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Big Week Ahead for U. S. Olympians Start to Assemble In New York Today Entire Team to Participate In Pre-Meet Parade Before Leaving for Helsinki July 7 i By STEVE SNIDER United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y., June 28. Its a big week for Uncle Sams Olympians, perhaps the strongest team in history. Theyll assemble in the big town for uniform fittings, passport processing, lectures on whats expected of Americans abroad, one last competitive fling in an Olympic carnival and even a ticker tape parade down Broadway before they take off on "cloud eight" for Helsinki July 7. Then comes the grim pursuit of Olympic gold medals against the worlds finest athletes, also improved over other years, with Russias delegation the great unknown. You might call this "Olympic Week" in New York. Usually, the team assembles with no great fuss, quietly files aboard an ocean liner and steals away with little more ado than a water salute from fire boats and the whistles of an occasional busy tug. This time New York is pulling out all the. stops with a send-off the kids should long remember. July 6 Carnival Virtually Junior Olympics The carnival on July 6 is virtually a junior Olympics, with the entire U. S. team participating in a pre-meet parade. The meet itself is chiefly a tune-up for track and field forces with the runners shooting for American records at the odd, seldom-raced distances like 150 yards, one-fifth mile, 660 yards, three-fourths mile, etc. In all, 10 marks-are the targets and many are certain to fall. Among them is the one-fifth mile 352 yards record set 31 years ago by the late Charley Paddock and rarely raced by modern sprinters. Olympic coach Brutus Hamilton figured that as long as these records are carried on the books his charges ought to have a crack at them in hot competition. All strictly are non-Olympic distances. Only a few teams still must determine their personnel in final trials this week. The decathlon,; with Bob Mathias favored, is scheduled for his home town of Tulare, Calif., July 1-2; womens swimming at Indianapolis; womens track and field at Harrisburg, Pa.; rowing at Worcester, Mass.; mens swiming at New York. Swimmers, divers and water polo teams will be cavorting all week at New York at two different pools. Swimming vies with track and field in the matter of importance in American eyes. It looks as if the Yanks will have their hands full with Japanese and Australian swimmers at Helsinki. The competition looms so hot that the wnniing points in the unofficial team race likely will rest on the diving in which the U. S. is supreme. Maj. Sammy Lee, an Army medic, carries the big load. 4
