1940: Track And Field

Probably because 1940 was supposed to be an Olympic year, extraordinary feats that were anticipated actually became a reality. The triple cancellation of the Games, first announced to be held in Rome, then Tokyo, and later Finland, removed from competition many stellar American performers who might have scaled the Olympic heights. Not only did this leading branch of amateur sport experience a severe setback in the international scene in 1940, but it is now feared that the present world conflict will greatly curtail foreign competition in the future. There is doubt whether the Olympics can be held in 1944, because neither Finland nor Britain will have recovered sufficiently to hold the Games.

In the United States track and field sports ascended to new high levels, not only in setting up new records but in a greater following as well. From the most conservative opinions of sports authorities it is estimated that 4,000,000 persons witnessed these events during 1940. The total expenditure for admissions, coaches' salaries, equipment, prizes, etc., is considered to be about $12,000,000 for the year.

What is looked upon as the greatest step to develop a nation of physically-fit young men and women through participation in sports is the appointment of Paul V. McNutt as co-ordinator of all health, sports, recreation and other related fields of activity in the interest of national defense. Also, a complete survey of the physical resources of the United States is provided for in a bill introduced in the House of Representatives.

A new and glowing chapter for the record book of 1940 was created by American athletes. Their stellar performances during the year prove conclusively that they would have carried off top honors if the 1940 Olympic Games had been held. Further proof is found in the compilation by Daniel J. Ferris, secretary-treasurer of the A.A.U., that the almost unbelievable number of fifteen of seventeen events were improved upon during the year, and that only the discus throw and the javelin throw were not surpassed. Because of the phenomenal successes of newcomers, only three athletes led in their respective specialties both years (1939 and 1940) — Fred Wolcott showed an improvement in the 120-yard hurdles; Les Steers created a new record in the high jump, and Phil Fox fell behind his best previous mark in the discus throw.

It may truthfully be said that the cream of American athletes staged their own 'United States Olympics' in spectacular manner during the national A.A.U. outdoor championships, at Fresno, Calif. Topped by the new world record of Cornelius Warmerdam in the pole vault, of 15 ft. 1 1/8 in., Wolcott tied the 200-meter hurdle mark of 22.6 sec. established by Jesse Owens, in 1935. Four new American records were also set up: 200 meters in 20.4 sec. by Harold Davis; 110-meter hurdles in 13.9 sec. by Wolcott; 400-meter hurdles in 51.6 sec. by Carl McBain; and 1,500 meters in 3 min. 47.9 sec. by Walter Mehl, only one-tenth of a second slower than the world record of Jack Lovelock, of New Zealand.

During 1940 eight national A.A.U. meter records were surpassed and two equalled, including those of world and American listings: 100-meter run in 10.3 sec. by Davis; high jump of 6 ft. 8 3/4 in. by Steers; 5,000-meter run in 14 min. 33.4 sec. by Gregory Rice; 1,600-meter relay mark of 3 min. 15 sec. tied by the New York A.C. team. Double victory laurels went to Davis in capturing the 100- and 200-meter events, and William Brown in winning the broad jump and the hop, step and jump.

Track and field sports indoors also surpassed those of previous years in both the number of spectators and competitors, as well as in record-making performances. The most spectacular turn of events was the passing of the one-mile run crown from Glenn Cunningham to Charles Fenske, who won eight of the nine publicized indoor mile classics during the season. Another great performer in track was Gregory Rice, who established a new world mark indoors for 2 miles, in 8 min. 56.2 sec.

Never before have such sparkling performances featured the national A.A.U. championships, when eight records fell in the seventeen events. What was considered the outstanding performance of this big annual meet was the 3-mile run by Gregory Rice, of Notre Dame, who raced to a new world indoor mark of 13 min. 55.9 sec., thereby erasing the 15-year-old record of Willie Ritola, the Finn. Rice showed his fleet heels to such stellar performers as Walter Mehl and Don Lash, both of whom are champions and record holders.

