N.Z. swimmers leave for Pertl

Press, 20 February 1979, Page 34

N.Z. swimmers leave for Pertl

PA Wellington New Zealand’s top swimming stars left yesterday for Perth with their minds set on a good build-up for the all-important United States championships later this year.

The six-strong team, headed by the Edmonton Commonwealth Games gold medallists, Gary Hurring and Rebecca Perrott, is chasing some good peformances but does not intend peaking at Perth.

The team of Hurring. Perrott. Paul Rowe, Penny McCarthy, Andrea Hawcridge and Melanie Jones will meet tough opposition in the Australian championships. The team’s manager, Mr Tony Keenan said that the swimmers were “semi-taper-ing” their efforts at this stage. They intend peaking for the New Zealand championships in Christchurch next month and the American championships in August.

“You’re not going to see the performances you saw at the games last year,” Mr Keenan said. “These swimmers are all internationals and they have a heavy programme. They will be trying for some good times and high placings but always with an eye to America,” he said. “Our swimmers are becoming a bot more mature —and so are their coaches,” said Mr Keenan, who has guided Perrott for 'some years.

“These days they don’t try and rush into three or four peaks a year. Once or twice is plenty. They are all doing 12,000 metres training a day:” The Australians’ anxiety to test their own swimmers against New Zealand’s best! was shown by their willingness to pay costs from Sydney back to New Zealand. “They have finally recognised us. They want us to help stimulate their swimming,” Mr Keenan said. Hurring is particularly

keen to contest the American championships. He apparently plans to enter whether he is in the New Zealand touring team or not. “He has set his sights on that and he is building up to it,” said Mr Keenan.

Gary and his father Lincoln have been working on the swimmer’s turn in training. Faulty turns deprived Hurring of further success at the Commonweatlh Games and the world championships in Berlin. “Apparently he has the turn under control. It’s a quick turn and obviously iGary and his father are reluctant to change it at this stage.” The swimmer who could well have been with the team was Wellington’s BarrySalisbury who is now back in training after recovering from injury. The Australian trip is the first Keenan has made as an official New Zealand team manager. He has paid for most of his trips with swimmers. and last year Air New Zealand sponsored him to [Edmonton.

“I’ve been in swimming for 18 years — sometimes you’ve got to work that long for a job like this. They are a terrific bunch of swimmers and we’ll get on well,” Mr Keenan said.