Radcliffe Track Meets for First Time

Thirty women gathered at the Dillion Field House yesterday for the first practice of the new Radcliffe track team.

Don Jurovich '76, the coach and organizer of the fledgling team, said yesterday that the plans for Radcliffe track were tentative until last Wednesday, when 48 women showed up at an organizational meeting to express "sincere interest" in track competition.

Jurovick expects this first season to be "low-key." A Brown meet in early May is the only meet scheduled so far this spring. He said he will also approach the Liberty Runners--a women's track club in Lexington.

Although Jurovich hopes to schedule a total of six meets this spring, his choice will be limited by a lack of money travel outside the Boston area and a lack of time to bone up the team to face tough competitors.

He said that Ivy meets will have to be put off until next year when the team will be in better shape. "We'd like to play Princeton, but Princeton recruits," he said. "They would probably wipe us right off the track."

The team's most pressing problem is a lack of funds. "Our first priority is to buy a discus, shotput and javelin," Jurovich said. "We can't participate in field events without them."

Since Radcliffe Athletics fixes its budget six months ahead of time, the track team will have to depend on alumnae and alumni contributions.

Don Barfield, an assistant coach for the team, was "really shocked" at the large turnout. "I wouldn't have expected it here," he said. "Women's track seems to be a dead affair, not only on the supply side but on the demand side too. Perhaps it's due to neglect on Harvard's part."

Jurovich expressed doubt about plans for next year. "The interest is there," he said. "Whether the Radcliffe Athletic Department will support the team is another question."