SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 86, 4 January 1908, Page 9

SWIMMING.

(Isy Srwsn.) • COMING CARNIVALS Jan. 4.—East Christchurch A.S.C., a<Jan. 18.—Thorndon A:S.C.;: at Thorndon. Jan. 22.—Masterton ,A.S.C:;- at Mastcrtoii;-., ■ Jan. 22. —Miramar• Carnival at ■ Scatoun^., Feb I—Y MCA ASC, at Te Aro Baths Feb.. 15. —Swifts A.S.C., at Tu Aio Baths Fob. 29. —Wellington A.5.C.,.. at le Aro Baths. ■ : Mar. 14.—Wellington!. Centre, at Thorndon., Mar. —.—rN.Z. Championships, at Napier. .

A great, deal of. swimming lias been indulged in during..tho;past iweek:both:at. seas-;, sido resorts and.- at-rthe;-baths,-,;but ■: club;, fixtures have, been: abandoned; ; for tho < t-smc! being, and'.local news is;iiil. . J'ir' v;-'j-fi . The following gentlemen prominently, connected with swimmingcJS!i!} : ;ift®?i^fcSS?i' bers of Wellington"; clubs, ''wei-e itt-town dur-. ing the ' Christmas \V'.'f T. Churchward, of, Blenheim , -J. Evans,.-of Christchurch; J. Nicholls,; of: Tiinaru;:.and; Cyril Aston, of. AVoodvillc.. ..Mr; 1 Nicholls'' new home is the v .headquarters' o'f- : the-newly-'; formed South ports; that -. swimming-'is'-'bpoming 'in Tirnaru.;;. Mr. Aston, now.- of Woodvillc,_ shows much, improvement'- since,: he'•',left''--AV'ollingtbh,;;Vs-:: pecially in' thc; diying':djvisioir; V Jtrl'jChurch-: ward., is interesting' himself ;in; the,'sport;-'in', Blenheim, and should ; prove. a valuable ■' fac-; tor in the improvement of swimniingj tliero;. On, Sunday morriing ;; last "a .visitor' it'o'"Te Aro Baths was seized with , cramp while swimming in somegeveii 'ieet .' of' 'water.;; Noticing. the swjmmer'3-.'condition,--;Mr.'-P:- : Ha'nna, of' tho Y.AtiCiAp'Club, : i.mmediately. dived to tho unfortiiniite,''lm'bVi'ss'assiStancfi:'. Although the water ;was'.i;oiighi' ; Hanna;'suc-*. e'eeded'""in..bringing:hisijnaii.,!,ashbtp.,^-in; good' style. . It may .be added, tliat ; .Mr v Hannaj..' along with'' other members . of; the; various • clubs in "Wellington, has-been undergoing a of instructioiwin 'life-sayihg,: b'btli tlveoretical and: practical,' and, there ,would appear to-be no doubt that-tln's-tuitipn_camo ,in very useful on Sunday; and fully ; tle-;| monstrated the great"'' usefulricssV'bf'-ithis br:wch. of tho sport-. 1 ;"';-".'.".".', ' t The Thorndon Club's ,carnival-;takes place on January 18, but so -far no •piitry; , ':sheefe have made their appeara'Tlce.'.'at-the baths..,.': The "Wairarapa - Aq^^^Carnirail,, to.be held at Masterton-on-January . 22, comprises 28 events- ,and.';i£' is . stated that a" number, of local swiHimers' -will !)g;,,competi- ; tors.- . Entries clpso„'bji;^January .15,' The; ...best prize of tho*.; dayi'js;"the; 75yds.'..3 r airafj i-apa £2 2sfsecond. '■ i The Reforco" of "fiecember ;-24,, referring; to the Bondi-Club's'anniiaii'carnival, says the; programme' included .tlie":tliirii 'Stato chauipionship of.. tho. thp' 440 yards, 'championship,; '.of -.the , Eastern, Metropolitan District,;, to ' compete, in which, only swimmers possessing .'the; necessary-resi-;. dential qualification . .were., eligible:.; Both these events' fell tb-J. , It. Garland,- of East Sydney' Club. His time,' for the lnilo espccn: aily, was very good, and will surely; be iin- • proved upon if the manner in which .the swimmer acquitted himself may be taken as. a basis'of reasoning. . For fifty yards Garland and' his club-fellows, It. llealy aiid J. Lord, and ,0. Dickman (Py'rmon't) ' wfcro;; alnidst,, abreast-,of each other, then.Heply singled out:, and swam strongly, with Garland and P'r'-,.; .man . following iu' that, order.-,, TWo'-huhdretl; yards" Saw Healy.'displaced .'by Garland,. ;from.' that. moment .iievor"lost his" '.position; he - eventually,' won.. ten., or.;.fifteen',' yards to the- good-'fronirHcaly, -between .whoijj- , and-' Dickman therev'wasV'a.'sirnfl ■ The, winner. ne'gbtiatec!;thedista j HCO;iii;2smin.; . 24sec.- It is •; only ■ a:- few /years ■ agd.V ;siiicp Nuttall's 26min, some .'odd seconds , (iic'cbmplishcd in Hollingworth";Lake, Lohdb'iij'whch he so easily defeated tho Aineric2;i:.chanipion,; M'Cusker)",. was -gthcfj wodd's; ;j ,record, fpr ~.a, mile. Tho. wa'tch-showed.i2Smin'. 43sec,. fp'r-, Healy's swim—nearly one .minute slower than, his' win of tho' same .cyent;, at; Dnimnipyno ■in February last-year, -.but the. ex-holder : : of ■ the. title has. noti,bcen himself for some tinie, and'very, few acquaintances.e>!pected,him to succeed. The-time, of bach'; succeeding 100 yards should .be-.interesting .'reading ..to those who follow the sport':—looyds., lmin. lOsec. ; 200 yds., Smin'- Slsec! ; 300 yds., 3min. 55sec. ; 400 yds., omin. 19sfec.; 500 yds., Gmin. 46scc.; fiOOyds., Smiii. 1-lsec.; 700 yds., 9mm. 42sec.; 800 yds., llmin. 11 ; 2-ssec.';.9ooyds., 12min. 40 2-ssec.; 1000 yds.,, 14min. 9 2-oscc.; 1100-j yds;, lomin. 38 ","2-:sscc,: . 1200yds'.; l'min. 1 -7sec.; 1300 yds., 18miiv 36. 2-oscc.; 1400j-ds., iSOmin. 7 2-osec.;'lsoovds:, 2lihin.'3o l-sscc., ,1600 yds., 23min'.-, 6sec;; -' 1700 yds. ;■' 24min,: 32 2-Ssec.; l/GOydsT,;, 2omiii. 24sec. " ~ - w

