470 SPORTS AND GAMES 



Speed Championships, both amateur and professional, to take place, a new record (4 

 min. 44 4/5 sec.), being set up in the latter by Greenhall. An open race for amateurs 

 ind professionals over a straight course of a mile was held in 1912 for the first time in 

 thirty-one years, with the remarkable result that all the competitors, amateur and 

 professional, beat George ("Fish ") Smart's record of 3 min. made in 1881, F. W. Dix 

 claiming the new record in 2 min. 27 1/5 sec. The speed skating championships of the 

 world produced two new records, viz., 500 metres in 44 1/5 sec. and 10,000 metres in 17 

 min. 46 3/10 sec. Oscar Mathiesen being the winner. Roller-skating has not maintained 

 its sudden access of popularity, but has left a residue of increased proficiency. Practice 

 on rollers is gaining recognition as useful for the ice skater when ice is wanting. 

 The winners of the principal championships of 1911-12 were as follows:-^ 

 Speed Skating. English amateur championship (i miles with three turns): 1912, F. W. 

 Dix. English professional championship (same course): 1912, Sidney Greenhall. Both 

 the winners were the holders. One mile straight-away: 1912, F. W. Dix. World's cham- 

 pionships: 1911, N. Strunnikoff, all four distances (500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 metres); 

 1912, Oscar Mathiesen, all four distances. European championships: 1911, N. Strunnikoff; 

 1912, O. Mathiesen. i : .;.. 



Figure S&a/pzg. English championships, English style: Single skater's challenge cup, 



1911 A. J. Davidson, 1912 H. M. Morris. Combined skating: 1911 Combined Figure Skat- 

 ing Club team (A. J. Davidson, F. G. Fedden, H. M. Morris, R. Moxon), 1912 Wimbledon 

 S. C. team (A. J. Davidson, F. G. Fedden, H. M. Morris, M. Teichmann). Pairs: 1912, 

 Miss D. R. Jameson and A. J. Davidson. English championships, International style: 

 singles, 1911 .Mrs. Greenhough Smith, 1912 A. Cumming. Pairs (a new championship 

 trophy presented by Mr. and Mrs. Johnson), 1911 Miss Harrison and Mr. G. B. Krabbe, 



1912 Miss Harrison and Mr. Basil Williams. World's championship: 1911 V. Salchow, 

 1912 Fritz Kachler. European championship:- 1911 P. Thoren, 1912 Gosta Sandhal. 

 Ladies' championship:- 1911 Frl. L. Kronberger, 1912 Frl. Opika von Meray Horvath. 

 Pairs championship: 191 1 Frl. L. Eilers and W. Jakobsson, 1912 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. 



Roller Skating. Amateur English championship (International style): 1911, W. Stan- 

 ton; 1912, D. Resta. (English style) : 1911 and 1912, R. S. Hewett. 



i Sfci-ing. '-< -.-> 



As a competitive sport, running on ski is extensively practised in central Europe 

 during the winter, especially in the Alps, the Black Forest, and Tirol, where there are 

 many clubs, and several international open meetings are held. In the neighbourhood 

 of Christiania the older and more famous meetings have for some years been carried out 

 with difficulty, the weather having been on the whole exceptionally unfavourable. 

 Ski-ing is now the favourite amusement of visitors to Alpine winter resorts, and has 

 increased in importance as a valuable aid to winter mountaineering. Its military value 

 is recognised by the nations that have Alpine frontiers, as well as by Norway and Swe- 

 den. The practical side of the exercise has also been illustrated by Amunclsen's success- 

 ful rush to the South Pole. 



Owing to the varying nature of the ground and of the condition of the snow, no purpose 

 can be served by attempting to compare the times in which long distance races have been 

 run. Jumping records are almost equally devoid of significance, as no standard angle of 

 declivity is recognised. But it may be mentioned that in the early part of 1912 the longest 

 "standing jump" i.e. jump in which the competitor kept his feet after landing yet 

 recorded was accomplished at Modum, Norway, by Gunnar Andersen, of Lyn, Christiania. 

 The distance was 47 metres. 



Swimming, 



After the lapse of thirty-six years the feat of swimming from Dover to Calais, 

 accomplished by Capt. Matthew Webb, was repeated on September 4 and 5, 1911 

 by T. W. Burgess, an Englishman resident in Paris. For some years frequent attempts 

 had been made in vain by numerous swimmers. Burgess was fortunate in obtaining 

 calm weather, but he was hampered by the tide in such a way as to be carried back over 

 the Varne sand; and his course, including a large loop, was thus considerably longer 

 than Webb's. As his time (22 hrs. 35 min.) was but little inferior, his exploit must be 

 considered equal to that of his precursor. 



As a competitive sport, swimming has been brought to a high pitch by the Austral- 

 ians, who are favoured by their climate, and by Americans. Of the former, J. G. 



