeavoured to “putt” straight forward from the centre of the stance. Mr Rose’s greatest “putt” in England is 46 ft. 7½ ins. [14.21m] – two inches [5.08 cms] more than Mr Horgan’s effort. It is unreasonable to think that an athlete’s efforts with iron balls, square and lead weights, and stones, of equal weight, should be identical. The incalculable facilities of a square weight or a small lead ball must be obvious even to the casual observer. American athletes are not the men to adopt unwieldy articles! My “put” was performed with an iron ball upon saturated ground, and, although I was aware of these other records, I had sufficient reasons to compare my effort only with Mr Cameron’s authentic record of 47 ft. 8 ins. [14.53m]