The raco for.the'44oyds., Championship of the Eastern District:was.won with something to spare by J. .R'. 'Garland in ;smin. 54sCp>, C. Lewis (Bondi :S.C.) and .H.. Wcilaiidt .(Roso Bay .5..C.) were second and ; third, , respeo-. tivcly. ' '' -" " ..'

At the Pyrmont Club's'annual'gala, held oh December *23, the.-Breast-stroke Championship of New South Wales formed a . place in the list of attractions,;and Dick.Cavill had been billed to -e'ndeavuor "to .knock out-the existing professional hundred, said to ,bc G1 l-ssec. The Championship was productive of one of tho most exciting finishes: seen for somo time. : Ten yards from the end Alick Wickham appeared to own'the raco, but a stroko or • two further, G. Snell (Mosmaii) and I. Cantor (East' Sydney), wero on top of him.' Neck-and-ncclc the threo- fought - out -every inch" with every fraction,of- power .in play, and Snell landed tho' honoUr by liti-..\.; more than his . finger-tips; . from' -Wickhanij;: while Cantor .'was'.iijthin. t .a' triflo ,of .deadheating tiie coloured..' lad.' I 'J'.yiiiie, 3iniii! 44 2-ssoc. ■ Cavill's . recprd'-breakih'g effort opened tho eyes of-those who'had rated him a back number. Swimming - strongly, and in splendid' form, he threw .tho trip .'behind in GO l-ssec—exactly lscc. better than the task sot him, and lie would, in all probability, liavo broken tho mihutu but for mulling each of three turns.

