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Page 34 text:
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Athletics MR. ORVILLE STORiM Sparks College had been in operation but a few days when a master sportsman, Orville Storm, suggested that a basketball team be organized. Mr. Storm consented to -organize and manage the team, as well as play on it. Thinking back fifty years, we see this team - Steward, 6 ' 4 ; Bowman and Clair Storm, 6 ' each; Miller and Orville Storm, not so tall, but with more speed. They had a good season. Illinois varsity and Notre Dame varsity were among those teams played on the old armory floor. Mr. Orville Storm was the father of basketball in Sparks College. For two years, the college maintained baseball teams. Those teams played two rather full seasons, winning a majority of the games played. There were few paved roads at that time. On one Fourth of July, a double header was scheduled with a Nokomis team. The team got to Shelbyville, but so did a big rain. No games, but plenty of expense. Then, too, it is harder to main- tain a summer game. Attendance is lower. After the gymnasium was built, other games were played. Indoor baseball went strong for a few years. Softball proved an attraction. A part of the time, Sparks had a team in the City League. Volleyball went by spurts, was more or less attractive. Badminton came in for some attention. Ping-pong came in for a good deal of attention - many hot tournaments. Football equipment was ordered in the spring before World War I began. With news of war, the order was canceled. Basketball has always been the game of the hour in Sparks. Sometimes there were three teams. The second team often was quite strong. Thefirstteam was a good one, better sometimes than others, but always to be reckoned with by good teams. During the years, the following individuals coached the teams: Orville Storm, Floyd C. Westervelt, Harry Woodworth, Ray (Buster) Woodworth, Charles Klauser, Ralph Hubner, Clyde Warren, Wm. C. Eddy, and Roger R. Sparks. These fine gentlemen were high-class sportsmen, and gave of their service generously, but did not receive any compensation in the way of money for their good work. It is a hard job to remember all who helped in many ways with basketball and other athletics. In the beginning years, the teams played were largely independent, but not for long. Games were sched- uled with the colleges in Illinois and nearby states. Most independent teams were not good enough to offer much competition. The Sparks teams won a lion ' s share of games played. They were true sportsmen always. One game long to be remembered was with Millikin University, back in the old guard-game days. The score at theendof the half was eight to two in favor of Millikin. Mr Sparks, during the first half, was sitting with Coach N. G. Wann of Millikin. At the end of the hal f, Mr. Wann said, Mr. Sparks, how do you like it? Mr. Sparks said, This is only the first half. Mr. Wann said, It will be worse at the end of the game. Mr. Sparks paid a visit to the dressing room, and found Buster Woodworth pointing out to the boys how to win. .After Mr. Sparks told them what the Millikin coach had said, they all shouted at once, We will beat them! And they did, thirteen to eleven. Pandamonium reigned. Fans were happy. It was one of the greatest games ever played in the Sparks gym. Mr. Sparks never could find Mr. Wann again. Old-time Sparks fans remember vividly the day that Sparks chartered a train on the New York Central Railroad to Hillsboro, Illinois. The team went to play the Y. M. C. A. Just as the train pulled into Hillsboro, the snow began falling thick and fast. ,A mistake had been made in not reserving a section for the trainload of fans from Shelbyville. This matter adjusted, the game began, and went along without incident, except that Sparks romped away with the long end of the score. Sparks played many games with Eastern Illinois of Charleston.One year Sparks played five games with Eastern and won all of them. One time the referee failed to come. The school asked Mr. C. P. Lantz, Director of Physical Education, then basketball coach of Eastern, to referee the game between his team and the Sparks team. He did and did it well. A Sparks team long to be remembered was the one of 1927-1928. The team had played sixteen games and won all ofthem. The boys had defeated Eastern Illinois twtce. Eureka College twice. Southern University once, Cape Girardeau (Missouri) College once. Western University once, and several other good teams, all colleges. The Sparks boys had alsoplayed and wontwo games with Millikin University, one in the Millikin, and one in the Sparks gymnasium. Athird game was played in the Pana High School gymnasium. A full house saw this game - a thriller. Sparks led the game most of the way. One minute before the final whistle, Sparks was ahead three points. Then Charles Smith, of the Decatur team, made two baskets in quick succession and won the game for Millikin by one point. Sparks season standing, sixteen games won, one game lost. .Another game that thrilled the fans was played with Northern Illinois (DeKalb). The Northern team was on a three-day trip, playing Sparks, Eastern Illinois, and Southern Illinois. The DeKalb coach had quite a large group of players and friends with him. He, thinking he had an easy game, sent in his second team, only to see in two minutes that he had made a mistake. He promptly sent in his best, on ly to see the Sparks cagers plunge right ahead, playing them off their feet, arks won the game by a wide margin. A reporter from DeKalb had the report of the game written before it was played, only to find out that he must wTite it all over.
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Page 35 text:
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.a v In = Door I5ase Ball Friday Niylil March 17th Findlay M HSl . Sparks Athletic Club Of - . SPARKS BUSINESS COLLEGE Our boys played at P ' iiidlay this week. Runkle struck out 23 men and allowed hut two singles. Buster did the catching — did a good job, too. Findlay boys are all ritjht. This t% ' tll probably be llie only game here LMfc year. dml«slOfi. 25 cenla. No reserved seats.
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