On Wednesday, I went to the Rose Cafe hosted by Mr. Paul Wilcox, the Honorary Secretary of the Achilles Club – a club for Oxford and Cambridge track and field athletes. It was interesting to learn about what it was like to be an athlete in the late 1890s and 1900s. I learned that the Transatlantic Series had brought a team across the Atlantic before the Olympic games had started.

We learned about some important figures in these competitions, namely Charles Sherrill, who pioneered the crouched starting position for running in 1894. Eddie Gourdin, an African-American, set the world record for long jump: 25 ft, 3 in – a huge win. Another record was Roger Bannister running a mile in under 4 minutes. The many photos and videos that Mr. Wilcox showed us truly captured these momentous occasions, while also showing how these competitions have changed over the years, along with athletic clothing and training methods.

Mr. Wilcox brought up what an experience it was for a team to travel together across an ocean on a ship for a week. They had the opportunity to see a different culture and perspective. He also discussed some differences between the U.S. and U.K., particularly greetings and donating to your alma mater. In the U.S., it is strongly encouraged to donate to your alma mater, yet frowned upon in the U.K. Attitudes are also different: asking “How are you” to an American may bring a “Pretty good” response, while in the U.K., one may respond “Not too bad.”

Overall, this talk broadened my understanding of athletics from an international perspective. I learned quite a lot, especially how much training is required to excel as a world-class athlete in track and field. I look forward to future Rose Cafes to keep expanding my knowledge.