SWIMMING Training Schools Likely To Be Much Shorter

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30045, 1 February 1963, Page 11

SWIMMING Training Schools Likely To Be Much Shorter

Future training schools held by the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association are likely to be much shorter than the 12-week school conducted last year before the Empire Games. There are indications, too, that promising juniors may be catered for at a separate school, or that one school may be held for males and another for females. These points were among several raised by reports on the 1982 school received and

discussed by the council of the New Zealand association last night. A number of suggestions were noted and will be considered when plans for future schools are being formulated. On the question of the length of the school, the organiser (Mr J. Haro, of Tauranga) reported that after seven weeks the trainees were as fit as they would ever be and ready for T *Onjy A. B. Robertson and Mias V. J. Haddon had kept on improving. but the former’s training bad been retarded by illness before the start ot the school. The chief coach (Mr J. Lyons of Auckland) noted that several swimmers had been troubled by muscle soreness, and he attributed this to insufficient attention to the prescribed dry-land training—calisthenics and light work with "ll* these schedules were faithfully followed the school could be shortened by two to three weeks he said. Swimmers arriving at the school unfit should be sent home Immediately, said MT G. S. Brockett Council members agreed that dry-land training should be a prerequisite for swimmers attending future schools. Mr ’Lyons’s report said a school of 01 swimmers (14 Empire Games nominees and seven promising juniors) for the first three weekc at Tauranga, had been too big to handle. This prompted Mr C. A. Harrow to suggest that juniors would be

better catered for at a dlfterent school at a different time. The secretary (Miss D. Brown) suggested that separate schools be held for males and females A multitude of other points arose from the reports. The large amount of food consumed by the swimmers caused amazement at Tauranga, and the council agreed with its chairman (Mr A. J. Donaldson)' that over-eating by trainees should h'Mr* DonaMson observed that there was nothing wrong with the fitness of New Zealand swimmers, but the development of speed was lacking.