Along the

SPORT
TRAIL

With
Bill Kinney

HUFF-PUFF:

Alarmists have been asserting,
without actual proof, that fire-
wagon basketball is “too tough on
the performers”
ever since the
rules doctors
eliminated the
center jump.

Only recently,

Dr Eorrest

(Phog). Allen,
eminent

Kansan who

rates second

only. to the

late James

Naismith as a

“mn asm e? "in
basketball,

blew his top Bill Kinney,
in charging that the hardwood
sport is too fast for the kids.

We suspected at the time that
Allen was talking to watch him-
self in the mirror of the daily
press. And ‘confirmation comes in
the form of a survey published by | ;
the National Association of Basket-
ball Coaches of the United States. | ;
The findings reveal that in 20,000
cases, the extra activity (of|
basketball) caused the boy to be
able to do more work at less cost
in heart beats, when he was in
condition. :

The actual sufferer, according
to Dr... H.-C. Carlson * or Pitts- |
burgh, is the coach. And: at least
one found the strain of regional,
sectional and state tournament
competition in Illinois too tough.
He is John Noppenberger of Peoria
Central, ordered to a hospital this
week for a rest and checkup’ by
his physician. Dr. Carlson’s studies
showed that the game is tougher
on the coaches than the athletes,
due to emotional strain.

Tests revealed that the heart-
beats of the coaches keep pace
with those of the players during
a game. But the players’. pulses
return to normal three or four
minutes after a game while the
coaches’ tickers keep racing along
at high speed long after the final
gun.

 

 

Well-conditioned youth can
stand up better than expected.
The war has proved that, con-
clusively. Basketball proves. it,
too. While the stands go scream-
ingly crazy, cagers, even of
young, impressive and excitable
high school age, play steadily |
and execute intricate maneu-
vers without undue pressure
caused by the din surrounding
them.