Swimming to stay whole

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 6

Swimming to stay whole

A move to split the Canterbury swimming championships in two was defeated at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association last evening. A remit from the outgoing management committee sought to delete three lou'er agegroupings from the championships and expand the older agegroups.

The present age-groups are: Senior, junior, 13 years, 12 years, 11 years, 10 years, and nine years and under. The remit sought to make the lowest agegroup I'2 years and under and have sections for 13, 14, 15 and 16-year-olds, and seniors. At present, 14 and 15-year-olds are classed as juniors and swimmers of 16 and over as seniors.

The reason for changing the age-groups was to try to keep older swimmers involved in the sport and the management committee envisaged holding a separate championship for the 11, 10 and nine year olds. The remit was lost because it failed to attract the required two-thirds of the votes.

Two professional coaches, Messrs Don Inkster and Clive

Power, were withdrawn from the list of nominations for the centre selection panel because the centres rules state the selectors must be amateurs. Later, however, Mr D W. Cain gave notice of a rule change to next year’s annual meeting which will permit professional coaches to become centre selectors.

A synchronised swimming committee was formed at the meeting. It will be chaired by’ Mrs J. Clarke. Mrs J. McDougall is the secretary-treasurer and the committee members are Messrs H. Anink, S. Welle and Mrs M. Potts.

Mrs R. Kirk (St Albans) and Mr R. Erickson (Wharenufi received centre honours service awards. Officers elected were.— President, Mr C. E. Rowe; vicepresident, Mr W. N. MacGregor; secretary, Mr T. J. Whitta; treasurer, Mrs B. Mcl. Davies; management committee, Messrs P. Clarke. J. Monk, S. Potts. H. Turnbull, S. Wells and Mrs B. Semmens; selectors. Mr J. Newburn. Mrs N. Garland. Mrs 11. Turnbull, Mr P. Reynolds (West Coast).