Atwood Hammond High School - Post Yearbook (Atwood, IL)

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ATWOOD H.GH SCHOOL ATfILETIC TEAM (Reading from right to left.) Top Row— Bernice Barber. Carl Hasstg, Proi. r. W. Samuels. John Browning, Fred B. Romlne, John Mvengood. Bottom Row—Raul Fisher. Perry Rodgers, Fred Romlne. K ail 1 Carroll. Floyd Hurshbarger.

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Nearly every person has a “hobby,” or in other words he is interested in one thing more than in any other. During the last term, the boys of the Atwood high school have had a common “hobby,” and that has been athletics. When the school term opened last September the boys brought out their base ball supplies and played a few games of base ball. But they did not have a very strong team and they soon gave this up and began practice for a basket ball team. They played this a few weeks and then gave it up for track

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and field work. They continued to train far into ihe winter months until it became so cold that they were forced to stop. But when the first few warm days of spring came, they were all out and at work again. The athletic association bought a track suit and a pair of running shoes fur every member of the track team and the suits and shoes were all stamped with that famous mark “Spalding.” If there is anything in clothes they ought to be the best for they have the best. The organization also bought a new hammer, a shot, a discus, an l a vaulting pole. With this equipment they ought to be able to develop some of that substance which is called brawn or muscle, and this is what it takes to develop school hoys into strong and healthy men. In previous years the Atwood high school pupils have not accomplished a great deal in athletics, yet they have done a little. Last spring an attempt was made to organize a track team to compete in the Piatt County athletic contest. But there was a lack of interest and only three pupils had the courage, spirit, or whatever you may call it to enter the contest. Of these Perry Rodgers won second in the discus throw and Fred Remine won second in the one-half mile run and third in the low hurdles making se'en points in all for Atwood They won fifth place with their sever points for there were only five schools that entered the contest. Mansfield high school won the championship of the countv. Monticello won second place an l Bement won third. Another interesting event for the Atwood athletes was the attendance at an indoor track meet at Urbana, between the Chicago Maroons and the Illinois track team. Lloyd Harshbarger had wen a free trip to Urbana to see an indoor track meet and when Mr. Samuels took him up to see the contest, about nine or ten of the other boys arranged to go with him. They went up on Saturday morning and remained in t rbaua uutil the following Monday. The bo s not only saw a b g indoor track meet which in itself would have well paid for the tr.p, but they were able to see most of the Illinoi. University buildings and gain a little knowledge of what college life is like Tlu track team is much in debt lithe Atwood Fall Festival commit.ee for the use of their truss benches. The team did not have any hurdles and as it requires a great deal of luuib.r to make a full set they have never had any before. The boys were very for.u nate to obtain these benches for hurdles. The benches happened to be the correct height and consequently the hurdlers w ill be ab'e to train for this event, which is the hardest of all the runs. Not many small high schools can boast of a set of hurdles and th s will give Atwood one advantage over some of the other schools. On Friday, April 8, 1910, Mr. Dal lenbach came down from the Illinois Cniversity to coach the track team, hut more to help the weight men than the runners, for the weights are his special events. lie also helped the track men a great deal by showing them a iVw good points in running. There is a right and wrong way to do eery thing and athletic feats are not exceptions More depends on “the form,” than any thing else. A good coach will always teach “form” first of all. When you have once learned to do a thing correctly then all that you can do is to try to perfect it. Mr. Samuels has kept the track team incessantly at work. Not an evening has passed since the weather has been warm enough to permit it that he did not have the boys out training, lie never tires of encouraging and helping them, and his coach’ng will make a team that will win the countv meeL if there is anvthi g in e erlastinglv keeping at it. Without a c aeh if is almost impors'b’e to get anv number of high school boys to do a proper