Swimming Championships Begin This Saturday

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28794, 15 January 1959, Page 11

Swimming Championships Begin This Saturday

VVITH the entries setting a new ’ ’ record in both swimming and diving events, the Canterbury Swimming championships to be held next Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, may bring several new names to the list of provincial title-holders. Great interest will be shown in the performance of those swimmers who, during last winter and up to the present have been taking part in the centre’s calisthenic classes.

With the classes getting the swimmers to peak physical fitness, there must be a consequent improvement in times. In the past, swimmers have approached the provincial championships after only two or three Saturday afternoon carnivals, and they have often reached their peak at the

end of the season—too late to win representative honours. There have been very few records bettered in the sport so far this season, but it is probable that many new times will appear in the championship records by the end of next week.

any other sport, perhaps, swimming loses, many of its competitors once they leave school. Over the last five years the small number of senior men and women swimmers in Canterbury of any note has been embarrassing. This trend however, has been noted throughout the country, possibly because seniors have not the time to devote to training, and cannot compete with the youngsters who seem to reach a peak about 17 or 18. Colin McFadden’s re-entry into competitive swimming will be welcomed by everyone who has watched this brilliant youngster in action. He has been training keenly at the centennial pool lately, and although he is still

short of the form which won him a place in the New Zealand Empire Games team to Cardiff, he seems set to collect further titles which he so richly deserves. Five of the competitors at the championships returned last week end from the New Zealand association’s coaching school at Hamilton, and are certain to dominate the events in which they have entered. Miss Maureen Farmer is one of Canterbury’s best women breaststroke exponents, and Barry Hocking is certainly the most impressive backstroker in the junior ranks. Michael Hay will have the chance of officially breaking the 110 yards breaststroke record—a record which he has already bettered twice in .unofficial swims this season. Geoffrey Le Cren and Graham Dann were the other Canterbury members of the school, and both seem set to take titles in the freestyle events. The championships will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with diving and x swim-overs, and on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday evenings the programme will begin at 8 p.m.