First outdoor swim titles in ten years

Press, 25 February 1981, Page 38

First outdoor swim titles in ten years

By

KEVIN TUTTY

The New Zealand Games last month were the main swimming competition of the season in New Zealand, but the New Zealand open championships which start in Rotorua today still hold more than a passing interest.

The chief concern will be the reaction of coaches and swimmers to the 50m outdoor pool at Rotorua. It is the first time since 1971 — when the nationals were held in Palmerston North — that the championships have been swum in an outdoor pool. Since 1971 a rule of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association has restricted national championships to heated, covered 50m indoor pools. As a result only Christchurch and Dunedin were able to conduct the nationals until a rule change at last year’s annual meeting of the N.Z.A.S.A. allowed the nationals to be held in outdoor pools in non-Olym-pic or Commonwealth Games vears.

The advantages appear to outweigh the disadvantages. The championships can again be seen by North Is-; land patrons, .but more importantly it acclimatises New Zealand swimmers to outdoor pools. The 1978 world championships in Berlin were in an outdoor pool, and next year’s world championships in California will also be outdoors.

Another significant feature of the championships is that Paul Rowe, arguably New Zealand’s most accomplished pool swimmer, will compete as a New Zealander for the last time .— at least for a few years. After the championships he will move to Canberra to take up a sports scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, and to swim for that country. Of the 30 Canterbury

: swimmers attending the i championships, one in par- [ ticular has a debt to settle. Grant Forbes, who is now training with the Wharenui club, is chasing a fast time in the 100 m breaststroke and th? retention of the title he won in Dunedin last year. He was not impressed when the New Zealand selectors left him out of the New Zealand Games team. He wants to prove he is still the best 100 m breaststroke swimmer in New Zealand. An incident at the Hansells age-group championships in Feilding last week-end strengthened his resolve. He was an easy winner of the, boys 16-years 100 m breaststroke but was disqualified for taking two strokes under water after the 50m turn. He is seeking a time of Imin B.os, 1.3 s better than . his previous best.

At Feilding Kara Taumaunu was hoping to get within reach of Gary Hurring’s 200 m backstroke national junior record. He was more than eight seconds out--side it, but with stronger opposition at Rotorua it will be a more realistic aim. For the second successive year teams travelling to the championships have been disrupted. Last year the Wellington team had to drive to Dunedin when Wellington airport was closed. Yesterday, part of the Otago team was stranded in Wellington by the closure of the airport. The Canterbury team of 30 Is:

Men.—Robert Barlass, Gregory Cadigan. Colin Davis, Christopher Ellis, Forbes, Grant Gillard, Graeme Horner, Campbell Mclntosh, Gary Mason. Andrew O’Donoghue, Phillip Seal, Michael Smith, Taumaunu, Geoffrey Taylor, Paul Tozer, Simon "Wheelans. Women.—Jane Bishop, Lisa Chamberlain, Nicola Chambers, Ki'.n Dewar, Elizabeth Horner, Fiona James, Melanie Jones, Leigh Kennedy, Tui McArthur, Kim Nichols, Sonia O’Connell, Jennifer Queen, Teresa Stanley, Susan Willis.