Anomalies In Swimming Records

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31206, 2 November 1966, Page 15

Anomalies In Swimming Records

TJEFORE it deals with the problems placed on its plate by the annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, the national council should take a long, careful look at the record book. If the details published in the annual report are a faithful copy of the book, there is an urgent need for revision. The discrepancies start with the “New Zealand” records—those open to allcomers. R. D. Walker bettered the 440 yd freestyle mark at Dunedin 18 months ago, but is still not credited

with the record in the list. Neither of D. F. Gerrard’s butterfly records are up to date, and there is no record listed for women’s 220 yd butterfly. The most curious situation concerns the men’s 4 x 110yds medley relay. The resident record is faster than the all-comers’ mark—but, in any case, neither effort approaches the time set by the Japanese team in Auckland in 1962. This was a world record at the time, but it appears to have been lost to the New Zealand book. In the resident records there are further anomalies. Miss T. K. Shipston’s 2min 44.75ec for 220 yd medley last March is recorded as a senior mark but, strangely, not as a junior record. One figure that is open to question is the resident men’s short course mark for 4 x 100yds medley relay. It has been established that a

composite team cannot break a resident relay record, yet a team consisting of H. W. Brown, P. J. O’Carroll, D. F. Gerrard and H. W. Graham, cunningly designated as Auckland, has been credited with the mark. Admittedly, all four are from Auckland, but on the night of their performance they were swimming as members of the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team. Therefore, only the all-comers’ record was open to them. On the same night Miss Shipston swam 400yds medley in smin 3.lsec, which was submitted as a record but turned down by the council. Wonder of wonders, it appears in the list as a short course record. There appears to be further confusion over long course times counting as short course records. Some marks set by Misses S. Nicholson and A. McMillan in long course pools have found a place in both lists. However, other short course times set by swimmers such as P. H. Hatch, Misses E. J. Kennedy, R. Dunlop and G. Dennis are shown as records although faster times have been recorded in their events in 55yd pools. The association has now approved of times recorded overseas being valid for record purposes; in the next week or two it will be receiving applications from Commonwealth Games swimmers in respect of three New Zealand and seven resident records set in the Kingston pool. Before these come to hand to further confuse the issue the record book should be put in order.

MISS B. POULSEN, the New Zealand pentathlon champion, has shown fine form in the sprints at Rugby Park in the last two weeks. In the first meeting she won both the 75 and 100 yards in B.7sec and 11.5 sec, respectively and followed these up last Saturday with another win in the 75 yards. On all three occasions she beat the former New Zealand 220 yards champion. Miss L. Hurrell, now making a comeback after a season resting injuries.