Slatington High School - Reflections Yearbook (Slatington, PA)

Page 10 text:

:UQ562 use of electric lighting during the day. For the evening games sufficient illumi- nation has been provided. To accommodate the players, there are spacious locker and shower rooms which can be reached easily. Our second most important sport is football. Although a team representing Slatington High School played football as early as 1906, the game is really in infancy, since the first football team that played under our school's name had but one or two high school boys on it and assumed the high school's name only as a means for securing games with sur- rounding schools. This first team's big rival was Kutztown Normal School. From 1906 to 1911 no football was played by either the school or the local community. In 1911 a few high school boys began to play football. They had no eligibility or training rules, no coach, and particular system. Even at this period occasionally an outsider was allowed to play. Members of this early team will remembe1'an amus- ing incident that occurred whencnr foot- ball team had a game with a neighboring high school. One of our players, a ma- ture-looking boy, who was actually about twenty-five years of age, aroused the doubts of one of the opposing players as to whether this youth was a student or not. Our team heartily assured the doubtful lad that this full-grown man of ours did Wbelongn tothe school, that he was our janitor. Actually he was in no way connected with the school. After the 1911-13 period football was discontinued until Mr. Fred T. Maass and Mr. Lloyd Williams assumed in 1935 the coaching duties of both basketball and football. Because of the absence of this fame for so many years, the funda- mentals of the game were new to the boys that reported most of whom had never even witnessed. a football game. The first season was not successful from the standpoint of wins and losses, but the boys who participated learned the rudi- ments of the game. They were rewarded for their efforts with one tie-game out of the seven games played. The second year, 1936, the improved play of the team brought better results as the boys won two out of the seven scheduled games. The third year showed further improvement, the team winning two games and tieing one. Our big football rival, as in other sports, is Palmerton: other opponents have been Emaus, Catasauqua, Whitehall, Coplay, Northampton, Lehighton, and Stroudsburg. It will not be very long before the Slatington High School football team will be one of the strongest teams in the Lehigh Valley. It requires years to develop winning football teams. After we have developed a football spirit sec- ond to none, our football record will show a decided improvement. Baseball is our next ranking sport. It was begun about 1907. A few of the outstanding players in the early years of baseball were Harry Steckel, Norwood Hankee, the best pitcher that the team had, Harvey Steckel, and Edwin Beaehler, the manager. From 1909 to 1919 the mainstays of the teamwwre Lloyd Roberts, Allen Maxwell, Walter Cole,Norman Kuntz, George Minnich, Earl Steckel, Roy Camp- bell, Alfred Miller, Charles Moyer, one of the first managers, Edward Bachman, James Snyder, Earl Sauerwine, a capable manager of the team, Lawrence Haines, Edmond Jones, Norman Smith,Ray Stettlgr Matthew Meagher, Francis Scheffler, Lame renee Roberts, Harry Jones, Lawrence Moyer, Alfred Neff, Lewis Panles, and George Pierce. Our early opponents were .Berwick

Page 9 text:

