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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, June 1909

Athletics

page 63

Athletics

"To secure the worthy and adequate representation of Victoria College at the Annual Easter Tournament

LLast year it was The Spike's uncommon pleasure to congratulate the Athletic Club on its full and complete attainment of so worthy and object as the above. The Presence in our midst for the first time of the New Zealand University Athletic Championship Shield, it was presumed, would surely add zest to future efforts to retain it; and that we should successfully defend our title to it on our own ground seemed at least a reasonable possibility. Alas! For such vainglorious hopes; the Shield has passed, after the manner of the Tennis Cup, to Canterbury College, and about one dozen Victoria College Students are left lamenting. The average College man at once decides on blaming somebody, and, because he knows only of "things visible," blames the Athletic Club. But the person alone at fault, though he knows it not, is the average College man himself. The Club arranged a sports meeting, and sought entries with the following result:— For the Sprints and Distance Races, the average entry was six: for Hurdles and Jumps, two: while none deigned to enter for Hammer Throwing. In passing, it is worthy of note that there are over 250 male students attending Victoria College this year.

The Club Officials found their best efforts of no avail. The great majority of students are apathetic; they say they tried athletics at College, and failed; or with other pointless excuses attempt to justify their appalling apathy. The Annual Sports had, therefore, to be reluctantly abandoned; but to facilitate the selection of the Tournament Representatives, two races (a Quarter-mile and a Half-mile) were, by the courtesy of the Catholic Young Men's Club, inserted on the programme of their meeting.

The task of the selector, with so small a field of selection, was a light one, and, to our discredit, let it be said, we were not represented at the University Sports, on our own ground, in the Mile Walk High Jump, and Hammer Throwing.

To the small but noble band of athletes who, despite lack of sympathy in the cause from other students, gladly gave their time to rigorous training, and to the few who assisted them in the endeavour to maintain Victoria's pride of place, we express our grateful appreciation, and to our University Champions of the year, A. H. Bogle (120 Yards' and 440 Yards' Hurdles) and T. Rigg (3 Miles Flat) our congratulations.