Swimming Sets Policy For Next Four Years

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 18

Swimming Sets Policy For Next Four Years

An ambitious and far-reaching scheme aimed at making New Zealand swimmers strong contenders for gold medals at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch was outlined at a meeting last evening of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association.

A steering committee of the Professional Swimming Coaches’ Association met in Christchurch at the week-end and fully discussed the improvement of New Zealand’s international standard.

who havt reached a certain standard of attainment.”

policy laid down that could be stuck to and followed to tta ultimate conclusion. Meetings of Clubs Mr Donaldson said that a full report on how the scheme would operate would be compiled and he hoped distributed widely. In the meantime, he asked the council to approve it In principle and also give approval for meetings of club representatives In different districts to be held in the coming weeks so that the scheme could be started. "We must not waste any time. It is not too soon now to be looking at those id-year-olds,” he added. The council gave its unanimous support.

Finishing Schools He said that in the final stages of a games preparation the schools should not be regarded as training centres, but purely as finishing schools. There was no doubt, said Mr Donaldson, that at the school held before the swimming team left for Edinburgh, 75 per cent of those who trained in Christchurch were unprepared to carry out the workload expected of them.

The theme of the discussion was to implement a programme which would make New Zealand an international swimming force by 1974, said the council secretary (Mr A W. Barrett).

"They must come to us in peak physical fitness. Under the stipulation of 30 miles a week and two miles an hour as a minimum requirement, we should get only those who are really interested,” Mr Donaldson said. He added that it would be up to the clubs and the centres to encourage their members to make the effort that would give them the right to enter the schools. Ruthless Measures Mr S. Williams said the council would have to be ruthless in getting the swimmers to do the work necessary If the scheme were to be successful. It was no good, he said, coaches wasting time on swimmers who. because they were not sufficiently dedicated, would never be champions. Explaining the shift of emphasis to club level, Mr G. S. Brockett said there were four groups of competitive swimmers —those capable of international competition, those capable of national competition, those capable of centre competition, and those capable of club competition.

To this end, he said, reg ional competitive training schools at regular intervals were considered of major importance to complement the internaional programme planned for the next four yean. Minimum Standards The minimum requirements for people attending these schools would be prior training of 30 miles a week and a rate of not less than two miles an hour. The council's chairman (Mr A. J. Donaldson) said that perhaps the most important aspect of the new scheme was the change in emphasis to club level and not so much at centre level as in the past. A programme aimed at having New Zealand swimmers of International calibre by 1974 must start immediately and it was the 10-year-olds now who would be the New Zealand representatives in 1974. Discussing the regional training schools, Mr Donaldson said that only people who were prepared to do the work should be accepted. "We don’t just want promising youngsters, but ones

By starting at club level, said Mr Brockett, swimmers would be encouraged to step up a level. Two other experienced administrators. Messrs D. W. Cain and M. R. Duckmanton, spoke warmily of the scheme. Mr Cain said he considered that a policy of starting from the bottom and working up could be a great breakthrough for the sport in New Zealand. Mr Duckmanton 'said he was pleased to see a