12 FROM CANTERBURY Coutts in Games swimming squad

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33665, 15 October 1974, Page 38

12 FROM CANTERBURY Coutts in Games swimming squad

(By

K. R. TUTTY)

The inclusion of the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, J. W. Coutts (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay), is the notable feature of a squad of 37 swimmers from which a team for the New Zealand Games will be chosen.

The squad was chosen by the national swimming- selectors (Messis J. H. Johnson, R. Shakespeare, and R. M. Webb), and announced by the chairman of the national association last night.

Winner of a bronze medal in the 200 m butterfly at the Common- , wealth Games, Coutts disappeared from swimming after he returned from the Coca-Cola international meeting in Leeds, in April. He broke off his association with the Wharenui club coach (Mr V. T. Parkhouse), whom he had been with during his winter build-up to the Games, and returned to Hawke’s Bay with the intention of resting from swimming, but the desire to swim returned. Coutts has started training again, and this is the reason for his inclusion in the squad.

The other Commonwealth Games swimming medallists, M. F. Treffers, and Misses S. J. Hunter and J. M. Parkhouse (all Canterbury), are included in the squad. Only two members of the Games team, A. J. Fogel and M. F. Toomey (both Otago), are not included. The selectors had no information on them. Youngsters Several top age-group swimmers have been included. The most notable is the Hawke’s Bay butterfly swimmer, R. Gempton. Misses B. Smith (Auckland) and T. Garland (Canterbury), both with bright futures, are also named.

B. Honeybone (Canterbury), a rapidly-developing breaststroke swimmer who is now almost equal in ability to B. Lewis (Canterbury), the national champion, is another newcomer to the squad. Canterbury, with 12, has the largest representation. Otago has nine, and Auckland five. The squad is: Men.—l. Bullock (Wellington); M. Craig S. Griffin, R. Novak, S. Wilson (all Otago); M. Coulter, M. Johnson, K. Osborne. G. Wright (all Waikato); J. Coutts, R Gempton (Hawke’s Bay-Pov-erty Bay); B. Honeybone. B. Lewis. M. F. Treffers, M. Trembath (ail Canterbury); M. Langstone. P. Thorogood (both Auckland); B Naylor (Southland). Women.—Misses K. Albury. M. Rodahl. B. Smith (all Auckland); A. Calder. S. Harper, S. Kennedy, D. Ledgerwood. S. Thompson (all Otago); T. Garland. S. Hunter. J. Murdoch. J. Parkhouse. L. Rowe. L. Sharpies, W. Wakefield (all Canterbury); G. Harper (Taranaki); J. Low e (Wanganui); F. Newell (Southland); M. Reynolds (Wellington) The selectors added that inclusions or deletions to the squad would be made at their discretion. Trials for the New Zealand (Games team will be held at i Queen Elizabeth II Park on iJanuary 4 and 5, and it will ibe selected immediately I afterwards.

The chairman of the N.Z.A.S.A. (Mr M. R. Duckmanton) said the team will then enter a training camp which will continue until the start of the games on January 23. “By the time the team is selected, all the overseas entries will be in and we will know how many places will be available for New Zealand swimmers,” said Mr Duckmanton. Long term Meanwhile, an ambitious programme of international competition over the next four years has been proposed for the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. The proposals, which will be submitted to the association’s council next month for approval, were decided at a meeting at the week-end. The council’s coaching and tours committee, representatives from the New Zealand Swimming Coaches’ Association, and the national selectors met.

“The programme is subject to finance, invitations, and the swimmers being up to standard,” said Mr Duckmanton. “The meeting was conducted on the theme of three ‘Ps’ — programme, preparation, and participation.” Besides the overseas competition there will be the various championships within New Zealand, and the assocation is looking at the possibility of a Queensland team swimming at the national championships next March. The proposed programme is: 1975: Australian age-group championships (February); open team to an Australian state championship (January); CocaCola meeting in England (Easter); world championships at Cali. Colombia (July)—team selection trials at Queen’s Birthday weekend followed by three to fourweek training camp; Australian winter nationals (August). 1976: Australian open and agegroup nationals; Coca-Cola meeting; Australian winter nationals; Montreal Olympics, 1977: Australian open and agegroup championships; Coca-Cola meeting; Australian winter nationals. 1978: Same as 1977 plus Edmonton Commonwealth Games with full-scale training camp prior to departure; age-group

team to somewhere tn the Pacific. The Australian winter championships in most cases will be used as an introduction to international competition for the second to top group of swimmers. In 1975. 1976 and 1978, the major teams will be overseas at either the world championships Olympics or Commonwealth’ Games at that time In addition there will be New Zealand Games and the possibility of the world championships in Christchurch in December, 1978. A continuous New Zealand squad—with inclusion of 12-year-olds looking towards Edmonton —was also proposed, and the coaches’ association advocated the production of a national ranking list Early announcements of coach or coaches to teams to travel overseas will be made to enable the coaches to move around the country keeping in touch with swimmers. New venture Staging of trials to select teams a month before they leave is a new venture Previ ously teams were picked up to three months before With later trials and a training camp to follow swimmers should be in peak condition for all overseas tours.