Sport: Bronx Bomber

Gary Gubner of The Bronx is 17 years old and big for his age—6 ft. 2 in., 245 Ibs., 50 in. chest. He is also almost too strong for his own good. Last week, at a local indoor high-school meet, they gave him the 12-lb. shot and hustled out of range. Four times in a row the massive senior from De Witt Clinton High School ricocheted his put off the ceiling.

The rules do not allow for a toss that hits anything in flight. So the officials moved Gary into a bigger gym. First, he banged the ceiling again. Then, paying a little more heed to trajectory, Gary let loose a heave that was clearly headed for the back wall, 65 ft. away, when it crashed into a basketball backboard 54 ft. out, at a spot 12 ft. off the floor.

So they moved Gary into a still bigger gym. By this time, there was fretful muttering that first place might have to go to Mike Berkowitz, 17, whose toss of only 53 ft. 10¼ in. had hit nothing but the floor. But the weary Bronx boy-whale finally got off a freeflight toss that went 60 ft. 7½ in. to win his just reward. This spring he will have all outdoors for room in his assault on the national scholastic record of 69 ft. 3 in., held by Southern California’s Dallas Long.