The San Francisco call. [volume], February 26, 1910, Page 3, Image 3

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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11 ' K SAX l-'RANriSCO CALL, SATURDAY. KKItRUARV 26, 1010.— TIIK JUNIOR CALL
ATHLETICS IN SAN FRANCISCO GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
Champions of the Public Schools Athletic League — -Medal Winners in Final Meet Last Year
JOSEPH R. HICKEY
SccrHnry Public Schools Athletic
% IjClUfllC
|H VIOUY hoy and girl In the public
1 schools of this city is now being •
V""' prSvlded with the place ami time
f»y recreation as well as study. The
Public Schools Athletic J,eague of San
l'iancisco.. Is', enjoying its second year
of activity due to the enthusiastic and .
sensibly realization of a number of -
citizens who -have joined to help tho
children play. Organized play Is- no
longer consider^da luxury, but a neces
sity. It is not simply' something that '
thu boy or girl likes to have; it is ' ',
something that they must have, as it
is un essential part of youthful en
vironment. If (he children in the pub
lic schools are not given a chance to
play in the right way they are not
getting all that Is good for them. Most
or the members of the board of di
rectors of the Public Schools athletic &
league have enjoyed \u25a0 the benefits of •
athletics and. are not selfish in the pos- t
session of their. good health" and high
spirits. They desire to give the boys
and girls In the schools every oppor
tunity to' play games,' to excel' in tests
of speed, skill and endurance, to teach
schoolmates to -be honorable and
straight by normal play with their
fellows. Cpr this reason every boy and
girl in the grammar, schools should
take'advantage of Ihe games announced
for their pleasure. r
"Basket ball) baseball, track and field
athletics are included in the list of
sports encouraged /.by the league and
swimming will be .introduced within
the next few woeks, whereby all can
learn to swim at practically no ex
pense. ls T o longer are the athletes from
the various. schools confined to a select
few, but under the system adopted by
the league every boy can compete -for
a prize without tear of facing a cham
pion. The .method, of attracting all of
the boys to the games is demonstrated
in the division according to weights.
Tills weight system, applies to ull
branches of sport, except that in "the
girls', basket ball tournament the'teams
were allowed to include all sizes for
tlris season. There are four classes
for the boys, as follows: Kvents for
boys under 95 pounds, under 80 pounds,
under 115 pounds and an unlimited
class which includes all those who do
not qualify In the remaining three di
visions. The result of > thla classifica
tion has been to draw into the games
hundreds of children who heretofore
stood aside to watch a few/others per
form. During the last two years more
games' have been "held for the school
children than a_t any time in the past.
Greater inlereat lias been displayed In
school uoiivlties .as a result and a
higher standard of scholarship hats
been recorded in 'view of the require
ments necessary to take part in the
. game.
Order In the classroom, regular at
tendance iinil a satisfactory mark in
lessons must be to the credit of every
hoy who aspires to win a prize under
I lie auuplceH of tho league. . During
the coming school year plans will bo
adopted Uy the league, which is now a
recognized feature In connection .with
the ucltool work, whereby ~ athletics
fields and playgrounds in the vicinity
of the various schools will be built.
The board of education has been qulok
to recognise Ihe advantages of the
league mid will turn over to the oill
rial.s Boveral Bites no longer needed for
buildings. These grounds will be ar
ranged so that district guinea will l>«
held regularly for the schools in each
vicinity.
It is ft common thing nowaday » to
emphasize the value of play and sports,
for spontaneous play- opposes the oc«
(tupatloiiH wf civilized Ufa which cori
hjihv t<* iiaiuper und contract tho luntf«.
To study, to read, to\keep books, to
write, to do utmost anything of the
kind, causes drooping shoulder* und a
shrinking chest. Unused organs grow
weak and invite disease. How neces
sary then for the school children to
do all they can against. this condition.
Every ono should got into the games
arranged by the. public schools league.
Do not be. satisfied to watch tho others
play. , Learn to enjoy the excitement
of competition, the fine. Influence of
healthful ' exercise, to become strong
Relay Team From Monroe Grammar School
AEROPLANING AT YOUR HOME
Ron a party of older children who
hav«i" been ."studying geography for
a number of years an aeroplane
party Is an Interesting form of amuse
ment," although it necessitates quite a
good deal of (thought on the part of
the players. To play this game it is
Important that there should be either
a very large table on which it may
be set out or a. number, of small" tables
which can all hold part of It. A model
aeroplane, one of the small rubber, band
kind which are now so popular, ia sus
pended from the center of the cell
ing. For the party the aeroplane may
be loaded with flowers, but tills is not
necessary/ as in any event the aero
plane is only/a decoration. ,
On the large table Is laid out a whole
series of landscapes over which tho
aeroplane is supposed to have passed.
The landscape may be entirely rural or
there may be cities, towns, bodies of
water, etc. They may be made in two
ways, either by modeling a' bit of the
map In clay, If some one among those
who are giving the party Is' skilled in
the use of this material, or by getting
a number of pictures of places, land
scapes which have characteristic fea
tures, well known bits of tho coust or
harbors with which all are or should
be familiar, cities, and watering places
tlmt ure well known, etc.
No attempt should bo made to have
the *jour»ey ,a possible one over con
secutive Btretches of country. Thlw
would make tho laying out of the
guiue a very difficult one. Instead, well
known places, either rural or urban,
should be selected. It will not be hard
to necure a set of pictures of uniform
tdze which will display the character
istic features of well known places. If
any of the family have made ;i collec
tion of post chi'ilh these may be used
for this purpose, the names, .of course,
being hidden.
In conducting guessing each per
and to avoid habits that ore . charac
teristic ,of indifference to .play.