players was Helen Pfromm, a forward, who could outscore every girl in the league. Girls who were captains or were known for their ability in basketball from its inception up to the discontinuance of the league included! Margaret Roberts. Marie Schertzinger, Agnes Caskie, Helen Pfromm, Mary Jones, Ruth Stettler, Roma Roberts, Ruth Paules, Lillian Jones Alice Panles, Anna Messner,Eleanor Kern, Margaret Hughes, Mary Pavclko, Almede Newcomer, Roberta Yenser, Anna Schierer, Esther Dilliard, Dorothy Roper, Dorothy Berlin, Evelyn Schneck, Doris Roberts, Carrie Paules, Oneda Smith, and Kathryn Schaeffer. The girls' league pennant Williams was the teams, while not in the league, basketball team won the in 1918 when Helen L. coach. After that the attaining highest place played many hotly con- tested games. The three-part floor sys- tem was generally used, making the game somewhat slower than it is to-day. The earlier teams were fully equipped with middies, heavy serge, pleated bloomers, long socks, and well-padded knee guards. The teams in the basketball league included Palmerton, Northampton, Cata- sauqua, Allentown, Bethlehem, Tamaqua, and Easton. Games with Lehighton, East Mauch Chunk, Emaus, and Nazareth were also played. Since the league is no longer in existence, the girls' basket- ball teams have played games with Emaus, Palmerton, and Moravian. basketball is no longer for Lehighton, Since one and onW'athletic activity for girls, the game has become a minor sport. Girls are participating in gym ball, playground ball, and The basketball teams High School should soon be to becoming winning ones club, volley hiking. of Slatington on their way because the benefits of the physical education pro- gram begun in 1935 under the direction of Miss Arnold and Mr. Williams will be felt. With a systemitized program of physical development our boys and girls are expected to show remarkable improve- ments. Then, too, the modern afforded by Smith Hall, our new gymnas- facilities ium, which was dedicated on December 9 to the memory of Mr. Norman Smith, the man who coached our first pennant-win- ning team, should aid in bringing forth from our future teams the best that is in them. Smith HaD.is a remarkable building. The gymnasium is entered through a bean- tiful lobby where are located a ticket booth and a cloak room. The flooring is of slate in various colors. blue, green, and red. The gym itself presents an at- tractive appearance. With a buff ceil- ing and light blue steel girders as the overhead scheme, a marvelous color ar- rangement is apparent in the woodwork finishings which are of knotted Pine. The court is 48 by 75 feet, standard collegiate size. The entire dimensions of the floor are 55 by 81 feet, There are 24 rows of seats, with accommoda- tions for 1500 people. The gymnasium is so constructed that all spectators may have a clear view of the entire playing court. At the eastern end of the court is a stage, 43 by 26 feet. A beautiful ma- roon velour curtain with gold trim off- sets the rustic pine finish. This stage makes an ideal place for the seating of the band which plays for all home bas- ketball games. Plenty of ventilation is afforded in the gymnasium. Beneath the stage gre large tubes where the foul airis carried away. On the sides of the seats there are numerous ventilators. are seven easy exits. Two of to the rear of the structure, open upon the lobby. The up- of the seats are flanked by enclosure which provides suf- There them lead while five per tiers the glass ficient natural light to eliminate the l'U9338'-I

Page 11 text:

High School, Palmerton High School,Mauch Chunk High School, and the Mining and Mechanical Institute of Freeland. The first uniforms, which were bought wddimoney raised by subscriptions and entertainments, were of a reddish shade bordering on cardinal. The funk baseball league was formed in 1926 through the work of the Slating- ton High School, from which the first president and first secretary were ch0smL It was arranged on the basis of no guar- antees, a principle which was considered unworkable at that time. It was demon- strated through the seasons that the Vgentlemen's agreementu, a game for a game was satisfactory and saved the schools from expense. The league -re- moved the schedule difficulties enthely. In the following season of 1928, the baseball league joined the regular Le- high Valley Interscholastic Athletic As- sociation, embracing all the major sports. From that time all guarantees to members within the league were elim- inated. Slatington High School's baseball record has been fairly good throughout the years. The prospects for a good baseball team this season were bright, but unfortunately basebaU.had to be dis- continued because the whole athletic field is now being resurfaced. Track, our fourth major sport, was introduced into Slatington High School by Mr. Smith in 1918. Until 1923 the teams participated only in local meets. From 1923 to 1926, however, Mr. Smith sent teams to the Penn relays. Many of the boys were successful in winning places in several events during these years: among the winners were John Mc- Laughlin, Richard Newcomer, and John Williams. In l926 a group of boys was sent to Perkiomen to enteraitrack relay. From 1926 to 1936 there were no track teams representing Slatington High School. Upon assuming his duties as physical education instructor, Mr. Will- iams called for candidates for the rees- tablishment of a track team. Since then the high school has had dual meets with Palmerton and Lehighton. Each year a group of boys is sent to Muhlenberg to compete in the Triangular meet, consist- ing of the Emaus, South Whitehall, and Slatington high schools. Each year finds our boys winning more first places, and we can look forward with confidence to the regaining of our track prestige. A sport that may develop into a major one in our high school with the completion of the tennis courts now un- der construction is tennis. For only one year was this activity supported by the school. In that year, 1935, Charles Utt and Vernon Deroner represented the high school in a tournament held at Pal- merton sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Interscholastic League. Vernon Deroner was crowned the singles' champion, and he and Charles Utt lost in the doubles final to a strong Palmerton team. With adequate facilities it is certain that this splendid record will be duplicated in the future. Thus reads our story of athletics in Slatington High School. It reads like a novel about a man who has had to fight every minute of his life to exist: but finally through his persistency and determination, he arrives at his desti- nation-success. Athletics in our high school is that man, the typical hero of novelsgbut unlike the hero in the story, who will live happily ever after, ath- letics,or rather our athletes: must con- tinue fighting, must contend with the ups and downs. With the aid of our splendid gymnasium and our other excel- lent equipment, should athletics not soar to even greater heights? .-it 1:09538 Ql- ...1........-....-h.-...-i-1-