Overseas tours for swimmers

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 38

Overseas tours for swimmers

The New Brighton swim- i ming club, one of the j strongest age-group clubs in I New Zealand, is making its first venture overseas this j month — with not one but two teams. ■ Tomorrow a group of 18 leaves for 10 days in. Aus- j tralia, and on May 20, four of the club’s top swimmers ( leave for an age-group com- . petition in Hawaii. Debra Keech, Lisa Cham-; berlain, Jane Bishop and ■ Kim Smith accompanied by the club’s head coach, Rosemary Bishop, will swim in a 1 competition on the island of < Maui on May 23, 24 and 25. 1 An invitational meeting, it 1 attracts swimmers from the 1 strong Californian clubs, and to enter, competitors have to i meet qualifying standards. ; Several other members of i the club met these standards i but could not afford the ex- ! pense. The club is paying half i the fare of the four swim- i

mers but the remaining expense will be the responsibility of the individuals. _ Mrs Bishop believes all the girls have chances of places, which will be quite an achievement from an entry of about 500 swimmers. Miss Chamberlain, a Canterbury titleholder, and promising freestyler will swim the 50, 100, 200 and 400 m freestyle in the 13 and 14 years age-group. Miss Keech will swim six races in the 15 and 16 years age-group and Misses Bishop and Smith six and five races respectively in the 11 and 12 years section. The tour to Australia to swim against the Toongabbie and Padstoiv clubs in Sydney is ’ a consolation for those who could not go to Hawaii, said a club official. The club hopes the tour will improve the experience of its young squad.