SWIMMING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 86, 12 April 1929, Page 11

SWIMMING.

FOUR POPULAR DIVES. HINTS BY AN EXPERT. RECORD-BREAKING ATTEMPTS. The season just concluding has seen a revival of interest in diving in Auckland, where the standard of this spectacular department of the sport had been at a very low ebb for some time, facilities for diving locally are indoubtedly the poorest of any in the main centres, but in spite of this handicap, a troupe from the Ponsonby Club has treated the spectators at the majority of club galas to same splendid displays of low board fancy diving.

The Auckland champion \V. Hassan, who was the first diver to sent away to a Dominion championship meeting for some years, performed very creditably at Wellington to gain third place.

The following instructions for doing four dives which are usually demanded in local club competitions are given by Mr. George \oon, who was fourth in the diving championship at the OlympicGames held in Stockholm in 1012, to those who wish to improve their diving during the off season.

The art of diving is simply the ability of being able to jump in the air. keep a graceful position of the body during its flight through the air, and enter the water at a correct angle.

For the standing dive the toes should be projecting slightly over the edge of the board, the weight of the body evenly balanced on both feet, and most of the weight on the balls of the feet; the body held erect, arms held at the sides of the body, and the limbs held well braced up. The head should be held erect, chin slightly drawn up, with the eyes looking straight forward to their own height. From this position you are now ready to dive. Just l)efore the actual take-otF for the dive, the novice is advised to raise his arms straight forward, palms of the hands facing downwards, make a slight pause in this position, then bring back the arms down again to their former position and, without making any pause, take oil'.

The take-off is the most important part of the dive; this is when you have to do all that is necessary to ensure a correct and graceful carriage during your flight through the air, and an accurate balance so as to enable you to enter the water at the prescribed angle. This angle should be between 45 and 00 degrees, but must not exceed the latter. (If you do from any great height you are likely to hurt yourself.) The Running Dive. To execute the running d'ne t ike up your position between -H to (j yards away from the edge of the board I position of body to be as decribed for the standing dive—except that the toes are not projecting over the edj:e). and raise yourself on the toes, and, starting with either foot, run towards the end of the board in a smooth, but bold and confident manner, increasing your pace gradually until you have gone fatenough to do the running take-oil'.

There are two ways of taking off for the running dive, the "one foot take off" and the "two feet take off." The rules of diving allow both; you can choose whichever suits you best, and I have no hesitation in recommending all beginners to adopt the two feet take-off. To do this properly you should, just before the actual take-off. do a preliminary jump off one foot and land on both feet at the end of the board, and. without any pause, jump np and take off as previously explained for the standing dive. For the "one foot take-off" you simply run off the board and assume the position as described after the standing take-off. The English Header. For the English header you should jump upward and outward, and. simultaneously with your take-off, swing the arm forward and upward, and slightiv inwards, so that, immediately after you take off, the arms should be full', stretched with the hands (fingers fully stretched) above the head, thumbs and forefingers close together: from the tips of the toes to the tips of the lingers all limbs should be fully stretched and close together, palms of the hands facing forward. If you can succeed to do the above correctly, you have nothing else to do but simply wait until you have disappeared under the water, then come up to the surface and be assured that you have done a perfect English header.

The instructions as given for tlie English header are followed when doing the swallow dive, except that in taking off. instead of swinging the arms above the head, raise the. arms sideways and upwards until they are the height of, and slightly behind," the shoulders, palms of the hands facing forward, back hollowed, and head held well back without am strain. This position should be held during the flight through the air. and. just previous to reaching the water, the arms should l>e swung over the head to assume the position as descrilied for the English header. In doing so, the body stretches in its whole length and disappears in the water to complete a perfect swallow dive. Attempts On Records. At the I niversity Club's annual championship carnival, to lie held in the tepid baths next Thursday evening. Auckland's two senior lady champions will make attacks on existing New Zealand records. Miss Ena Stoekley will endeavour to set new figure* for the 100 yards and 10u metres backstroke swims. ' The present records, 1.17 4-5 and 1.25. are both held by her. Miss Stoekley put up the 100 metres mark just before she went to the Olympic Games last year. The 100 yards record was established when she romped home an easy winner by twelve yards in the backstroke event at the national championships in February.

Miss Stoekley has only to reproduce the form she displayed in creating lie> brilliant free-style records a fortnight ago to register exceptionally fast swims. As it is, she is expected to approach dangerously close to the world's records. 1.12 4-5 and 1.21 3-5.

The middle-distance champion. Mis? Dorothy Grant, has set herself a very hard task, for she will try to improve on Miss Gwitha Shand's five-year-old record for the furlong. 2.47. As Miss Grant's best time for the season is about 2.52, it is doubtful whether she will make any impression on Miss Shand's time.