The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

I3 2 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. thing isto strip and have agood rub overwith flesh gloves, then put on throwing or unning costume. After the practiceis over, strip, rub down with a rough toweland put on ordinary clothing; it is dangerous to sit and getcool before doing this. An athlete may practise athleticfeats either asa healthy pas­ time, orto gain distinction as a prize winner. The latterobject includes the former, with this difference,that in feats of strength exerted objectively, the athlete who aspires to a position in the front rank must be a man of over twelve stones in weight at least. Whenever weight is mentioned, it is always tobe under­ stood as meaning an athletes weight when stripped for throwing or running. Few first-class throwers have been under fourteen stone. There aremany instances of comparatively little men, men under twelve stone weight, who have wonmany prizes as throwers, butheir performances have never reached the standard of first-class. The putting performances of John M'Pherson, Kintail, Canada, at 12 stone 2 lb. are perhaps the only first-class performances made by an athlete under 13stone. As a rule, however, an athlete under 13 stone weight, is wasting his time training himself for hammer, stone, caber,weight throwing, or wrestling, except for competitions in which only secondor third class athletesare competing. It isimpossible to fix a definite age limit for beginning athletic practice. In the north of Scotland boys begin throwing before they leave school, as they practise wrestling in the north of England when they are of school age. As a rule, however, seventeen to eighteenwill be early enough to begin anything like regular practice. Let us suppose a young athlete who, at eigh­ teen years of age, promises to be a man of 14 stonewhen fully developed. At that age he may begin practice so as to learn style, but on no account should he practise very hard or with heavy weights untilat least twenty-three or twenty-four years of age. Up tothat agepractice once or twice aweek, six or eight throws ata time, fromApril to September, will be quite sufficient to develop style, and with light weights therewill be little danger