Identifier: athleticsfootba00shea (find matches)
Title: Athletics and football
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Shearman, Montague, Sir, 1857-1930
Subjects: Athletics Rugby football Soccer
Publisher: London : Longmans, Green
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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taken, the pole planted firmlyin the ground, and the holder makes his spring. When thepole reaches the perpendicular, the jumper, who holds hisbody perfectly rigid, by strength of back, arms, and wrist swingshimself horizontally over the bar, throwing the pole backbehind him so as not to knock down the bar with it. Theskilful jumper often raises his body some way above hishands, and so clears a height which at first seems impos-sible. Of course the high-jumper has a great advantage atthis sport, as his first spring is a great deal higher than thatof any ordinary novice attempting the sport, and it is analmost invariable rule that the good pole-jumper is a fine JUMPING, WEIGHT-PUTTING, ETC. 155 performer at a high jump, as is the case with Ray, the ex-champion. A friend has told us that he once saw a small acrobat ata circus clear far greater heights by the simple process ofclambering up the pole like a monkey as soon as it waspoised, and then dropping over the bar; but we have always
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Half over, felt inclined to believe that this story was on a par with thatother, of an Indian juggler who threw a rope up in theair and then chmbed up it and disappeared. Something,however, of the trick suggested is employed by Ray, whoshifts his hands up the bar when his pole is poised in theair. The sport certainly gives scope to fine athletic qualities,as the pole-jumper must be a high-jumper, and also agile i66 ATHLETICS enough to raise his body by hehp of the pole over the bar.The pole-jumper is thus usually a light-weight, but this is notthe case with Ray, who is a well-shaped man of decidedlyheavy build. His success is no doubt partly due to theeffect of an athletic tradition, as he comes from Ulverston,a place which has produced many fine pole-jumpers, one

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