Odd lethargy a bout the Australian swimming team

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33445, 29 January 1974, Page 10

Odd lethargy a bout the Australian swimming team

By

SHANE GOULD,

former “golden girl” of world swimming.

The Australians, traditionally a strong swimming team at the (James, have not come up to expectations. It seems to me that a good many of them are not tuned up fully, prohably because the Australian state championships were held only two weeks ago.

Although the Australian team was chosen by then, its members all tried hard to perform well at their state titles, because they had been set standards, and if they failed to reach them they would have been dropped from the team. I feel this has taken the edge off their performances. But I do think that winning a few gold medals is having a good effect —the team spirit tonight was much better than before. Cooper improved I hope that from now on Australia will be up there on the dais in twos and threes. There were three of them in places in the 200 metres men’s backstroke this afternoon. Brad Cooper, who set a new Commonwealth

record in the finals, is swim ming particularly well. His stroke has changed. He used to be rough in the watei in backstroke and freestyle. Now he looks very smooth, and seems extremely fit. He is only 18. and must have prospects of going still further should he have the inclination.

Pool “perfect” People have asked me about the pool here in Christchurch and I have been told that there were some worries before the Games started that the water temperature was too low. Everyone likes warm water when diving in, but for racing you do not want it too warm. You get hot and drowsy and lose energy—rather like overheating an engine and not getting the best out of it. I have been in the Games

pool though, and found it to be perfect. The walls are very good, but I would have liked a foot more in the depth. It would then have been a bit faster. It is a fast pool, but I confess I like swimming in very deep water.

Young, and free People have asked me why the top swimmers seem to be getting younger and younger. I think it is all a matter of the structure of society. Today there is much more com-, petition for jobs and young people tend to concentrate .more on their studies at 16,! 117 and 18. So the best swimmers are younger because, they are free of the pressures] of school work and have the! time for training. Not every 13-year-old can! come up with good times, of! course, but the top ones do 1

tend to be younger because they start earlier and do more to build up physical strength. In America, where they do not start training hard until the year 12 or 13, their champions are more often about 15.