"As long as there are men here who want to go out for sports there will be teams to go out for," Arthur Sampson, Harvard Athletic Association Publicity Director and sports writer for the Boston Herald said yesterday, outlining the opportunities in athletics which will be open to the New Freshman entering today.
Added to the loss earlier this winter of Athletic Director Bill Bingham and Football Coach Dick Harlow, is the expected departure of several other coaches including Lyal Clark, varsity line coach, who is leaving for North Carolina Pre-Flight school on February 11, and Tom Bolles, crew coach, who is now in Washington may get a Navy commission.
But the majority of the coaches are still here and expect to be here for some time, and for the rest of the winter at least, schedules will be kept us as fully as possible. All the winter sports will be open to New Freshmen, and many positions hold by students in the armed forces will be open.
The hockey team under John Chase, only once defeated this season, is still nearly at full strength. The basketball squad, has had a good early season record and Earl Brown, the coach still has many of his men. In other sports the outlook is less bright, however. The swimming team has been hard hit by draft losses, but retains its coach, Hal Ulen, and many of its members.
Jaaka Mikkola, track coach, will not lead his team to any big meets this winter, but informal meets and a visit to the Millrose Games in New York are planned. Squash under coach Jack Barnaby will keep to its original schedule in spite of the loss of Captain Gaelan Felt. Wrestling continues under new coach Jay Schafrann, and informal boxing, under football mentor Henry Lamar.
House sports will be stressed in coming weeks as trips to other colleges become impossible. At present four sports, hockey, basketball, swimming, and squash make up the hot intramural competition.
Even the non-athletes will find a spot; the compulsory athletic program, in action since last spring, shows no signs of weaning. Muscles have formed an integral part of the Harvard tradition and New Freshmen will get their chance to develop the pectoralis major whether they like it or not.
Although the H. A. A., working on a season to season basis because of the uncertainties of the future, has made no plans for spring sports, crew practice on the Weld boathouse machines will continue and positions in the various College eights are still unchosen.
Baseball will begin sometime in February, Sampson said, after a preliminary meeting of candidates on Thursday, February 4. Indoor practice will be held, if possible, in Briggs Cage during February and March, although with the Navy and Army using the building there may not be much room for the baseball squad on the heavy cage schedule.
The future of the other spring sports seems highly indefinite. The only coach who may not be here is Tom Bolles, and Bert Haines, jayvee crew mentor seems fairly certain of staying. Track will probably continue on a more ambitious schedule, Sampson said, but here again nothing is certain. Many of the minor sports, however, seem doomed to a war death.
Football seems doomed on a large scale, with only Henry Lamar and Floyd Stahl left on the staff. Spring football will only be possible outdoors, due to the crowding of Briggs Cage, but if enough want it, some sort of coaching can probably be arranged
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