Why? The Science of Athletics

I 70 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS concerned mainly with the conservation of energy and the fighting of fatigue, nor the lissom jumper and the power– ful weight-thrower, all in one person. · A good deal may be learned, however, in the foregoing connection from the four amazing results produced upon one afternoon in I935 by J esse Owens, an American negro athlete, who made new world's records of 220 yards on the flat in 20.3 seconds, 220 yards over IO flights of 2 ft. 6 in. hurdles in 22.6 seconds, and 26ft. 8-l ins. in the long jump, and finally equalled the world's Ioo-yards record by running that distance in 9·4 seconds. The plotting of records and ot{ler per- Graphs formances graphically is instructive for both coach and pupil and has also made much ' useful information available for the use of scientists. This matter was very fully discussed by Professor A. V. Hill in a presidential address to the Physiology Section of the British Association in I925. The results obtained by .Professor A. E. Kennelly of Harvard (Proceedings American Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. 42, p. 275, I9o6, and vol. 6I, p. 487, I926) and the work of George P. Meade, U.S.A., are very illuminating. In discussing the Physiological Basis of Athletic Records Professor A. V. Hill used various diagrams relating average speed to time occupied and was able to demonstrate trorri the curves evolved that certain records lie above the line, which passes through others, while yet others fall below it. Those below the line, such as the I 20-yards sprint and 3-miles run, offer the best possibilitie~ for record-breaking, because they have been less often attacked, while records such as the 440 yards and I mile which come above the line present the most formidable difficulties. · Even more interesting is the information arising from investigations ~n relation to rates of movement and average speeds. The ·question of speed of movement we will, however, leave for the moment, while we consider the experiments carried out in I928-I929 by two Canadian scientists in the comparison of the relative sprinting powers I