345 IN MAJOR SPORT SQUADS

Statistics compiled yesterday by the CRIMSON show that there are 345 candidates for the four major spring sports of the University, as compared with 306 and 200 candidates at Yale and Princeton respectively. Of this number, crew, with 177 oarsmen, attracts over half, baseball is second with 71, track third with 67, and football last with 30. Crew likewise leads at Princeton, where 107 men are rowing, and track and baseball second and third with 47 and 36 respectively. At Yale, baseball is in the lead with 135 candidates, followed by track with 96, and crew with only 75. Neither of these two colleges are playing spring football.

In the spring sports there are 17 "H" men in College at present, nine of whom won their letter in the baseball game with Yale last spring. Track and crew are represented by five and three "H" men respectively. Princeton leads the University in this respect, however, with 19 members of last year's teams back in college. Seven of these are in track, with six each for crew and baseball. At Yale, nine of the baseball men are back, but as there are only four track and three crew "Y" men, the total for the Elis is only 16.

The statistics for the University are of interest in connection with the question of compulsory athletics, because they show how large a proportion of the undergraduates are now taking part in some major sport. Including Freshmen, there are 513 candidates for crew, football, track, and baseball. The last registration figures of the College show an enrollment of 2016 men, of whom 288 are unclassified, and consequently ineligible to represent the University in outside contests. Therefore 29 per cent., or almost one out of every three eligible undergraduates, is attending regular practice in one of the four major sports. When this total is combined with the number of men playing golf, tennis, and lacrosse, the percentage would be well up in the thirties.

These figures compare favorably with both Princeton and Yale. At the former college, 27 per cent, of the upperclassmen are candidates for a major sport team, and the figure is slightly lower for Yale.

The Freshmen are doing even better than the upper classes at the University. There are 77 candidates for the 1922 crew, 39 out for track, 35 playing baseball, and 19 are taking part in spring football, making a grand total of 168. As there are 539 members of the class, the percentage in this case is 32 per cent, slightly higher than the University figures.

The apparent reason for the popularity of rowing is the fact that it is possible to practice alone as well as with a crew: Thirty-eight men are regularly taking single shells from the Newell Boat House, while 25 are using Weld for the same purpose.