There are at the present time some
30 grammar schools Included' in the
public schools lea-gue, and by the end
of the present school year the directors
arft hopeful : of establishing games' in,
the • remaining"* schools of lower
grades. A feature of the spring season
will be athletic games for all those
son Is furnished with a card or piece
of paper and a lead pencil with which
to record his guesses. "The cards and
small colored pencils, usi-d for" dance
programs are the most attractive for
this purpose,, but tt Is not necessary to
go to this expense, as any cards or
paper will serve the purpose just as
well. After each person has been fur
nished with the necessary Implements
the game begins. The players are asked
to walk around and. write the name v*
each place that they discover. on 'their
cards. In .order to make tho game
more* Interesting: it is a good plan to
have the pictures divided into sec
tions, with perhaps five pictures in -one
section. The pictures are all numbered
so that they can be/ Identified on the
curds. When the first player lias
guessed till the places In the ilrst'St'C
tlon, or, at least, thinks' he has, and
has written Ills guesses upon the cards,
he calls out "Finished!" and all the
players are obliged' to go ou to (he next
section.
It Is the same way with the neit
section. When any one player nutn
down all his guesses and announces it
the others must nturt v new section,
if you are playing the game in this
manuer — that in. with section*, the
cards niUHt be- divided .. properly, so
that tho guessta fur euch section are
meparuted. When any ono player hn
ishes putting down all ltls guesses for
tho last section the game is at an end,
although If desired live or 10 minutes
more may be allowed the players to (HI
out their Hut of guesMes In the differ
ent sections. If thls.be done the play,
era should be allowed to devote this
time to whatever portion of the trav
eled area they cliooma, At the end of
this time the host or Hostess announce*
that the giune la over \u25a0 und give* out
lite prize*. Appropriate souvenirs for
this game are ueroplaue favors for nil
the guests if possible. .
- lv pUying this game, or, rather, tn
taking part iv thin contest, the guest*
should not consult one another nor
name gueitsed aJoud, an this would de
atiuy thti interest in the coute«t.
A Close Finish
who have never won a prize in any of
the fjames already held by the league.
This will attract hundreds of boys -.Who
have not yet competed. Games will be ;
arranged for the remaining ones also,
so that there will always Ik; something
to look forward to, even for the cham
pions. .. •• \u25a0\u25a0 ' . , ';, \u25a0*'\u25a0
-The basket ball tournament now In
progress has included , the competition"
of some 'id teams, averaging .eight
players to >a' team. ..'-During' the last
two weeks the preliminary series were
played, and the deciding games in the
different classes : will be contested dur- .
ins the coming week. V Baseball will
be on the schedule' for teams of all
sizes,' -and , the , great : American -game'
is: 'Certain; to prove, popular .with^ the
boys, as was the case a year. ago. ' An \u25a0
inspiring sight of the!many;point*win
ners at the district games held last
fall, competing 'in the championship/
series at the stadium "in Goldeni Gate
park this spring, is one, of 'the treats*
in store ; for the parents .of the chil
dren. , The championship meeting last
May was a great day J for the Public
Schools , athletic league*' Front 10
o'clock'ln the morning until late in the;
afternoon of a beautifulCalifornladay,
the"' youth of San Francisco employed
extended^, effort to win . glory for the
honor of their respective schools. One
thousand boys In actual competition,
a sight productive of the. most elevat
ing aspirations. -The' occasion was one
grand ; 'outing ' for ' the - parents , and
teachers,- who arrived at. the: big play
ground .in • the 'forenoon and remained
throughout the, day. •\u0084 ,: T
. This is wliat the gentlemen of the Pub
lic, Schools. athletic league hope to es
tablish as an affair, not once a year, but
as ,a , periodical , display >of the great
good derived, from athletics and»play.
It Is up to every,- boy and girl in the
schools to take part In -these assemblies.'
Not to ' let them pass by only to regret
the omission in after years. 'The time
to get strong is now, when you are free
to take part; in -the games which; in
•future years are only; special ized'by a
few record -breaker^. > There are no
hardships attached. to being eligible for
a prize under the league. Get into, the
games. Be. a part of 'the movement
to make a stronger and greater com
munity. •• Learn to ; : accept defeat, with
ythe kindest thoughts toward your op
ponent and victory with' consideration
for the less successful/ ,< To control
your temper in the pitch of excitement
is one of the greatest attainments of
an athlete and such training will prove
Invaluable in after life.. This is,, what
the Public Schools ; leagrue goffers, -..'an
added feature to the school system,
but after all the most natural one. -
The league has been organized along
the same lines followed in New. York,
New Orleans, Boston and' Seattle,
where the games and exercises are
established . features lathe dally " rou
i tine of the' pupil. In New York the
Public Schools league has developed at
a cost of $500,000 four athletic fluids,
which are used for the children of the
Hchools, These recreation grounds .are
separate from the public playgrounds.
Here in San Francisco the scheme la to
obtain possession of school sites which
have been unused alrtce the fire 'and
arrange the samo for athletic fields.
Football In' the local' schools Is also
to be added to the number of events
now enjoyed. Not. the football against
which a storm of protest ha* arisen
during the lust year, but real skillful
football,. in which grit, endurance and
speed are requisites. .Association foot
ball, the Australian game of football, is
also. to be given a trial in the league.
Both games ure superior contests for
boys in preference to the gridiron bat*
tie now furthered by the big colleges,
There will be no premium placed on
weight, und tho adoption of a gam a
that all can play without expensive
uniforms will no doubt prove a pop*
ular addition to the Public Bchoola
league activities. Association football
U known the world over as the great*
e»t 'of International games.' It U'
played In every corner of the earth.
3