TUESDAY, MAY 2. 1961
Karl's Kamer
A few months ago a thin, light-haired man with a de
termined look paid Penn State a visit.
His name was Gustaf Laurel', and he was Sweden's na
tional track and field coach.
Lauren didn't come to the United States to tour the
countryside—he came to pick up new techniques and pointers
on track and field.
His country, along with many other countries in Europe and
of course Russia, has already started its big push for the 1964 Olym
pics in Tokyo.
What's causing the big push and ' what's the United States
doing about it? It's a long story.
The big push was started by Russia not so many years ago
when it realized that the Olympic games could be implemented to
lower American prestige.
The Soviets began setting goals for their athletes just as they
set goals for their economic system and a trip to the moon.
It didn't take long for them to get results.
Russia won 22 gold medals at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Last year, after only eight years of concentrated effort, Russia
produced exactly double that amount.
Over the same period America dropped from 40 to 34.
Some European nations pushed the panic button at the
thought of future Russian-dominated Olympics and began • crash
programs to mass-produce athletes of Olympic caliber.
So far the United States hasn't adopted any crash programs,
but the suggestions are flying thick and heavy.
In, fact three full pages of the official program for the Penn
Relays at Philadelphia last weekend were devoted to "The Burning
Question for 1964—What should be done in the United States track
and field program to strengthen the team for the Olympic games
in Tokyo?"
Many suggestions were made by this country's leading sports
writers and track coaches.
Morgan State's Eddie Hurt said we should include more Olympic
events like the hop, step and jump and the steeplechase in our dual
meet programs.
Pitt's Carl Reese said we should concentrate more on distance
running, especially in high school.
Manhattan's George Eastman said we should have the Olympic
trials closer to the Olympics so that the athletes don't reach their
peak performances a full month before the Games start.
All these suggestions are good and will improve our Olympic
showing in track and field, an area where the Russians are
still catching up.
But the unavoidable fact is that someday in the near future
the Russian's will catch up.
No matter how much aid we give our amateur athletes, how
many Olympic events we include
in intercollegiate competition or
how much money we spend on a
National Youth Physical Fitness
Program, Russia's highly trained
professionals will eventually domi
nate the games.
In order to compete with Rus
sia we must change our whole
concept of amateur athletics
So-called Russian "amateurs"
like high jumper Valery Brumel
and gymnast Albert Azaryan are
actually well-paid professionals
dedicated to becoming world
champions in their specialties.
American amateurs often have
demanding jobs outside the realm
of athletics'. They have families to
support. They too are dedicated to
their sports, but only in the hectic
hour of practice they manage to
squeeze in each day—not in the eight well-planned hours the Rus
sians spend mastering small details.
And there are other points to consider before we begin any
crash programs.
A well-known writer states: "The Olympics have become
grim business . • . The members of the team must be firmly con
vinced that they are fighting for national prestige as well as indi
vidual glory."
But were the Olympics designed to foster "national prestige?"
As the situation stands now,• the Olympics just add fuel to the
cold war.
The original purpose behind the Olympics, to promote friend
ship between nations . and at the same time provide for individual
competition between the top amateur athletes of the world, is com
pletely lost in the race for national glory.
In 1952 Avery Brundage, the president of the Olympic Asso
ciation, wrote:
- "One of the greatest dangers facing the Olympic Games today
is excessive nationalism. The 'Games are solely contests between
individuals and there is no official scoring.. . . If the Olympic
Games as a result of unbridled chauvinism degenerate into con
tests between the hired gladiators of large nations in an attempt
to build national prestige or to prove that one system of govern
(Continued on page twelve)
The Olympic
Dilemma
By JIM KARL
Collegian Sports Editor
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
Gross Advances
In Fraternity
Badminton Play
Bob Gross of Phi Epsilon Pi,
the defending IM badminton
champ, made a bid for his sec
ond straight fraternity singles
crown by advancing to the
semifinals last night.
Gross . defeated Louis Papp of
Chi Phi, 15-0, 15-1, in recording
his fourth, straight win. He will
meet Al Horne of Alpha Zeta to
night.
Home gained a semi-final berth
by beating Jim Banks of Phi Gam
ma Delta, 15-1, 15-4.
In the other semifinal battle to
night, John Barie of Theta Chi
will meet Stuart Bischoff of Beta
Theta Pi. Barie defeated Doug
McKee of Alpha Zeta, 15-9, 11-15,
15-6, and Bischoff beat Dave Bur
stin of Phi Epsilon Pi, 15-8, 15-5.
The finals in fraternity action
will be held tomorrow night.
The finals in the independent
tourney will be held tonight with
Al Stoddard opposing Nainuchit
Chaturachinda. Chat u rachinda
hails from Bangkok, Thailand.
IM soccer will begin today for
both independent and fraternity
men.
THE SHAPE-UP,' BY ADLER, AVAILABLE IN WHITE AND COLORS -AT
JACK HARPER ... 114 East College Ave.
Sports Wire Briefs
Stith's illness Diagnosed as TO
OLEAN, N.Y. (111' All-America basketball star Tom Stith,
hospitalized since last week, is suffering from a pulmonary tubercu
lous infection, a hospital spokesman said yesterday .
Stith, who led the St Bonaventure University basketball squad
to a 244 season in 1960-61, was the first-round draft choice of the
New York Knickerbockers of the National Basketball Association.
The length of treatment depends "on the course of the disease,"
the spokesman said. However, he said Stith's hospitalization prob
ably would continue through the fall.
Floyd Offered $250,000 to Fight Johnson
PHILADELPHIA (Al Promoter Herman Taylor yesterday
offered Floyd Patterson a $250,000 guarantee to defend his heavy
weight championship here this summer against Harold Johnson,
the light heavyweight champion.
Taylor's offer was made in a telegram to Patterson's manager,
Cus D'Amato in New York.
Johnson holds the National Boxing Association version of the
lightweight title and last week stopped Von Clay in the second
round in his first defense of the crown.
Knicks File Suit Against SF Team
NEW YORK (IP) The New York Knickerbockers of the Na
tional Basketball Association, seeking an injunction to keep Kenny
Sears from playing in the new American Basketball League, filed
a court suit against the San Francisco team yesterday.
The suit was filed' in San Francisco's federal court.
In making the disclosure at an emergency meeting of the NBA's
(Continued on page twelve)
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PAGE ELEVEN