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Charles Twiss (left) and Tyce Smith work out in preparation for the high jump at the Big Eight Conference Outdoor meet this weekend. Both Twiss and Smith are figured to be
threats to win the event as Coach Bill Easton's team tries to repeat their last year's league victory.
Jayhawk Distance Specialist Predicts Kansas-Mizzou Clash
Rv Glen Phillips
"I think I will win it, and I hope that KU will 1-2-3 the three-mile with Silverburg and Acevedo." These are some of the thoughts of John Lawson, one of KU's top distance men, concerning the upcoming Big 8 track meet in Stillwater.
Lawson feels that this year, the meet will essentially be a duel between the Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers. Missouri defeated KU in the Big 8 indoor meet. However, several events which made Missouri strong in indoor competition are not included in outdoor competition.
MU's Robin Lingle is a big threat since MU is trying to shatter the Jayhawk's monoply in the three-mile. However, because Lingle is doubling in the mile, Lawson says he feels that he should beat the MU star without much trouble.
THE SPUNKY little Jayhawk runner has the most important part of the make-up of any distance runner by his judgment—determination. He feels that a person must really want to run. According to Lawson, one's parents can't force him into running and one cannot fake it—the only way to make a good runner is to be determined to be a good runner.
This determination according to Lawson is the secret of his training. And it is a simple training program—determination and running. He runs cross country. He runs sprints. He runs distance and sprints alternately. He runs all the time to keep in shape.
Although he has not vaulted for more than a year, Lawson feels that he could clear eleven feet . . . right now. "I am just in better shape now," he says. His best height earlier had been 10" 8". He says his main fault in vaulting was lack of speed—speed which he has developed since he has been running regularly.
Running has always been the most important single thing in his training. Ever since he first began to seriously run distance when he was a sophomore at Wyandotte high school in Kansas City, Kansas, Lawson has relied on his running, along with occasional weight-lifting, to develop himself.
After entering high school he began to train in earnest for distance running. His efforts were somewhat hampered when he tried to practice
Wednesday, May 13, 1964 University Daily Kansar
HE HAD wanted to run distances earlier. In junior high, the school only had a one-mile cross country track but he found this insufficient for training. Therefore, he went out for track and developed for himself what must be one of the strangest backgrounds ever for a distance runner.
LAWSON BECAME a pole vaulter. It turned out to be a rather good decision, because even though vaulting was his second choice, he did so well in it he finished second in the event in a city-wide junior high school meet.
m town where he had to dodge cars and wait for traffic lights, but he continued to work himself into shape.
FINALLY HE came to KU on a track scholarship. In the fall he runs with the cross country team and he finished third in the Big 8 competition this year. Then, later in the year, he begins track practice.
Because Lawson feels that it is easier for him to continue running for the entire year than to let himself get out of shape over the summer and have to re-train for fall cross country, he constantly strives to keep himself in shape.
Even after the track season is over in the spring, Lawson continues to keep himself in shape over the summer with a training schedule that includes several cross country runs each week.
His strenuous schedule does not seem irregular to him. He explains it this way. "The man who does not
go out for cross country and keep himself up just doesn't have a chance against those runners that train all the time."
Lawson has some set long-range plans for the Olympic competition. He says that he would like to go to Tokyo but that he would be satisfied just to make it to the try-outs. "Making the try-outs places a man pretty high in the standings anyway."
His real goal is the 1968 Olympics. "This is the time to start thinking about it, though," he says. He plans to continue training for that goal. In 1968 Lawson figures that he will be nearest his peak running condition which usually comes for distance men when they are 24-26 years old.
Meanwhile, he keeps on training. He'll keep on working until he feels that he isn't improving anymore and "... then maybe I had better hang it up."
PARK PLAZA SOUTH
Ph. VI 2-3416
1912 W. 25th
Missouri Favored in Meet
Day or Night
STILLWATER, Okla. — (UPI) — The University of Missouri Tigers roar onto Oklahoma State's Lewis Field Friday as favorites in the classy field competing in the two-day, 36th annual Big Eight Conference track meet.
Missouri, the 1964 conference indoor king and 1963 outdoor runnerup to KU, will be threatened, however, by KU and possibly Oklahoma in the rush to humble several glittering league records.
The most savage assault is expect-
ced to be launched against the 15-10'4 pole vault mark set in 1961 by OSU's George Davies. KU's Floyd Manning, last year's winner at 15 feet, will pace a half-dozen conference vaulters who have cleared 15 feet or better. Manning holds the year's best collegiate vault of 16-13', but will be challenged by Missouri's Bill Younger, Oklahoma's Jim Farrell and OSU's Preston Holsinger. Oklahoma's hopes will be pinned on ailing Anthony Watson.