400 members of the Young Workers League take the ferry to Staten Island for a hike to Silver Lake where baseball, soccer, boxing, tug-of-war, wrestling, and chess were played along with singing and debates.

‘Leninists Win Game in Ninth’ by Al Schaap from the Daily Worker. Vol. 3 No. 135. June 19, 1926.

Boxing, Wrestling and Chess Other Features At Youth Picnic

NEW YORK. The first mass hike led by the Young Workers League last Sunday was a success. The Sports Bureau laid out plans which were carried out to the last detail.

At this hike there were members of the Young Workers League, Brownsville Youth Center, Williamsburg Soccer Club and other sympathetic organizations. The hikers numbered four hundred.

With each group of twenty hikers, a group captain was placed. That made altogether twenty groups. Each group carried its number in the front line headed by a banner as follows: “Hike With The Young Workers League.”

The first fifteen groups left promptly at nine o’clock from the Staten Island Ferry. The second party of five groups left at ten.

All the hikers took their instructions in a fine spirit. A motorcycle which headed the hikers was used to relay instructions down the line. Every captain was supplied with a whistle and a red arm band and the head captain with a siren. As the head captain gave instructions to the motorcycle group to sing the International, this would be relayed down the ranks and when the siren was blown, one grand marching chorus would be heard.

At midway, the first group of the hikers rested. Upon arrival of the second group, the first group left. Continuing their march, the hikers arrived at Silver Lake, S.I. Here all the hikers sat on a hill where instructions for the day were issued.

Sports Events.

Following lunch, a baseball game was staged between the Leninists and the Bolsheviks. The Leninists won a nine inning battle by a score of thirteen to three. The Leninist team was quite effective in cutting off runs at the home plate. Their pitcher struck out ten Bolsheviks, walking but two. This game had all the aspects of a big league game, cheering squads pepped up the players to an exciting degree. The baseball game was followed by a soccer game which resulted in a tie.

Boxing and wrestling matches were also held with quite a number of bloody noses as a result. While the crimson flowed freely, all boxers and wrestlers seemed satisfied in their fun.

Another big event was the tug-of-war in which the girls ran away with the husky chaps who could not hold their ground. Twice the number of Pioneers were successful in dragging a number of league members all over the field. The Volgas ran away with the Pulleys, taking them over a distance of twenty yards when they won.

Chess Championship.

While all these strenuous contests were going on, an elimination contest for chess championship ended with five more players to contest. This match will be followed up at a future hike.

Discussion groups were also organized and there were some heated words battered around. No casualties, however, were reported. Singing and other games were also part of the program. The hour was too late to stage the mass drill which was planned beforehand.

At 7 o’clock whistles blew galore. This was the signal for the reformation of ranks and the hike toward home was started.

On the ferry many of the Italian passengers were aroused to sympathy by the singing of “Banderia Rossa.” Otherwise all American songs were sung and when passing the Statue of Liberty three cheers went up for “Liberty is dead in America! Long live Liberty!”

The groups disbanded at South Ferry looking forward to the next hike which the Young Workers League will soon run.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1926/1926-ny/v03-n135-NY-jun-19-1926-DW-LOC.pdf