Evening Star Newspaper, January 18, 1931, Page 79

FASTEST of All Modern Sports BY FRANK CARLYN. HAT is the fastest sport? What is the fashiest yet most gruel- ing physical contest of today? Which takes the swiftest muscles, the guickest brain, the greatest stamina, the hardest body, the strong- heart? Foot ball enthusiasts may pomt to the daz- eling rough-and-tumble scrimmages which are the essence of the game, to the black eyes and broken noses, pulled ligaments and battered torsos which also seem part of the game, and regarding aerial attacks, in the last few years, foot ball hucq'tnnlybeengiven winged feet. of the body is continually at work at top speed, twisting. running and throwing. BOxlNG 5 & sport which might have a better claim than the two foregoing. It combines the speed of basket ball with the body-bruising elements of foot ball. Preponents ©of the ring sport will remind you of the sledge- hammer blows the fighter's body must stand, of the steel-springed legs which must move lightly as a dancer's yet always be solidly placed to give or take a blow, of the clever brain which, punch-drunk though it may be, must order tired muscles and bruised fists to Jab, swing, guard and dodge. Any Iist of speedy sports would be incom- plete without those of the cinder track. What sport can be faster than the-dashes with flying legs and pumping arms propelling the body a hundred yards in less than 10 seconds? Then there are the hurdles, requiring minute mus- cular control with swift limbs, a keen eye and a brain accurately judging distance and height all in the course of split seconds. So om up the range of races to the marathon with its 24-0dd miles of grueling, heartbreaking and un- faltering effort. Every sport will have its defenders, more or less prejudiced as most fans are when their favorite pastime is at issue, who will advance reasons why it should be considered the swiftest of athletic contests. Judging by the number of fans who pay homage to it, base ball will have the most defenders. The national pastime is certainly a speedy game and the crack of bat on ball is often the signal for mancuvers 80 swift as to challenge the eye to follow them. There is one sport just as old but not quite @8 widespread in this country as any of the THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 18 1931 Hibbert Harry Milks, captain of the Quakers, has played big-time hockey for 11 seasons and considers it the ficrcest as well as the swiftest of all sports. He is shown here superimposed upon an action photograph of a professional game. late foot ball and basket ball for Winter popu- hi ; g8s Was on club, accompanied the admonition, “Shinny on your own side.” This game was probably a derivalion of a cruder form of hockey played in Scotland, known as “shinty.” A similar game played in Ireland was called “hurley.” Derivation of the present mame “hockey™ is commonly at- tributed to the French “hoguet” a shepherd's crook, referring to the shape of the stick used in the early stages of the game. Various modi- fications of the sport were played in Northern Europe and Asia. The ancient Romans played what might be termed a form of hockey, using a bent stick on hard ground or ice. England first took steps in 1875 to mmke the game more concrele and less haphazard. A group of fans composed the Men’s Hockey As- sociation, made a few vital rules and dubbed the resulting game “field hockey.” The game b 7 Capt. “Hib> Milks of the Philadelphia Quakers Accounts for the Growing Popularity of Ice Hockey and Tells Why He Considers It the Most Fiercely Waged of Modern Athletic | Endeavors. . may see the game played not only in the universities, colleges and high schoels, but also in the grammar schools throughout the Nation. What the fan’s opinion of how fast or harsh a sport may be often varies widely with that of the player. The average foot ball coach will poch-posh the charge that present-day foot ball is too rough, claiming that a well trained and hardened player has slight chance for serious injuries. Therefore, it would seem logical to get the opinion of some outstanding player of ice hockey to sce if the players themselves 100K upon the Tascinating sport as a fast, fierce game. HIB MILKS, versatile and flashy captain of the Quakers, thinks foe hockey is not only the sp ediest sport, but is, in addition, the most furiously fought and fiercest of all athletic combats, % Hibbert Harry Milks has been playing big-time hockey for 11 seasons. As a boy he played with the Canadian grammar school teams and at 17 had fought his way to the top of the youthful ranks. He was given his first big start with the Ontario Gunners’ Club in 1919. After rounding out his experience with three seasons with that aggregation, he invaded the States. He played on the Pittsburgh Amae teur Club in 1922 and then returned to Ottawa, where he joined the ranks of the New Edinburgh Canoe Club during 1923-24. Back In Pittsburgh again with the Yellow Jackets, Milks continued his climb to the top. % of field hocked as known in humdreds of girls’ schools and colleges s a d:scendant of this Men's Hockey Association ocontest, with the featwres vemoved. The Wimbledon rdles, drawn uwp In 1883, governing the which was then played with a hard ball and bent sticks, are still effective as essential points of play are concerned. sport gained immense popularity in Eng- land, Ireland, Scotiand and Wales, and count- a set of rules gov- section, the first game America took place. The and the McGill Univer- sity Hockey Club waet iIn Montreal in 1881, and the sport, destined to become one of major rank, had its ingeption in America. After this clash a code rules was devised through the efforts of the Victoria Club, and the game Tap- idly spread, and in 1884 a general tournament was held. In 1887 the greatest siep toward consolidation and clarification of the rules governing the sport was made with the organ- imation of the Amat~ur Hockey Association in Canada. Since that time the game’s growth has been steady. It has crossed the Canadian border, invaded New England and Midwestern States near the boundary line. Perfecting of indoor rink eguipment further atded its prog- ress. If experiments with a new type of arti- ficial ice prove successful, hockey enthusiasts b ¥ His popularity in Pittsburgh s being duplicated in Philadelphia as pilot of the Quakers. “Ice hockey is the Pastest sport,” said Milks; “there is no doubt about it that I can see. Any one whd has played the game knows what 1 mean when I say its speed is a continuous strain. Often a player will be skating at top speed for five minutes at & stretch. Then again, in the course of a game the player may travel the course of the rink from 100 to 200 Scorin;u;onl'm.-pvflem‘oulimbdchdura puuc-duc has mth'm sprawling.