Swimming VISIT OF DON TALBOT

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29189, 27 April 1960, Page 19

Swimming VISIT OF DON TALBOT

Centre Pleased With Results

The visit of the Australian professional coach, Don Talbot, had been highly successful in attendances and finances, reported Mr C. E. MacDonald at a meeting of the Canterbury Swimming Centre’s management committee last evening. Mr MacDonald, who was responsible for organising Talbot's Christqhurch visit, said the coach’s lectures were “the best thing that has happened in Canterbury swimming for a long time.

“Everyone who attended his lectures learned a lot, and we can do with further visits of this type periodically, if not frequently. Perhaps we could engage different coaches with different ideas so that we get a broader view of coaching techniques,” Mr MacDonald said.

Between 40 and 75 persons had attended the day and evening session lectures, and on the final night there had been an attendance of close to 80. Among the persons who enrolled for the course were amateur coaches from Nelson, Timaru, Ashburton, and the West Coast, said Mr MacDonald.

Mr H. Johnson suggested the centre do all in its power to get a coaching group active in Canerbury as soon as possible. “There are many things which Talbot left unsaid simply because he did not have the time, and minor points of technique can only be fully explained and discussed when people of equal ability meet together and pool their ideas,” he said.

Mr C. A. Harrow was appointed to bring down recommendations to a future meeting of the committee on a possible inter-pro-vincial teams’ swimming contest to be conducted annually in the South Island.

In his endeavour to find added competition for Canterbury swimmers, he had considered the possibility of all South Island centres taking part in a competition similar to the North Island's Caro Cup, said Mr Harrow. The big worry was who would handle the organisation.

In her opinion, the suggestion was far preferable to having the Canterbury swimming championships made open, said the secretary (Miss Doreen Brown).

The Christchurch City Council wrote advising that the centre’s application for passes for coaches at the Centennial Pool had been considered. It had decided to approve 12 passes to accredited coaches approved by the centre, the list to be subject to annual review.