Olympic Champion Inspired Len Hodge

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28552, 3 April 1958, Page 15

Olympic Champion Inspired Len Hodge

■ 'AT the old Tepid Baths in Christchurch one evening almost 10 years ago, a seven-year-old boy sat quietly by his father’s side and watched with awe as the Olympic tower diving champion, Sammy Lee, treated the spectators to a brilliant display of diving. From that small boy's undeviating aim to become a champion diver and emulate Lee was set the foundation for a career which has taken Len Hodge, now aged 16, to seven successive wins of New Zealand springboard titles and selection for the New Zealand team to the Empire Games at Cardiff. After the diving demonstration, Len Hodge confessed to his father his new-found desire. 'Wait until he is old enough to know what a dive is.” was the

comment of Mr Les Donaldson, the former New Zealand diving champion with the Army in the Middle East, when he was asked by Mr Hodge to coach the keen youngster. But three weeks later, Mr Hodge saw Mr Donaldson at a swimming carnival and asked him to put Len through one or two dives. Mr Donaldson agreed, and after the first dive there was never any doubt in his mind as to the youngster’s ability. Len Hodge was immediately taken by the amateur coach, and ever since, a close bond has remained between teacher and pupiL Five days a week for the last nine years, Hodge has trained solidly under Mr Donaldson and his father. In 1950, John McCormack, another well known American diver Visited New Zealand. He was surprised at the feats that the youngster was performing from the board, and he was photographed with the eight-year-old boy. McCormack scrawled* qn the corner of his photograph “All my very best wishes to a future champion.” Encouragement Len Hodge gives pride of place in his album to the photograph which Sammy Lee sent him with the words, “Good luck to a future Olympian.” With Hodge probably approaching his peak about the 1960 Olympics, this prediction may also come true. Len Hodge won his first New Zealand title at the age of 10. and since then he has not been

beaten in national competition As a junior he held the intermediate title as well for several years, and this year, he won the senior title in his first competition in that grade. His opposition included Jack Stewart, a diver who was placed at the last two Empire Games. Some sports writers in other parts of the country have criticised the judging of the diving at this year’s national championships and to a certain degree this is warranted. The marking was high, but this applied to all competitors and cannot fairly oe said to have affected the result. Seven experienced and capable judges marked the competitors, and the average points cancelled out anomalies.

Mr Donaldson has every confidence in Hodge’s chances a 1

Cardiff. Peter Heatley, of Scotland, winner of two previous Empire Games diving titles, will De a threat, hut at the age of 33 more than twice as old as Hodge —he may find his years a disadvantage. Every day of the week, Hodge is training hard on all his dives, and the extremely difficult one and a half somersault hard double twist is made to seem. easy. Accuracy The actions which the diver must complete with split-second accuracy defy the eye of the spectator, but a quick-firing camera used by “The Press" last week showed Hodge almost perfectly positioned from board to water. The ultimate aim of Mr Donaldson is to get his pupil to the United States, where the best coaching in the world is available. Len Hodge has gone as far as any coach in this part of the world is able to take him. and among the champions which the United States produces with regularity, further progress would be assured. When he competes at Cardiff in July, there will be none following his progress more closely than Dr. Lee himself. If Len Hodge can gain a major placing, his chances of reaching the 1960 Olympics must be very bright. At his present rate of progress he should fulfil the prediction Dr. Lee made eight years ago.