They Come From Far and Near

Even if Harvard recruits about half of its student body from New England, and has earned a world wide reputation as a strictly New England College, there have been on its sport teams representatives of countries scattered all over the face of this big, beautiful earth of ours. Perhaps the turkey must go to Dave Cheek, an end on the 1933 football team, who came the whole length of the Road to Mandalay to enjoy the higher education that Harvard had to offer. Dave hailed from the Straits Settlements.

But if the football team can boast the long-distance record, to the swimming team must go the laurels for consistency in recruiting its members from the far-flung corners of the earth. It is a matter of record that there have been several swimmers from the Hawaiian Islands, and it is also a matter of record that two men, the Jorgensen brothers, made their home in Japan before coming to Harvard.

Hawaii Again to the Fore

Hawaii is not to be outdone by delegates from the Mikado and has again sent a student to Harvard who will some day, mark my words, shine as a first magnitude star in the Crimson swimming firmament. Already he has broken the Freshman record in the 200-yard free-style and bids fair to lower his own mark once more. This particular representative of Hawaii is Peter Emilio Arioli, Jr. '38, who gives his home as Hilo, Hawaii.

Arioli's life history proves unusually interesting. He was born in Hawaii 18 years ago and has lived there ever since. Unlike youngsters in schools in the United States, Peter never had the advantage of competitive swimming. In his first race at Harvard, which was really the first race in his life, he broke the Freshman record. A truly remarkable feat.

Used to Spear Fishes

Peter's swimming in Hawaii was considered in the spirit of "just fun," and for hours on end he would play a form of water tag with the native boys of the Islands. He speared fishes and joined with the natives in their water sports. Swimming in the islands comes as second nature to the youngsters, and children can swim by the time they are four years old.

This early training, or rather lack of formal training, does not hinder, but helps Peter in his competitive swimming at Harvard. He is used to swimming longer and tires less easily than the hot-house variety of natators. The Crimson coaches consider him a better distance prospect than a dash man, and as soon as he learns the correct pace, will develop into as fine a swimmer as ever dove into the Harvard pool.

He is destined for the Varsity, and next year when he becomes eligible, should follow in the footsteps of his famous fellow-countryman, Bun Wood, who did so much to popularize swimming at Harvard. That is, Coach Hal Ulen, with the aid of Wood, was able to put over a sport that had been neglected by the fathers of the University for so many years. Wood, like Arioli, was better in the distances than in the sprints, he having held the championship of the Hawaiian Islands in the mile and half-mile before he came to Harvard. Peter never swam in races before he took up his abode in Cambridge, and thus cannot yet be compared with his great predecessor.