World Tour Planned For N.Z. Swimmers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31143, 20 August 1966, Page 17

World Tour Planned For N.Z. Swimmers

The possibility of a world tour by a swimming team from the Dominion is one of the plans Mr A. J. Donaldson, chairman of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association and section manager of the successful swimming team at the Commonwealth Games, has brought back from Jamaica.

Mr Donaldson returned to Christchurch yesterday convinced of the need for increased international competition to aid New Zealand's climb towards world standards in swimming.

A northern summer tour with a team of about 20 swimmers taking part in a series of international matches would be feasible, said Mr Donaldson. Such a tour could embrace the United States, England, Scotland. Wales, Holland. West Germany, Hungary and France —and there would be added benefits if the trip could be arranged to coincide with the American national championships. £BOOO OUTLAY

The initial outlay for a tour of this magnitude would be about £BOOO. he said. But the New Zealand body would be able to recoup a portion of this from television rights and through assistance from the host countries.

Mr Donaldson, who made several valuable contacts in the swimming world while he was overseas, said there was definite American interest in visits to New Zealand and Australia.

“The United States is very conscious of where our country is.” he said. “The fact that New Zealand did so well at the Games has placed it on the map.”

Speaking of the concentrated training programme followed by the New Zealand swimmers, Mr Donaldson said it was essential to adhere to this pattern for future international competitions. DID BEST TIMES

“On the results at Kingston we are fourth in the Commonwealth, so anything less would not do,” he said. Mr Donaldson said in practically all cases the New Zealanders had recorded their best times at Kingston. H. W.

Graham had produced two great swims for his silver medals and D. F. Gerrard’s fitness had brought him through when his rivals were fading in the last length of the 220 yards butterfly.

Gerrard, said Mr Donaldson. was a fine young man. an inspirational team captain, and “a golden example of what personal dedication and effort will bring." It would have been almost impossible for the New Zea-

land team to produce the result it did without a coach being on the spot, he said. Mr M. A. Doidge’s supervision of the training at Kingston, preserved the continuity of the swimmers’ preparation, which was begun many months earlier, in New Zealand. STROKE TECHNIQUE Both Mr Donaldson and Mr Doidge gleaned many ideas and made a host of useful observations on their trip. Greater concentration on stroke technique is likely to

be one of the chief messages that will emerge from their reports to the council. Mr Donaldson said it was essential for New Zealand to step up its accent on freestyle swimming. The Dominion did not have any freestyle specialists at Kingston, but the stroke was part and parcel of the country’s group effort and the whole pattern of New Zealand's swimming advancement depended on it, he said. Australia had proved that it could bring times down in freestyle, said Mr Donaldson. The members of Australia’s 880 yd freestyle relay team had achieved a “fabulous performance" by averaging less than 2min for each of the 220 yd legs. “If they’ can produce four swimmers of this calibre, we should be able to produce at least one." he said.