Bleak future is facing N.Z. swimming

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 22

Bleak future is facing N.Z. swimming

By

KEVIN TUTTY

A gold, two silver and five bronze plaques, five New Zealand records and a best time by virtually every member of the team seems enough evidence to suggest a successful three days for the New Zealand Games swimming team. True, there were some excellent performances but given a close analysis, there are plenty of areas, of concern for coaches and the New Zealand Amateqr Swimming Association.

It is an achievement to • record a personal best time but those times' have to be put into perspective. They have to be compared to the national record, and the Commonwealth record to give an. indication of the merits , of the .times. > The competition at’ the swimming: events was ideal for the. New Zealand team. Most of the visiting swimmers were at about the same level as New Zealand’s best. That was a far more acceptable” situation than* having world Stars who would have fin- ' ished : half the length of' the pool ahead - of their opposition. '■ . Most of the New Zealand success rested on a small group, a group lhat.. has now been reduced by - the losses of Rickie Binning and Deirdre Walls to Australia, and the pending loss of the latest star Of the pool, Paul Rowe, to the same country. . < - ' Present, indications are ~ that New Zealand will

have a team of about nine ■ at Brisbane the same size as the team at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton in 1978. That is, unless there are some further rapid improvements in times. Opportunities for swim'mers to reduce their times in the next 18 months will be few. There are the New Zealand championships in Rotorua at the end of this month and for perhaps 10 to 12 swimmers, a trip to

California in August. Once swimmers reach a certain time, usually Within a few seconds of the national., record, it becomes increasingly difficult to improve. The essential ingredient is competition and when swimmers have no-one to push them their progress re-, mains static. Of greatest concern to New Zealand coaches aind administrators must be the dearth of women freestyle swimmers. Now that Rebecca Perrot has retired, a huge gap has been left in the freestyle ranks, .1 Apart from. Miss. Perrott no New Zealand swimmer broke 62.0 s for . 100 m, freestyle at the Games. All three Australians in the event broke a minute.' In the 200 m freestyle, Jnohe of the five New Zea-

landers broke 2min 11.0 s, well outside Miss Perrott’s national record, of 2min 0.635. The three Australians in the 200 m race at Christchurch all bettered 2min’ 6.05. Jennifer Queen, a 15-. year-old Christchurch girl, is a talented freestyler but with best times of 62.0 s and 2min 12.0 s she has a considerable way-to go before she can ; ;be considered a Brisbane . Gaines prospect. 1. : , ■ ■ - " '

In the 400 m freestyle, the . Australians,, again domint, finished first and second with the New Zealanders well behind. There is nothing refined about the technique of the Australians. '' For years their freestylers have worked on the premise that a high stroke rate has 7 advantages oyer- perfect technique. That was the case at the New Zealand Games as the Australians; swept to victories against' smooth-stroking Ameri- ■ cans and Canadians. In men’s freestyle, too, there is. ground' to make up. Rowe and Barry Salisbury are striving to be-, come the first New Zealanders to break, 53.0 s but to rank in the top 25-in: the world a time of under 51.0 s is required. - Michael Davidson is the top m i d d 1 e-distanc*-

freestyler but he- has some way to go before he nears the. national t record of 4min o.os held by Brett Naylor and set at the Montreal Olympics. 'ln other events, New Zealand is struggling to provide swimmens of a reasonable standard. The women’s breaststroke is one of those. With the de-« parture of Misses Walls ■ and Binning across the Tasman, there are now no women who have bettered Imin 18.0 s. for 100 m. A close look at times reveals that the New Zea'land Amateur Swimming Association has plenty to be concerned about. Australia, according to Hilton Brown, an assistant coach of the flew Zealand Games team, is geared to winning back Commonwealth superiority in , the pool at Brisbane. Canada is not prepared to .relinquish that title which it won in Edmonton and the British countries, which were on a par with .New Zealand a few years ago,, have' also swept ahead of New Zealand. If New Zealand is to have any .'chance of matching the... -other : Com‘'monwealtn \ swimming’, i-atiohs, the first step will be to keep New Zealand’s best.. swimmers in this • country. It cannot afford • to lose people of the calibre of Rdwe and Miss Wafts. As older members of the team, they play a yit.'.l role in helping the . .younger swimmers gain ' confidence. .. -