SWIM COACHES ATTACKED

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32474, 8 December 1970, Page 32

SWIM COACHES ATTACKED

(N.Z. Press Association) ROTORUA. The New Zealand swimming council will remain undaunted in its efforts to promote new 30-mile-a-week training targets in spite of opposition by professional and amateur coaches.

In Rotorua yesterday the chairman of the council and convener of the national selection panel (Mr A. J. Donaldson) said the new schedules were in line with methods employed successfully overseas. "The coaches have shown us what they can do—and let us down; now it’s our turn,” Mr Donaldson said. He said the “foolish antics” by coaches in opposing the national scheme were serving to undermine swimming in New Zealand. “Coaches, and some selectors, refused to nominate swimmers for the national coaching schools to be held over the New Year period because they do not understand the conditions sur-

rounding the 30-mile targets,’’ said Mr Donaldson. “But the New Zealand .council realised there were end - of - year examinations, and that in some centres there were problems with the nonavailability of pools for training purposes. “This was all understood, and these conditions were considered with the various nominations from throughout New Zealand,” he said. The attitude of coaches toward the coaching schools and targets was killing the incentive for swimmers to reach international standards, he said.

"Too many are just interested in getting their swimmers ready for the national championships. They can't see beyond- that,” said Mr Donaldson.

Marathon - type training, was a must because it gave competitors the ability to sustain their effort and bring out that extra burst where it counted—at the finish. “This has been a fault with all New Zealand competitors overseas,” he said. “They swim strongly for most of the race, but get beaten in the last few yards. If the swimmers are not prepared to make the effort,

then we’ll just have to do without them. It is up to the swimmers themselves.” Mr Donaldson added that $lO,OOO to $12,000 a year was being spent on promoting swimming in New Zealand, “and we’re not prepared to carry on spending it unless an effort is put into the sport. “Everybody has lost sight of the fact that the new scheme is not for now, but for the future. We hope that our. swimmers will be in a position to win gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. The cream of our top swimmers will go to Munich, but they will have to be in the international class.” A total of 64 swimmers have been selected from throughout New. Zealand for the national coaching schools to be held between December 26 and January 9 —two in the North Island, and one in the South Island. Waikato, wjiich nominated 32 swimmers, has the largest representation, 13, in the final selections, and Canterbury is next with nine. ■ The South Island selections are: I Canterbury.—Susan Hunter, IJaynie Parkhouse, Lynne Rowe, 'Judith Tomlinson, Patricia

Horne, B. Lewis, R. Gray, M. Trembath, Jocelyn Hay. Otago.—John McConnochie, Michael Borrie, Michael Toomey, Stephen Laing, Gay Boyens. Southland.—Karen Cooke, Stephanie Harper, Christine French, Dianne Sangster, Neville Sutton, Mark Tretters.