Why? The Science of Athletics

I· i 1 1 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS It is when a runner is in this condition of extreme fatigue, closely bordering upon exhaustion, that he unintentionally fouls an opponent, and one likes to think that it may have been just such a circumstance that caused Lehtinen, the Finn, to impede the progress of the American, Hill, at Los Angeles Olympic Games, in 1932. At this stage the frowning brow is typical, but it pre– cedes a further change of expression which will mark a different phase of physical affliction. Exhaustion As fatigue merges into exhaustion a temporary paralysis of the facial muscles sets in, and the athlete lets his head fall back, in an attempt to counterbalance the strain of holding it upright. At the same time he strives to counteract the paralysis of the muscles that keep the eyes open, by contracting the frontalis muscle. The eye– brows rise higher and higher in an expression of pained surprise, which is accentuated by the open mouth gasping for air. The expression is seen in Fig. 6, Plate I, of C. E. G. Green, C.U.A.C. The arms usually come !J-P when this stage is reached and · if the · man still fights against collapse his face will become expressionless ; as the circulation fails, the colour will fade from his face. Sometimes, when a man is very badly poisoned by fatigue, he becomes nauseated. That is because the poisonous waste products of exhaustion act adversely upon the digestion and Nature directs the sufferer to get rid of the poison through the stomach or the lungs, and usually he vomits. AnalJsis of Expression a Good Guide I have dealt with this matter at some length because it is of primary importance that the cqach should study the facial expressions of his pupils when they are in action, and especially when they are under the strain of competition. Perhaps if the reader will study the pictures of athletes which are given in Plate I, he will be able to sum up what