SWIMMING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 258, 1 November 1933, Page 14

SWIMMING.

SPORT IN THE SCHOOLS. MR. C. T. STRATFORD'S REPORT , 3626 CERTIFICATES ISSUED.. Reporting upon the activities of the 1932-33 season, Mr. C. F. Stratford, educational officer of the Auckland Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, states: — The most outstanding feature was the privilege extended by the New Zealand Council to the Auckland Centre in allowing this centre to adopt its own policy and control in the issuing of certificate awards to the schools of the province. If swimming in the schools is to take its correct place as one of the subjects of the curriculum, and only iu this way can it be rightly handled, then the Control of certificate awards must be a school, and not an individual matter in the same way as the awards of certificates of proficiency for scholastic attainment is the concern of the school authorities. The place of the Swimming Centre is to assist the school authorities to make these awards, and not milking certificates available directly to the children. The availability of certificates directly to the children tends to make the control of swimming beyond the schools' control, and hence not part of its educational scheme. By incorporating the schools in the control greatly enhances the value of the awards from the children's point of view, and swimming thus becomes to them a school activity and is treated accordingly. Under the above scheme a total of 3626 centre certificates was issued to 121 schools, at a total cost of £18 15/lly receipts totalling £19 9/6. Charges this season were reduced to provide a bare working margin to assist the schools. The educational work of the ccntre for the last three years is reviewed in the following table:— 1930-31. 1931-02. 1032-33. Centre certificates 370- 34-5 3020 Schools' Association (iiSyds) SO4 1204 1100 Lite-saving awards 710 743 111 Total awards ... 5270 5374 4543 The clerical work involved in the issue and dispatcn oi auch a number ol cernucules uus ueen exceptionally Heavy, aiiil has beeu inaue possible ouiy by me cooperation oi tile principal oi tue lvownai intermediate school. xlie woik oi two senior pupils, (Stanley Grainger and .Norman Gol'uon, wHo nave Deeu responsible tor the major portion ol tnis worn, is deserving oi Ihe special thanks ot tlie centre. No fewer than twenty-one schools qualified lor tile special scliool eertlueate issued by tlie i\ew Zeaiaud Council lor awards totalling ol per cent,, or over, of attendance in standard classes. It is significant that all but two ot tiiese sciioois are country bcliools. IHe award ol tne Da vies Shield is a matter tor the New Zealand Council when ail the returns troiu the centres, are submitted. The lngnest percentage gained in tne Auckland Centre's district was reached by the Waiugarara School with 280.7 per cent, a very creditable performance indeed, the Waihaharu School gaming second place with 211.5 per cent. Mr. C. E. Bernard, the honorary instructor of the Schools' Swimming Association, is doing valuable worn in teacinng swimming in the schools of the Mount Eden district, and the fact that no fewer than 333 children were last season taught to swim by Mr. Bernard is evidence of the great work .of this enthusiast. The Schools' Swimming Association held its fourth annual carnival in March last and controlled a very successful function, the standard of swimming reaching a level exceeded nowhere in the Dominion. This very live association is doing valuable work in encpuragmg the schools to raise their standard of swimming, and the association's activities have been a vital factor iu stimulating the interest in the city and suburban schools. All our secondary and private schools continue to incorporate swimming in their senior sports' activities, and valuable work is carried on, • extending the work in the primary schools. A very high level i 8 being reached in all our secondary echools, as evidenced by the Takapuna and Epsom Girls' Grammar Schools, where the work is of exceptional merit. The Auckland City and Mount Eden Borough Councils have done all in their power to further the educational work, granting substantial concessions to the schools at the swimming pools. Their baths superintendents and staffs have actively co-operated in the work of encouraging our young swimmers, and in this respect I have specially to thank Mr. M. E. Champion, superintendent of the City Council pools, together with Messrs. Farquhar and Butler, and the Tepid Baths staff for their ready assistance. In this appreciation we include Mr. and Mrs. Cowan, of the Mount Eden Baths, for their cordial and active cooperation.