Additions Sought To Olympic Squad

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31645, 3 April 1968, Page 16

Additions Sought To Olympic Squad

Requests for two girls to be added to the national Olympic training squad were made to the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association’s council last night.

The girls are Miss L. M. Smith (Canterbury), the women's 220 yards breaststroke champion, and Miss K. Conway (Bay of Plenty), the women’s and girls’ springboard diving champion. The request for Miss Smith's inclusion, made by her club, Wharenui, through the Canterbury centre, was referred to the national selectors. The other request, made by the national diving committee, evoked conflicting views from councillors. The chairman (Mr A. J. Donaldson) said the selectors had made their decision at the New Zealand championships, and there was no other basis for reviewing a diver’s case. The question for the council was whether it would approve money being spent to send the selectors to view a special trial by Miss Conway, he said.

At the national championships the selectors had stated flatly that they thought the leading divers were of Commonwealth, but not Olympic standard, said Mr Donaldson. “Consequently, the divers feel they have been left out in the cold,” said Mr M. R. Duckmanton. “And, unlike the swimmers, they have no means of pressing their case further before the selectors,” said Mr B. E. Mackenzie.

The meeting empowered the selectors to hold a special trial for Miss Conway if they felt it was justified.

Mr Donaldson announced that competitors striving for Olympic target times would have until May 31 to achieve their goal. The nominations would be presented to the council on June 4. Rumblings The council’s action in granting $3O towards the expenses of H. W. Graham (Auckland) in attending the Australian championships brought rumblings of discontent from the Waikato centre and a request from Bay of Plenty for similar grants to C. E. Buscke and Miss K. Conway, who also competed at the championships.

The Waikato letter asked how the council could justify the contribution to Graham’s expenses if its finances were strained. The centre did not, however, ask for a grant towards the expenses of R. M. N, Hood, another who took part in the Australian championships. The treasurer (Mr J. H.

Turpin) said the grant to Graham was made because he was on the selectors’ short list, and there were no breaststroke swimmers in either the Canadian or New South Wales teams to give him competition.

The council granted Miss T. K. Shipston permission to travel to Australia for training. Mr Donaldson said it was essential for the money made available by the sponsor to be handled by the Canterbury centre, to protect Miss Shipston’s amateur status.