Handstands on the Edge of a Cliff (1923)

1923

This photograph shows Hartley D. Price and two unidentified young men doing handstands at the edge of a steep ridge in Australia during the winter of 1923. Born in Australia and known in gymnastic circles as “the kangaroo coach,” Dr. Hartley Price (1902-1977) was a long-time member of the US Olympic Gymnastic Committee. He earned his bachelor of science and bachelor of physical education from Springfield College in 1927, his bachelor of science and master of arts from the University of Illinois, and his Ph.D. from New York University. He spent 1948 to 1971 coaching at Florida State University, where he produced five national Gymnastics Team Championships. In addition to teaching physical education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, he served as director of Gymkana, Florida State University’s annual gymnastics display. Price went to Florida State from the University of Illinois, where in eleven years of coaching he produced six national championships in gymnastics. He was also a US Navy Commander and acted as coordinator of the Navy gymnastics program. While in the service, he wrote the Navy Book on “Gymnastics and Tumbling.”