Coach’s Selection Causes Concern

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 7

Coach’s Selection Causes Concern

Delegates who attended a meeting of the Canterbury Rowing Association wondered why the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association Council had called for nominations for the coach of the national crew to compete in the world championships at Bled, Jugoslavia. It was suggested that the coach had been pre-selected. The association received minutes of the last council meeting, dated June 22, and copies of letters from the N.Z.A.R.A., dated June 20. The minutes stated that the nominations of Messrs P. Irvine, W. Parnell, who coached the crew that toured Australia with great success last year, and R. Porter had been received. The council had gone into committee to discuss the nominations, and on resuming in open meeting, had announced that Mr Porter would be coach. Copies of the letters from the N.Z.A.R.A., which he had received from Auckland appealing for funds for the New Zealand crew, were tabled by Mr W. Richards. The letter was signed by the vice-patron. Sir William Stevenson, the president, Mr H. T. Jellie, the chairman, Mr L. E. Brooker, and the coach, Mr R. Porter. Delegates felt that the council’s workings were a little strange. It was suggested that the council was indulging in pwer politics and that, perhaps, Mr Porter had been selected as coach as he was in a position to pay his own way. The meeting agreed that since the letters had not been sent to the Canterbury Rowing Association it would not in the meantime do anything towards assisting the national association to raise the £2OOO for which it is asking. Discussion Closed The association agreed it would be a waste of , time to make further representations to the N.ZA.RA. Council on the “unsatisfactory standard of fitness" of the crew selected to represent New Zealand at Bled. At last month’s meeting the association agreed to write to the council expressing its concern about this factor and asking that the crew row 2000 metres in six minutes under 8.8. K. conditions be-

fore it be cleared to go overseas. A letter from the council’s secretary, Mr E. R. McCalman, said that both the selectors and the chairman had expressed their satisfaction with the way in which the trials were handled, and were confident that the crew as finally selected would prove worthy representatives of the association. The minutes of the last council meeting, on June 22, stated that the council had directed the selectors to hold a time trial for the New Zealand eight, and that the crew be required to meet either 6min ssec for the 2000 metres or 2min 55sec for 1000 metres before its entry overseas would be confirmed. The president of Canterbury association, Mr B. R. Walker said that at the last world championships the winning crew had covered 2000 metres in smin 50.8 sec and that in heats crews placed fourth and fifth had a time of 6min. “The New Zealand association is asking for 6min ssec,” he said. The meeting agreed that the council had its plans cut and dried and there was no point in trying to obtain further satisfaction. One delegate said that it looked as though the council bad set out to send a crew and that was all there was to it.