Among those who set new world marks were: Al. Bolzis, shot put, 55 ft. 8 3/4 in.; Allen Tolmich, 70-yard hurdles, 8.4 sec.; Seton Hall's freshman relay team, one mile, 1 min. 32 sec. Four new meet records: Fenske, one mile, 4 min. 8.8 sec.; Charles Belcher, 600 yards, 1 min. 11.6 sec.; Earl Meadows, pole vault, 14 ft. 3 3/8 in.; Barney Ewell and Mozel Ellerbee equalled the old figures of 6.2 sec. for the 60-yard dash. An old-timer in competition, Joe McCluskey won the 2-mile steeplechase, his twenty-first national title.

Faster track performances indoors have been the result of new construction methods, particularly on the especially built large indoor oval at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H., the scene of many new world marks. It was there that Glenn Cunningham came nearest to running the 'perfect' four-minute mile, which he covered in 4 min. 4.4 sec. The eight new indoor world marks established on the Dartmouth track in 1940 (and those made in previous years) are to be recognized by the A.A.U. as having been made on the large Dartmouth oval, aside from accepted records set on other indoor tracks measuring 8 to 10 laps to the mile. The 1940 Dartmouth records are: John Woodruff, 880 yards in 1 min. 47.4 sec.; 800 meters in 1 min. 47 sec. James Herbert, 440 yards in 48.4 sec.; 400 meters in 47.9 sec. John Borican, 3/4-mile in 3 min. 0.5 sec. New York Univ. relay teams, 880-yard relay in 1 min. 27.7 sec.; one-mile and 1,600-meter relays in 3 min. 15 sec.

Of the several large outdoor collegiate classics, the Princeton Track Meet was the scene of breath-taking competition, particularly when Fred Wolcott stepped over the 220-yard low hurdles in 22.5 sec. A spectacular new outdoor mark was set by Rice in his victory over Taisto Maki, of Finland, in a 3,000-meter race in Minneapolis, in 2 min. 18.9 sec., breaking the American record by 7.5 sec. Paul Moore, of Stanford, another great collegian, covered the three-quarter-mile route in 2 min. 58.7 sec., clipping nearly 2 sec. off the official world mark set by Jules LaDoumegue, of France, in 1931. Moore also bettered the world mark of 2 min. 59.5 sec. set by Sidney Wooderson, in London, in 1939.

The 1940 convention of the A.A.U. ruled that track events outdoors and indoors will be measured by yards instead of meters after ten years of metric measurements, although in field events yards have always been used. The convention voted to form a new organization, to be known as the American Confederation of Sports, which will supplant the American Olympic Committee. The convention announced the possibility of staging Pan-American Games (two years after the Olympic Games) patterned after the Olympics, with the first Games in Buenos Aires, in 1942.

The decathlon and the pentathlon, two events that call for Herculean effort, brought out two new champions in the national A.A.U. title events in 1940. Bill Watson, an alumnus of the Univ. of Michigan, led in the ten-event fixture over Lee Todd, ex-Univ. of Colorado athlete. The pentathlon title was captured by Harry March, of the Washington A.A. Bill Gilligan, of the Boston A.A., took second honors.

Just as in other sports, women are making noteworthy progress in track and field events, both in excellent performances and in the number of competitors. Indeed, their records in the sprints are within a second or two of the records of men. Entries from eleven states competed in the national A.A.U. women's track and field championships, at Ocean City, N. J. Miss Stella Walsh, of the Polish Olympic Club, of Cleveland, a perennial fixture in track events for nearly fifteen years, was the high point scorer of the meet. Miss Walsh won 28 points by capturing the 200-meter race, the broad jump and second in the 100-meter dash. There were two double winners, Miss Jane Lane in the 50- and 100-meter dash, and Miss Catherine Fellmuth in the discus and 8-lb. shot, repeating her triumphs of the previous year.