Roller skaters have a background of success

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31754, 10 August 1968, Page 11

Roller skaters have a background of success

yHE four members of the New Zealand roller skating team to compete at the world championships in Vicenza, Italy, in September already have a background , of success in competitions I with world champions. Three members of the team G Glover, Miss R. Alexander (Christchurch), and Miss M. McDonald (Masterton), were selected for the last world championships and competed in Europe, beating some of the best skaters in the world, on their own tracks. The fourth member of the team. D. Hayes (Hastings), is only 17 years old, but has already proved that he has the ability to defeat the more experienced skaters in New Zealand and may cause some surprises at the championships. The team will train in Christchurch for a month before leaving for the games. It will be under the guidance of Mr L Hughes, who was a New Zealand champion for several years and coached the last world games team. Hughes won the 20,000 metres event with M. Wybrott at the world championships in 1958. Glover, who is 23, has had tremendous success in roller skating and ice-skat-ing. He has consistently won New Zealand titles since 1963 in roller skating, and in 1964 made a clean sweep of all national ice-skating titles. One of his major successes was against an Italian

team which toured New Zealand in 1964. Glover was just beaten in a 10,000 metres event by the world title-holder at the distance, V. de Cesaris, in a time of 21min 3sec. Glover beat that time by nearly 30 seconds the next year. Miss Alexander and Miss McDonald achieved placings

in every event they entered in Europe on the last world tour. One of the highlights their performance on that tour was their defeat of the world champion Miss D. Danes! (Italy) and her partner in a relay. Both girls are lucky that they have been able to train with the best speed skaters in New Zealand at their home centres. Miss McDonald is from Masterton and the help of G. Brader and G. Hailes who toured in 1966 has developed her speed and experience.

Hayes has competed in national roller skating championships since he was six. However, until last year, roller skating was a secondary interest, although his ability indicated otherwise. When he realised that he had a chance for selection for the world championships he began road racing and won the men’s intermediate road race in Christchurch at Easter. At the final trials in May he proved that he had the ability to compete in international competition and won selection.

The New Zealand Federation of Roller Skating has decided to form a supporters’ club to raise the $6OOO necessary to meet the cost of sending the team. The secretary of the new club (Mr R. Treloar) said that supporters would be provided with training methods, equipment, results, and reviews of the championships at a subscription fee of $2.