Swimming Titles Without “Splash And Dash” Races

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30234, 12 September 1963, Page 8

Swimming Titles Without “Splash And Dash” Races

The Canterbury swimming championships next January will be stripped of the senior 55yds freestyle events—the “splash and dash” races as they were termed by Mr S. Williams at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Swimming Centre on Tuesday.

Mr Williams, on behalf of the centre’s carnivals committee, piloted a notice of motion concerning the deletion of these events through the meeting in the face of strong opposition, which was reflected in the voting figures of 17 to 15.

A number of competitors, he said, entered the championships solely to compete in these events, because they did not require the high degree of preparation necessary for longer distances. Fiftyfive yards was not a New Zealand championship distance and the Canterbury titles should be brought into line, he said. The 55yd" and 110 yd free'Style events were the closest and therefore the most excit-

ing races on the championship programme, said Mr L. S. Julian (Wharenui). Races over the shorter distances took little time to run—at the last Canterbury championships G. Dann won the men's title in 27.75ec and Miss S. Nicholson the women's event in 30.7 sec. Popular Event Mr N. F. Robertson (Spreydon) said the cream of Canterbury swimmers had competed in the 55yds championships over the years. If timesaving was to be the aim, the final could be deleted and the winner of the fastest heat could become the title-holder, he suggested. Competing in the 55yds events gave many swimmers a cheap entry "fee to the championships, said Mr J. H. Johnson (Fendalton). A swimmer could enter for this event and thus qualify for free admission to all sessions of the title meeting. An alternative, he said, would be to hold a 55yd freestyle invitation race for competitors who had not been so successful at other distances. Delegates to the meeting

held equally divided opinions on the carnivals committee’s proposals regarding the fate of other events on the championship programme. The meeting carried motions to delete the junior boys’ and girls’ 55yds freestyle, add 440yds freestyle and 110yds butterfly to the under-14 boys’ and girls’ section, and add 55yds butterfly and treestyle, backstroke and breaststroke races over 110yds to the under-12 section. A motion seeking the deletion of 55yd events from the under-14 section was lost. The committee also proposed that swimmers entering a higher grade in the championships should remain in that grade for the rest of the season but this, too, waa lost.