SATURDAY. DECEMBER 11. 1954
From
This
Angle
• Gene Wettstone has .become a widely recognized gym
nastic coach. His reputation for developing outstanding gym
nastics teams is probably surpassed by none within the
United States.
But had the energetic coach lived 100 years ago, he might
have put the fabulous P. T. Barnam to shame. For Wettstone
.s not only an outstanding coach, he's a showman supreme,
and a pretty good diplomat to boot.
Last year he was the man behind a nation-wide tour of Swedish
clymnasts in the United States. The Swedish team, composed of the
finest gymnasts in the world, made 34 stops in their trip across
the country and were enthuSiastically received at every turn.
At Penn State, where they entered one of four cdmpetitiVe
matches, more than 6000 spedlators turned out in a hall built to
seat 5000.
Then Wettstone returned the visit this summer at the invitation
of the. Swedish government to serve as a consultant at a gymnastics
training camp.' He lectured on
- American gymnastics, exchanged
theories with the many he met
on common ground, and became
a little more popular than he al
ready was with a nation that is
an important friend to the United
States.
When he returned to this coun
try he announced plans for an
other Swedish tour. 'Only this
time, it's going Ito be much big
ger and without doubt, much
more spectacular.
As any good showman would,
• Wettstone made the logical move.
He added women to the program.
So impressed with the perform
ances ,of the graceful Swedish
fair sex, he arranged to include
11 of them on this year's tour.
That was only the beginning.
Since his return from Sweden
Wettstone has been swamped with enough work for 10 men and
has been adding new ideas 'almost daily.
He has set up a 32 stop intinery, planned receptions, programs,
guided tours, made ticket arrangements, designed and written
promotion material, written hundreds of letters, kept telephone
operators busy with calls coming and going to every corner of the
nation, stayed in constant contact with Sweden, advising them of
progress on the program here and hasn't sacrificed a minute of his
• . coaching duties.
And while he keeps himself busy with the complete tour, he's
right in the thick. of ' the program planning for the Penn State
stop on Jan. 15.
Ticket sales were a smashing success. Every available seat in
Rec Hall has been sold and plans are under way for the sale of
1000 standing room spaces. •
Decorations must be planned for the event, parties and recep
tions will be included in the program, housing facilities must be
made available, equipment must be readied for the exhibition,
and the. Penn State Blue Band is preparing a number of Swedish
songs •for the event,
Once again Swedish diplomats will accompany the team, and
several American government officials are expected to take part in
the various programs around the country.
Not withstanding his natural love for good gymnastics—which
the Swedes will bring, in quantity—the Lions coach has one big
reason behind all his work toward the tour.
He realizes full well the importance of our international rela-.
tions with Sweden and sincerely wants to help better them however
possible. In a brochure• released this week he made it evident.
"The need for solidifying friendly relations with this great
Scandanavian country can be partly accomplished by this great
gymnastics display," he wrote, "and by the friendly reception of
the hosts."
And with this sincere desire to help promote good-will be
tweenthe two countries, a touch of colorful Wettstone showman
ships:phows the file of success. He probably would have given
P.T. run for his money.
PRINTING
Letterpress - Offset
Commercial
352 E. College Ave.
By DICK McDOWELL
Collegian Sports Editor
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYWP,,NIde.,
Gene Wettstone
Still time...
Campy, Rookie
Spooner Sign
With Dodgers
BROOKLYN, Dec. 10 (IP)
Catcher Roy Campanella and
rookie pitcher Karl Spooner to
day became the first Brooklyn
Dodgers to sign their 1955 con
tracts.
Campanella, handicapped all
during the 1954 season by an in
jury to his left hand that required
two operations, reportedly will re
ceive the same $35,000 pay next
year. Campanella, 33, dropped 105
points off his 1953 batting aver
age to finish with .207. He missed
a month of the season after a
May 4 operation and underwent
surgery again Oct. 20.
Spooner, just out of the hospi
tal after an operation for removal
of a cartilage from his right knee,
broke in sensationally in Septem
ber with two straight shutouts and
Z 7 strikeouts for a new National
League rookie record.. The 23-
year-old lefthander, who had a
21-9 record at Fort Worth and
struck out 262 batters before he
moved up, fanned 15 New York
Giants in his first game and then
struck. out 12 Pittsburgh pirates
in his next effort on closing day.
