McFADDEN BROTHER'S HARD WON SUCCESS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28161, 27 December 1956, Page 10

Mc FADDEN BROTHER'S HARD WON SUCCESS

J7OR many- sportsmen, the ability! to excel is the result of natural aptitude; for others it is the! result of a combat against physi-| cal disadvantages with intense training and practice. In the latter category- fall the two Can-; terbury representative .swimmers.; Graham and Colin McFadden.; whose outstanding record would cause many an onlooker to comment that both brothers are [ “natural swimmers.’’ In reality, the McFadden boys! have achieved their impressive list of successes only through

j their parents and themselves mak- ( I ing sacrifices far in excess of those made by the majority of sportsmen. Swimming to the McFadden family means team work, and enthusiasm for the sport has never been lacking. While Mr McFadden acts as an official at interclub swimming carnivals and is a hard worker for the Spreydou club. Mrs McFadden has had to cope with the problem of the j training hours of her two sons byarranging meals to suit. She is; also often seen working as an official at swimming carnivals. i The training programme of the two is an example of their keenness to succeed. Colin swims five Ito six miles every day of the I week except Sunday, and Graham i had a similarly strict routine. I During their training they are, timed against a stop-watch and [learn their capabilities for each; [length of the pool in their events.i During the 1954-55 season. Gra- ! I ham made his first real impact upon swimming in Canterbury bytaking the 110yds. 220yds and 440yds intermediate freestyle titles, while Colin won the 110yds backstroke and 110yds freestyle titles in record times. Last season. at his first entry into senior: competition. Graham at once proved himself to be capable of rising to the very- top of distance: I backstroke swimmers in New Zealand. A foretaste of his brilliant form was seen at the Canterbury; championships last January when he established a new 440yds back-, stroke record, and at the national: championships at Greymouth in February he improved on all his 1

previous efforts to win the New Zealand 440yds backstroke title in smin 29.45ec. It was a tribute to years of hard training that he should have won the race from M. Tansley. of Auckland, by 14sec— a margin, indicative of his will to put everything into his swimming rather than just be content with a first place a second or so ahead of the second man. Since his national title win. '. Graham has continued to train | hard, and at the Beckenham baths this month he won the 440 yards event in smin 34sec—a particularly encouraging time considering a strained muscle in his back kept him from training for three weeks before the carnival. In his present form, he should easily manage to retain hisj national title at Auckland in March, and may even draw close i to the New Zealand 440 yards backstroke record of smin 18.6 sec established by Lincoln Hurring in 1952. Colin has received a great deal of help and experience through ’ training with his brother, and to-1 day has established a record of I successes almost as impressive. | Last season he won the Canter-; [bury 440 yards freestyle and 1101 * yards backstroke titles. His chances of success at the; national titles were greatly en- ■ i hanced as a result of a brilliant i [ swim at the inter-club carnival at: the Beckenham baths recently.; Swimming against his brother off; [ a handicap of 28sec, Colin swam [ [the 440 yards using freestyle in! smin 11.5sec—27sec faster than his;

time when he won the Canterbury! , intermediate 440 yards freestyle; ititle and only 4sec short of Paul Garratt’s Canterbury senior record for the distance. Although the 25-yard pool makes these times a little exaggerated because the increased number of turns makes for faster races, it: is clear that Colin is improving at a rapid rate. He will still be competing in intermediate events | this season, and has excellent prospects for the intermediate • national title meeting. ■ A warranted tribute to the McFaddens came from the Canterbury professional coach. Jack Breward: “Both these boys have [achieved their success through sheer guts and hard work.”