Exclusion of skater

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33433, 15 January 1974, Page 2

Exclusion of skater

The Rollerdrome skater, W. L. J. Begg, had not been included in the New Zealand roller skating team because his performance at the national championships had not been considered to be good enough by the selectors, said Mr R. R. S. Treloar, Christchurch publicity officer for the Roller Skating Federation, yesterday.

After the championships in Hamilton earlier this month, Begg complained about the policymaking of the Federation and inadequacies of the circuit on which road skaters competed. Mr Treloar said that had Begg attended the annual meeting of the national speed committe before the championships he would have known that delegates of all New Zealand clubs had recommended that the selection of a national team be based on performances at Hamilton.

It was not correct that the team was to be selected from those who had bettered qualifying times laid down by the 1973 speed committee. A circular had said that these times would serve only as a guide. The roller hockey team and

artistic skaters selected to compete against Australia were also chosen on performances at Hamilton.

The three selectors, including Mr F. M. Alexander, who had been appointed at the speed committee’s annual meeting, had been instructed to select on merit. “They were not to give national representative honours to skaters not considered to be up to international standard,” said Mr Treloar. Mr Treloar said that the results showed that the “goat track” — Begg’s description of the road circuit — was not as bad as some previous surfaces had been. “Begg did not arrive in Hamilton until the day before the road racing, but he knew what type of surface he would be racing on, as press reports from the championships had included comments on the road,” Mr Treloar said. Mr Treloar said that in previous years members of the Rollerdrome club had been advised to train on rough surfaces, such as the Sockburn School and Riccarton Mall. “Most members did the ; same again this year. Begg trained exclusively on Ruapuna’s car circuit,” he said. “It was here, on what is regarded throughout New Zealand as a ‘drag strip,’ that Begg and the intermediate, T. Clapp, set their qualifying times,” Mr Treloar said.