Lesley Anderson Talented And Versatile Athlete

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 5

Lesley Anderson Talented And Versatile Athlete

A COMMERCIAL student at the Christchurch Technical College, Miss Lesley Anderson, aged 15, is one of the. finest athletic prospects that Canterbury has had. This was amply demonstrated at the recent Canterbury women’s pentathlon championship, in which she took second place to Miss Valerie Sloper. Although Miss Sloper won by nearly 500 points, this was mainly from her advantage in the shot put. A comparison of the points scored by these two in the other four events gives Miss Anderson an 18-point lead. Had she scored as well in the high jump and shot put as she did in the Technical club championship, she would have had an extra 106 points. The merit of Miss Anderson’s score is evident when a comparison is made with former pentathlon performances by Miss Sloper. In 1955, Using the same scoring table, Miss Sloper scored 3557 points, in 1956, 3707, and last year she became the first New Zealander to beat 4000 points when she gained 4027 at the Canterbury championships.

Miss Anderson’s score at the championships puts her ahead of Marise Chamberlain as Canterbury’s second best pentathlon competitor and either her Canterbury score, 3725, or her club score, 3588, would have taken the Auckland title. Miss Anderson’s athletic ability was apparent in her first year at secondary schools when in 1956 she won the college’s junior championship. One of her teachers suggested she should join the Technical Athletic Club and Miss Anderson took that advice. Formerly keenly interested in other sports at school, and z outside, Miss Anderson has now made athletics her main activity and this has resulted in steadily decreasing time available for such interests as basketball, softball, and cricket. Last year she gave up basketball to concentrate on winter athletic training. At the national junior and women’s titles last week-end, Miss Anderson was third in the high jump after clearing the same height as the second place-getter, Miss Heather Wright, of Wellington, and qualified for the final of the long jump. Versatile For her age, Miss Anderson shows a surprising ability' in a wide range of events and as well as the high jump she is a regular competitor in the long jump, 80 metres hurdles, shot put, discus thrown and the three sprinta At the Canterbury championships she had four wins and two seconds in the under-16 grade and in the senior division she had two seconds and was a member of the winning relay team. In future seasons, Miss Anderson will give greater emphasis to the events at which she is more gifted.