Both Campanella and Spooner
were present when the signings
were announced. Both were confi
dent of complete recovery before
spring training time.
For the first time in 37 years,
Penn State will not field an inter
collegiate boxing team in 1955.
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WOMAN GYMNASTIC COACH, Carin Delden
(second from left) rests with four of Sweden's
top female gymnasts following a synchronized
calisthenics routine. Miss Delden will tutor the
10 women who will accompany the Swedish
18 Teams Win
(Continued from page six)
victory against the Trompers.
The Greensmokers walloped the
Eagles, 32-14. John Wagner of the
winners and the Eagles' Toni
Smith each netted 10 counters.
In a crisp, well-played contest,
the Turks jumped ahead of the
Punchy Five, 15-12, at the end of
Pre-Season Look
75 at Candidates
Fighting for Bert. s
The Nittany grapplers will take a two-day rest until Mon
day when they'll return to the mats to resume the inter
squad bouts that kept most of them busy duririg, the past week.
Wrestling pilot Charlie Speidel, with the opening date for
the 1955 season rapidly closing in on him and his wealth of
wrestling material, has been guiding his group of more than
75 candidates through an inten
sive series of duel battles for sev
eral weeks
Speidel, however ; initiated, the
inter-squad workouts after his
prospective varsity material put
themselves through several weeks
of feverish conditioning activity
to tone their muscles and lose
excess weight.
• 147, 157-Pound Classes
The 147-pound and 157-pound
weights seem to be attracting
larger groups of candidates than
the other six weight classes. In
the middle weight berths Speidel
has almost 25 men competing for
two varsity positions.
In the 130-pound class Chuck
Knepper, a freshman, has been
storming through his opposition
by defeating his classmates Don
Dolecki and Dick Glosser. Glosser
earned his bout with Knepper by
beating sophomore Rowland Wil
kinson.
Larry Fornicola, mat veteran
for the past two years who also
the first half. The Turks, guard
ing their three-point advantage,
played more cautiously in the lat
ter stages and went on to win a
25-20 decision.
In other games, Dorm 11 de
feated Dorm 31, 34-20; Dorm 24
outpointed Baloks Bombers, 24-17;
The Toppers overwhelmed the
Asps, 30-15; Dorm 22 outscored
the 36 Vets, 31-26; Pi Kappa Al-
to remember her
Another veteran, Bill Shawley,
has moved out front with two
wins but is being nudged by Lin
McNeal, a senior, and junior Sam
Barone at 157 pounds. Barone
dropped frosh Fred Keck while
McNeal de f eat e d sophomore
Chuck Davenport. Speidel will
have to keep a close watch on
this weight, however, as he has
several men who still have not
wrestled.
At 147 pounds several sopho
mores and freshmen are providing
most of the action. Sophomore
Dave Adams has defeated frosh
Bill England and Ted Mergott
while his classmate Chuck Palm
er and frosh John Frey and Barry
Hough have. moved up with vic
tories.
• ;* 7 3- , :;04-.3
men's team in their North American tour be
ginning next month. She has been Sweden's
national women's team coach since 1949. She
led her team to the world's gymnastics cham
pionship in 1950.
pha's defense held Delta Theta
Sigma, 21-9; Phi Kappa Psi out
scored Phi Mu Delta, 23-19; Sig
ma Nu smashed Alpha Gamma
Rho, 28-15; Phi Epsilon Pi
waltzed away with a 33-19 deci
sion from the Triangle; Alpha
Zeta, defeated Kappa Alpha Psi,
26-20; and Sigma Alpha Epsilon
received a forfeit win from Alpha
Phi Delta.
. with TELEGRAMS!
If you've been remiss with the miss
don't despair! There's always time
to make amends with telegrams.
Flash her a glowing birthday greet
ing in your own inimitable style. Its
delivery on Western Union' special
blank will win her undying devotion.
Yes sir—any way you look at it,
telegrams are a guy's (and a gal's)
best friend. Just call your helpful
Western Union office.,
siv.RN
opy occamo
• t's wise mr
tO WHE E ire "
i
u NON
lr S. Allen Si.. Stale College, Pa.
•
appeared in the varsity boxing
scene last winter, has moved into
the spotlight in the 137-pound
class along with sophomore John
Pepe.
Shawley Moves Up
PAGE SEVEN
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