Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 January 1912 — HOW FAMOUS ATHLETES DETERIORATE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW FAMOUS ATHLETES DETERIORATE

man attains his greatest strength "between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty-two. Then he begins to go "back. He does not necessarily lose his strength, but he is not as agile as formerly and he tires more quickly” Such was the remark made by Frank Gotch, the world’s wrestling champion, while in Cleveland on an exhibition tour recently. Continuing, he said: “That fits my case exactly. I am as strong, perhaps stronger, than I ever was before, but I am getting slower." The ‘old get-there’ spirit is not present In the old days when a man tore into me I would have torn right into him. But now I merely sidesidestep and bide my time. "That is why I have made up my mind to quit the game in the near future. If I keep at it long enough some man will , come along who will down me.. Of course, if some logical opponent shows up in the next few

months, I will take him on, but it will have to be soon as I intend to quit a champion. I shall not meet with Jim Jeffries’ fate. Jim lost because he was a mere shell of his former self. He had the strength but not the Speed nor the ability to withstand punishment that he had had once. Jn his former fights he was always punished severely but he could stand it. When he fought Johnson he couldn’t, and that is all there was to it. “But that never will* be my fate. Not for every cent that Jeffries got at Reno -would I go through what he ’did before and after that fight, particularly afterward. I intend to quit with the respefct of the public and settle down and live the simple life. I have enough money laid aside now and do not need to wrestle any longer. Why should I continue? Zbyszko? No, I will not meet him. Why should I? I tackled him once and made him look cheap, and he has done nothing since to entitle him to a return bout.”