Team Captains of Major, Minor Sports Join to Condemn Student Council Plan

This is the first of a series of articles attempting to present undergraduate reaction to the Student Council's athletic report designed to abolish all minor and junior Varsity (except football and crew) sports.

Major and minor Crimson captains have presented a united front in condemning the Student Council's athletic report released Monday which advises the gradual abolition of all minor and Jayvee (except football and crew) sports, and the incorporation of all these sports (with their coaches) into House Athletic Program.

These drastic changes envisaged received the acceptance of the Council by a 7 to 2 vote, and the report will now go to the Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports. The Committee's decision concerning the proposals contained in the report will probably be available by May 1.

Torbie Macdonald

Terbert H. Macdonald '40, captain elect of the football squad expressed the feelings of several athletic leaders when he declared that the Council's plan would "kill out interest in a lot of minor sports here at Harvard." He also mentioned the coaching angle (which proved to be a popular rallying point for opponents of the plan) and said that it would be impossible for a coach to spread his time over a group of House teams and do as good a job as he would on but one intercollegiate squad.

Crew captain Dudley Talbot '39 disapproved of the plan in general and raised the question of what would happen to the 150's if the Council's report were adopted. The fact is that they would probably be discontinued in the course of time. More specific objections were voiced by Rosswell Brayton '39, cross country captain.

Ross Brayton

Brayton believes that most House men prefer to limit their participation intramural sports to one or two days each week, and that they would not wish to shoulder the burden of the intensified program suggested by the Council. "Cross country," he said "would be a farce for a man who practiced once or twice a week." It is true, however, that cross country would probably be retained along with track as a major sport.

Howard P. Mendel '40, captain-elect of the soccer team, was decidedly opposed to the Council's plan and suggested a possible solution would be to raise all minor sports on the same status with the majors.