1912–13 Volume 37 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLL 1211912, began to train for the dashes when he and his older brothers played tagaround the parental block at his birthplace, Minneapolis, Minn. It is notadmitted that the American sprinter first discovered his real speed whenthe policeman on the beat tried to catch the Courtney youths after routingthem from a neighbor's orchard but the fact remains that J. Ira grew upthrough grammar school days in an athletic atmosphere, for his older fratreswere quartermilers and long distance runners at Central High.To the Varsity public, however, Courtney was first introduced in the filingof 1909 when he made state interscholastic records of 5 2-5, ib 1-5 and 2z'^i-5seconds in the 50, 100 and 220 yard sprints, which marks have not -beenlowered by subsequent contestants. And to show his versatility Courtney,J, IRA COURTNEYWashington State, '13CARROLL B.Michigan, '13HAFFsprinter, used to win the low hurdle race when a first in that event meantvictory of the meet for his institution. At the A. A. U. games held at theA. Y. P. Exposition that summer he made a creditable showing, winningpraise from Trainer Murphy of the University of Pennsylvania.During the seasons of'igio and 1911, the first of which was spent atPhillips Exeter Academy and the latter at the University of Washington,Courtney failed to maintain his previous standard and it was not until theP. N. A. games in 1911 that he displayed his former calibre by winning thehundred in 9 4-5 seconds.Besides his showing in the Olympic trials at San Francisco where hewon the 100 meter race in 10 4-5 seconds and the 200 meter event in 21 4-5seconds, thereby qualifying for the Yankee team, Courtney made his best timethis spring in the dual meet at Pullman, taking the hundred in 9 4-5 and thefurlong in 21 2-5 seconds, or within one-fifth of a second of the world's record.At Stockholm Courtney won his heats in the lOO and 200 meter races but