SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 57, 30 November 1907, Page 9

SWIMMING.

'-■* " (llv Spmsii.) . . The past week.has seen little alteration' in the-position of swimming locally. Tho baths havo been well patronised, but nothing has been done in the way of racing. "I' see the Wellington Centre has. had a carnival. ~ \Yn do uot hold ours till Deceinboi 13 on-account or the baths being nnder r&« pain ,So Ttins'a doleful story in a private letter received from Auckland. Tlie North* em carnival-is tcr be held by the .Waitcmata Club, which is-encouraging boys by putting on a race worth £2 17s. 6J.' lor lads'- undei sixteen'. " •-*" : . The; Australian championships will .be. held ii Western Australia, on Februarys, 12|10 arid 19,• ; The agreement gives tlie Now Zealand Association the option of being represented at.tbis-or the next-vear's meeting, 'and the. probability is that the latter date .will be acceptcd.-: ' . ■ The plunging 'championship of England,' de. cidgdvon October! 7-, was H. W: Ally, son, with a', plunge of 78ft. lOJin. • -A unique contest took' place .at Kentish" -(England) Town Baths early in -. October, .when.'a team of Parisian School children competed against a-teain.selected from thte ; whole of the schools, iii the Loudon . metropolitan • district, but, unfortunately, the contest \va« robbed of'much of its excitement by the hollow victory of- the London team. The "Dailj News," referring to tho race, stated-:—Tin .French; boys and. girls had travelled.; from Paris' to Liondpiv in response to thi?.invitatjoiv of the London'.,Schools' Swimming Association,:.in ordei; to swim off -an international teanVrace, agaiiist eight',English boys and girls.-< They wore .not, and' did not pretend tobe, the pick'of ithe swimmers in Parisian ele»~ mentary schools ; : .yet they .knew tlicy had tc| face the pick, of London scholars. .Aiid fac« * them tliev'did- like trim-sportsmen:jNeed-.less to. say, the, pluck of the thing-appealed iorcibly, to their, small hosts and. hostesses, and the welcome, they received-was, nlagnifi. . -cent.;;-The space around- the ,batlH-,bno of j the largest in'the metropolis—was crowded I to: suffocation, and everything French | children did. was -received with tliewildest < enthusiasm. The slim French girls, could i hardly shake a, curl without raising a cheer, -, alul the boys were heroes and zoological curi« * osities hy : tarns'. ' i... c

■•■•, Aprivate., letter received Jrom Auckland •states jtli'at Champion is swimming -very'wel i at present;". h j' ; C^'M.'Daniels, the famous'American:swim- • mer; has the following to • stroke: —"There are as m'any',Varieties-of the '* crawl nowadayses, there are. swimmers;*ising I • it. No two swim- it alike, and almost everyone exhibits a method of his omi. This indi- • vidual adaptability must eventually produce good fruit, and 1 it is- probable 'that as/ the swimmers i discover' the scientific points l and' drop thp'faults "in the,"end, the , different* stjlej .\vill: be condensed;; into •' one * standard ;str6ke/; To ,learn . the American 'crawl}'start 'with the arms.— In,fact, you,,'will probably do well not;to use the legs at all until;you can swim about-iifty yards with your arms only. Lie flat oh the*water, with the arms a little bent at the elbows and stretched, out above your head; The .wrists should be just beyond your head and open a little, the palms, of the hands turned , downward.' Catch the water with a snap, and drive ,the-hands through at a brisk pace, always bent at the elbow, ufttil they-.reach the hip; then lift them clear, out of-tho water,-,and carry;them' forward, with elbow well; up in the ai'r.r The ■.■under arm is started just" as !-tUo upper'ono finishes.'. For the kick, moVeithe legs lijj.'and down alternately, keeping them stiff' at the hip and holding the knees, close together. There is little difficulty in Jearning, fchjs if one knows how it should/b&l|donc,..tiut\ the best way after reading the description'is to watch it in action. To imitate, it without having read it up'is not easy, and to acquire it without seeing it is harder still, but with the help of both a few days of practice Will be sufficient. Don't open the'feet more than twelve or eighteen inches from heel to toe. The. real difficulty in the crawl is in working the arms and legs into a smooth stroke, and .also .in learning to hold the, tiring leg drive bve.r a. given distance. Both are a matter of practice. The position of tlie : irf the crawl is flat on the face. There should be ■hardly any rolling, and breath should, be taken only every two or three' strokes'by a quick twist of*the head as the upper arm is being brought down. The time for exhaling is' as the under arm goes forward. When the crawl is swum slowly, as it'is over the distances, the arm stroke is lengthened and the legs arc slowed according to. the length of .tho race. In this case a breath is take*, at- every stroke."