PROFICIENT YEARS AT SPORTS

namely, age 24. It is of course possible that, if the professional football
managers recruited players indiscriminately from all age groups, the
modal year might fall at a younger age level.

CORN HUSKERS

In Figure 7 the solid line presents the chronological ages at which
87 state corn-husking championships were won. This solid line makes
no allowance for population differences at the various age levels. In this
figure the broken line makes allowance for the population differences
at the various age levels. Figure 7 reveals that, when allowance is made
for the differences in total male population at the various age levels,
the shape of the age curve is changed only very slightly. This latter
statement is applicable also to most of the other age curves that are
presented herein.

It should perhaps be explained that all of the data regarding the
corn-husking championships were supplied by the editors of the farm
papers which sponsor the state husking contests.* At the present time
(1938) these state contests are being held in no less than nine different
states. Although the peak of the age curve in Figure 7 occurs at ages
25 to 29 inclusive, the one year of most frequent success at husking is
age 30, and the five-year interval of greatest success is that from ages
26 to 30 inclusive.

AUTOMOBILE RACERS

On each Memorial Day the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corpora-
tion sponsors a 500-mile auto race. The contestants are drawn from
over the entire United States and even from Europe. The size of the
cash awards guarantees that the participants are highly motivated.t
What are the chronological ages at which men are most likely to win
either first, second, or third place in this classic auto race? Figure 8
sets forth data for 54 winners§ of the Indianapolis auto race, due allow-
ance being made for the population differences at the various age levels.
Figure 8 reveals that, although the ages of the 54 winners range from

*The following editors supplied the birth dates of the corn-husking champions:
(1) Indiana and Illinois, Mr. M. C. Gregory, Ass’t. Editor of the Prairie Farmer; (2)
Kansas, Mr. Tudor Charles, Asso. Editor of the Kansas Farmer; (3) Nebraska, Mr.
Henry W. Biedermann, Asso. Editor of The Nebraska Farmer; (4) Ohio and Iowa, Mr.
E. W. McMunn, Ass’t. Editor of The Ohio Farmer. (5) The names and addresses of
the Minnesota and the South Dakota champions were supplied by Mr. Berry Akers,
Editor of The Farmer (St. Paul). The birth dates of these latter husking champions were
obtained by personal correspondence.

To date 13 national championships have been won—not enough for the construc-
tion of an age curve. However, it is of interest that 10 of the 13 national husking
championships were won at ages 26 to 32 inclusive.

+ Mocar dian to daily press reports, first place in the Indianapolis race was worth
approximately $35,000.00 to the winner of the 1937 contest. The second prize amounted
to $10,000.00; third prize was $5,000.00; fourth prize was $3,500.00; and fifth prize
was $3,000.00.

§ For the birth dates of the automobile racers the writer is indebted to:—(1) Mr.
T. E. Allen, Sec. of the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association, (2)
Mr. T. E. Myers, of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and (3) Mr. S. C.
H. Davis, Sports Editor of The Autocar.