' An Euglish exchango gives tho following as 0110 of tlio bost methods of obtaining the most beneficial results from- bpon-air ( bathing ;—Before entering the water take a short run up and down 'the beach. Then phmgo boldlv into the water and roll, paddle, swim or 'plungo about vigorously for about ton. minutes (five minutes is probably better), •then leave the water/find, a'warm, vdry spot in tho sand, fling-yourself 'flat'.down and .lot the hot sun and tlie 'dry: saiid'wftm:'and _dry. you for a half lioitr or - ovb'n ldngev- . Then another little run' on .the'beach, another cold plunge and another'siesta'., i. .. : . -. v.

Few people, except' those who have tried it, realise tho"''delights' of tho beneficial results of this method. It' has a most remarkable effect upon all the .vital,functions, and as a general tonic treatment has, perhaps, few equals. Thero. is only ono. caution nccossary in practising .it, and that is to avoid oxcoss. Three or four alternate plunges and tastings aro cnough--for..thc man or woman of avorage vitality. Thero are fow who would not bo injured by 'a ' greater number of wettings. Those who aro ;extremoly dolicate may well spend.'t>vo or ; three' hours, ou tho .beach during the pleasant part of. the day, taking, during that tinio 0110, two or three short plunges. • ■ , . Tho alternate swindling' and. rest—tho iilternation of hoat and.cold—to which tho body .is subjected makes?.'this".oxerciso. a most, powerful tonic - upon.the:entire, system. Thfe., writer has seen .the most romarkablo results obtained by two hours daily spent on tho beach, alternating between basking in tho sun and'swimming.' Out of 1 this two hours perhaps only half an hour in all was spout in tho water, "and this in throo dips of ton minutes each. In practising tliis thoro need bo no fear of tho "shock," cxcopt in' tho case of tho very weak. The shock is distinctly tonic.

Manv people are afraid to enter tho water when ilea ted by exertion, and sit down and wait until "they "cool off" before taking their bath. Nothing could bo moro unwise, Dr. Latson tolls us. Tho proper time to enter tho water is when the. system is -sc active that the shock is tonic To outer the water when over-boated is to obtain the most beneficial effects'of tho bath. To wait until cool before going'.into tho cold water makes a chill almost incvitablo and makes cramps vory . probable. As a matter of fact, it is just when the body is in a heated condition that tho sudden immersion into cold water Js most beneficial

wiien ono is'groauy overneaicu or mwgutxi , : : i it-would;- of 'CQurSQ, ~ b'e'inost unwise to sv, liu at all Al h(ic]i av|ime*test is necessary The ' , practicp so TOjfitficmfniu l many parts of tho [ country ".'of. bathing, after-, dark -.is-, hardly to r - ,bo commended. It, would ibe much, wiser-thus It)*take tho daily swim in tho mormpg,.. beginning tho day s u ork _ , ■ Tho fulj - delights of bathing are: known• ? only to tho swimmer. The keen pleasure thafc'.y-'.W'iiVf.vJ coinesfrom tho active rhythmical exercise of^\. ;vt ■. y.; every important rausclo mi'the body, tho ...--. . - stimulating-- contact - of. sun andwater: and air, the: joybus - consciousness: of - mastery: of the" element m which ho - lsimmersed —those..: ■■ - aro known only to tho sv.immer To a good ' swimmer ;there is no oxercise--which' for «-• ; moment compares.;with S'i