Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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mans participated. To be a victor in these games was the greatest joy in the life of any boy and the glory about which all fathers dreamed. For that very purpose the boys were put in training at the age of seven, and the training continued for more than thirty years. The prize was simply a crown of wild olive, nothing more, but this was the greatest honor a Greek could ever attain, and whatever position of power or fame he may have later achieved, his proudest title was “Olympian Victor ’ He was greeted at home by his fellow citizens with a mighty celebration for which, during the illustrious period of Greece, the leading poet of poets composed a song, which was ren- dered by a large chorus of trained singers. A statue was erected in his honor at his home and perhaps at Olympia ; and if he had won three victories the statue was his own likeness. During the rest of his life he was a chief citizen. The wildest uproars for a modern athlete have no parallel for the usual, the cus- tomary honors conferred upon an athlete of intellectual Greece. How- ever, in the year 396 A.D. the Ro- man Emperor issued a decree for- bidding further celebration of the games in Greece. These body build- ing and brain building exercises were continued in a slight degree, through personal interest, in sev- eral other countries. After a lapse of fifteen centuries Baron Pierre de Coubertin brought about the modern revival. His per- sonal admiration of the English public schools and English ideals of sport influenced him to determine to impart those ideals both to France and to the rest of the world by organizing an amateur meeting of all the nations in athletic rivalry every four years. The first celebra- tion of the revival was appropri- ately held in Athens in 1896, where the famous Marathon Race was standardized. This celebration was made possible by the munificence of a private citizen of Greece, and forty-four nations were represented by one or more delegates each. The London Olympiad of 1908 is re- garded, however, as marking the commencement of a fresh athletic era throughout the world. During this new era, women were intro- duced into the jranks of athletes, and they are attaining a surprising degree of efficiency. They have raised themselves to an equal basis with the men in nearly all sports. They excel in diving and swimming, although there are many other edu- cational sports which have attrac- ted their attention. The records which they have made in the Olym- pics are comparable to the record of high school and preparatory school boys. In mentioning the place of women in the Olympics, it is only natural to mention “Babe” Didrik- son. She is the heroine of the Olym- pic Games, the breaker of records, and a winner of championships in an amazing variety of strenuous athletic sports, and the most im- portant fact to us is that she is a United States athlete. She is a mod- el American girl, for through ath- letics she has maintained a healthy body, an intelligent mind, and a charming personality. The chief management of the Olympic Games centers about the International Olympic Committee. 27

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Of its loud life, hints and echoes from the life behind steal in; and the lore of home and fireside, and the legendary rhyme, Make the task of duty lighter which the true man owes his time. Olympic Games By Marion Perkins A SUBJECT of ever-increasing interest to its fans all over the world is athletics. Athletics serves two purposes, for they are con- ducted either for business or for pleasure. The higher type, which is conducted for pleasure, develops healthy bodies, promotes moderate recreation, and forms ideal habits of living. The other type has three aims : to win games, to make money, and to win either personal or group fame. Such a large group of people are interested in the lat- ter type that no roofed building has ever been erected large enough to hold the throngs which gather to witness various athletic games. Athletics is now being more fully appreciated and developed. The length to which this athletic enthus- iasm has gone is far beyond our comprehension. Athletics, with us, stands for democracy, self-control, honesty, and patience. Their origin and growth is of the greatest im- portance to us, for the Olympics have made for democracy and lev- eled social distinctions by the just and fair manner in which they are conducted and by the spirit of friendliness which they create. Farther back than any historian has ever recorded, a group of Greeks began to hold foot-races in honor of Zeus, a Greek god. These races, which were held yearly, gradually became an affair of national importance. The ancient Olympics were held in the valley of Elis, a remote part of Greece, and it was there that the Grecian ath- lete strove for fame. In the course of time, boxing, wrestling, discus- throwing, chariot racing, and other athletic games were added to the original foot-race. These games were held every four years, and spectators came by the thousands, stayed for about a week, and then were gone for another fou r years. The games were celebrated near the end of summer, when rain was least expected, since a wet season would have turned Olympia into a scene of misery. About a month before the festival, messengers went throughout Greece proclaim- ing a sacred truce, and all Greeks were forbidden to bear arms during the season of the games. Those who entered the list were compelled to undergo special gymnastic train- ing and to show a name free from civic or personal dishonor. A boy’s companion may overlook many things, but a boy who cheats or is the least bit unfair in his games soon becomes an outcast. In all the decades and in all the contests at. Olvmpia the rumor of dishonesty did not arise once in a hundred years. At first the contestants were of pure Hellenic blood, but later, after the infusion of the Roman people into Greece, both Greeks and Ro- 26

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This committee consists of repre- sentatives from each of the sixty- five competing countries. Each na- tion has its own Olympic council. This council contains one or more representatives of every association governing every sport in the coun- try, and a few other co-adopted members chosen for their special knowledge or experience in organi- zation. The funds necessary for the nation’s participation in the Olympics is raised through this or- ganization. Although there is not supposed to be any special classifi- cation of results which show any nation as “the winning nation,” the national councils have a great ten- dency to find the exact position of their nation in each Olympiad. The Olympic Games which should be of the most interest to us. as American people, were those of the tenth Olympiad, held in Los Angeles, California, in July, 1932. Tn preparation for this grand event, it may be said, a city was built to order. “Olympic Village.” as it was named, sprang up almost over night. This was the headquarters and residence of athletes, coaches, and trainers from all parts of the world. The village consisted of a series of two-room houses, each ac- commodating four men. In addi- tion there was an administration building and a main dining-room, which was approximately twelve hundred feet long. The dining- room was divided into separate rooms, so that each team could make its own eating arrangements. Each team also brought with it its own cooks, so that the contestants were enabled to adhere to the diets to which they had become accus- tomed. The feminine athletes, their coaches, and trainers were housed and entertained in the residence halls of the University of Southern California. The major portion of the events were held in the Coli- seum, which was reconstructed as the Olympic Stadium. It is the larg- est athletic arena in the world up to the present date. The athletes were stationed thirty-five feet below ground level, and the famous quar- ter-mile track was constructed around this space. Dressing-rooms and showers for a thousand con- testants were an integral part of the structure. One noteworthy fea- ture was the system of tunnels which led to the dressing-rooms, un- der the seats to the “pits” adjoining the edge of the playing field. Here other tunnels connected and led under the track to trap-doors on the field itself. Added to all the other comforts of home, physicians, dentists, and American Red Cross nurses and workers were present to carry out a well organized program of health and sanitation. The tenth Olympiad was held for sixteen days — from July 30 to Au- gust 14, inclusive. Over seventy thousand spectators were present in the huge Olympic Stadium to wit- ness the event. Every day during that period, the crowd was fed on thrills ; but as the program came to an end, it was still hungry for more. The Olympic Games are import- ant for many reasons, but one of the greatest is because of their position as an instigator of world peace. Few can appreciate the friendly feeling created among nations by this world-wide gathering. An im- 28