Club Athletes Did Not Improve During Season

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28178, 17 January 1957, Page 7

Club Athletes Did Not Improve During Season

HTHE Canterbury public could be forgiven for believing that athletics in the province is at present riding the crest of a wave, for there were more than a dozen record-breaking performances in the first half of the season and Canterbury established itself as the undisputed champion of the South Island by easily winning the triangular contest with Otago and Southland.

These achievements, while encouraging, need to be viewed with caution, for these records were made by only seven athletes m eight events, and it is difficult to assess the true significance of the triangular congest because all three provinces were considerably below their full strength because of the Olympic Games. Senior Record Only one of the records was made by a senior—R. G. Ball • University) in the shot put. Three juniors and three women shared the rest, with Miss Valerie Sloper several times breaking her New Zealand shot put figures in her preparation for the Olympics. and the Canterbury women s discus record also. While junior performances may give some encouragement for future improvement in senior events, the present standards for assessing the strength of New Zealand athletics in relation to world standards must ultimately be based on the performances of seniors and women, as there is no international basis for juniors. Although the opening of the inter-club season on October 27 was one of the best Canterbury

has had for many years, witn large fields in nearly all events throughout the grades, fields dwindled progressively after this as athletes began leaving to see the Games in Melbourne or returned to other centres for the Christmas vacation. As a result the final few meetings were drab affairs with, in several cases, insufficient competitors to warrant the splitting of events into grades. Disappointing A generally high standard of achievement was registered at the beginning of the season, but it is disappointing that many who figured prominently at these have not subsequently shown improvement on their early season form. This in some measure may be attributed to the adverse conditions frequently encountered at Rugby Park and to a lowering of the standard of competition resulting from the absence of several of the best runners at Melbourne. Others simply do not seem to have been assiduous enough in their task and appear content to measure their ability by the standard within the province rather than aiming at the higher national standard. Miss Sloper is an excellent example of an athlete setting and achieving a remarkably difficult goal, for in little more than two years she has progressed from an athlete of good club ability to one of world class. If the other athletes who have undoubted potential were to follow Miss Sloper’s example, some surely would also achieve high national and in some cases international status