Swimming camp gets under way

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 46

Swimming camp gets under way

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Assembling for a twoweek training camp could be the motivation the New Zealand swimming squad needs to help, its members better the Olympic qualifying times at a final trial on May 18. Tony Keenan, the Olympic coach, said at the start of the camp at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday that training and being accommodated together would give the squad members a psychological boost

“We will have to work on the motivational aspect more than anything because of the uncertainty over the Olympic Games. Physically the swimmers are in great condition,” Keenan said. Sixteen swimmers were at the camp yesterday and two more are expected this week. Missing were

Keenan’s premier pupil, Rebecca Perrott, who is at home in Wellington trying to shake off a bout of bronchitis, and Brett Naylor, who arrives back in New Zealand today from university in the United States. Miss Perrott has not trained for a week and Keenan wants her to rid herself of the illness completely before she gets back into the water. Because she has already been named in the Olympic team there is no necessity for her to train over the next fortnight for the trial, but her presence at the camp and in the trials will certainly benefit the younger members of the squad. Most of the swimmers have halted their long-dis-tance stamina training and are now improving speed

to reach a peak for the trials. A programme has not been finalised yet for May 18. That will be done in the next couple of days after Mr Keenan and

assistant coach, Lincoln Hurring, have had a chance to discuss with the competitors what events they want to swim. Mr Keenan concedes it will be harder for the sprinters to reach the qualifying times because they need to be “well rested,” -while middle and long-distance swimmers can get nearer their best times with less rest. But he is determined that all swimmers will get every opportunity to reach the Olympic targets.

On May 18 Keenan is confident the swimmers will be “psyched up.” “There is more urgency now than there was at the national championships in March. And if the Olympics fall through there are alternative competitions.” A possibility exists that some of the swimmers will swim time trials later in the week to try and achieve a qualifying time before the trial. Next Saturday there is a carnival at Queen Elizabeth II Park with Canterbury swimmers and a visiting Victorian club team. The coaches see this as an ideal opportunity for some trials. Lincoln Hurring is keen for his son, Gary- to have a time trial over 200 m backstroke — the target he thinks he is most likely to achieve.

He is still not completely free from the shoulder injury that bothered him at the national championships in March. He had a two-day break last week because of soreness after a heavy training session. But ~ Hurring senior is pleased with the way his charge is training. “He is in much better shape now than he was at the time of the nationals. If he -can reach a qualifyng target in a time trial it will be a boost for the rest of the squad too.” Mr Hurring said that swimming coaches in Auckland had tried not to worry about the threat of an Olympic boycott and is determined a team should attend. “I don’t think sports should bow to political pressure,” he said.