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THE WISCONSIN MAGAZINE
The Relay Carnival
          PAUL J. MORRIS
  Three years ago Dr. Hutchins planned
the first annual Indoor Relay Carnival of
the University of Wisconsin. It was mod-
eled after the University of Pennsylvania
Relay Carnival, and the athletic director
hoped to make it a big factor in western
athletic circles. Races were planned for
high schools, prep schools, state colleges,
and conference colleges and invitations to
compete were to all the leading schools
in the west. But when the date set for
the meet arrived only a feew entries had
been received. Chicago was the only con-
ference college to compete and only two
or three state colleges sent teams. The
number of high schools and academies
competing likewise was very small. In
fact, the meet turned out to be little more
than an inter-class affair.  The confer-
ence race was won by Chicago, which took
the lead from the start and kept it
throughout the whole race. Various races
were held between different college organi-
zations. There were inter-company, inter-
class, inter-fraternity and inter-literary so-
ciety races.  A  novel scheme was tried
out for the inter-fraternity race. Each
team was composed of four men. The
first man ran a two, hundred and twenty
yard dash, the second a quarter mile, the
third a half mile, and the fourth a mile.
This, however, was not a fair race, as the
team having the best miler could easily
win.
  The second annual relay carnival was
about as successful as the first. Again Chi-
cago was the only conference school enter-
ed and again it captured the big event. The
state college, high school and prep school
races were of little account because few
teams were entered. In that year the first
inter-sorority race was held and proved
to be very popular. The four men rep-
resenting Alpha Phi, Grobe, Byron, Van
Derzee and Myers, made a new indoor
western record for the half mile relay.
  The third year the relay carnival was
more of a success. Again Chicago won
the conference race with Wisconsin sec-
ond and Illinois third.  Several special
events were added to the program. But
very few entries were received from out-
side schools. The only event won by other
than Wisconsin men was the forty yard
dash, which was taken by Pettigrew of
Illinois. Osthoff won the shot-put, Nat-
wick the forty yard hurdle race and Doh-
men the mile run.
  The fourth annual relay carnival was
less interesting than any of the others.
The number of men competing was
smaller than ever before.   Chicago, as
usual, captured the conference event. The
other events in general were uninterest-
ing, although the inter-sorority race and
the inter-sport W-men's race were ex-
ceptions. Instead of having a relay race
for the sororities, four different races,
a two hundred and twenty yard dash, a
quarter mile run, a half mile run, and a
mile run, were substituted. The team get-
ting first in each race was given one
point, the team getting second two
points, etc.  After the four races were
finished, the points -were added up and
the team having the least number was
declared winner. This scheme was per-
fectly fair, but it caused much more con-
fusion and lacked most of the excitement
of a relay race. Dohmen's time in the
mile run, 4 :32 1-5, was remarkable.
  After four trials, the relay carnival has
not gained the proportions which the man
who planned it hoped it would attain.
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