SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 110, 1 February 1908, Page 10

SWIMMING.

(By Sri/Asn.) . COMhVG CARNIVALS. L—V.II.G.A. A.S.C., at To Aro Baths. I'eh. o;—WondVillo S.C. Feb. 15.—Swifts A.S.C., at To Aro Baths. I'ob. 2!).—'Wellington A.S.C., at To Aro Baths. >« ar ' Cmiti'e, at Tlidrmlon. Mar. 10 and 23.— N.Z. Championships, at , ' iVapier. Judging from the eiitry sheet and tho programme, some excellent swimming should bo witnessed'at the y.JI.C.A. carnival at To Aro this afternoon. No fewer than 40 swimmers have entered for the big event—tho Ladies' Bracelet. All the Ideal sprinters will be seen footing .the starting board in this event, as well as several swimmers new to Wellington.. A feature of the carnival will be tin: life-saving event, B. O: Freyberg is a certain starter for tho lOO.varda handicap, and as ho is in good sprinting form at present, he 'should go near to breaking the N.Ji. record for this distance. At tho Worser Bay Carnival oil Anniversary Day, G. R. Patterson, a. promising young swimmor, mado a successful appearahco in adult company, winning the 50yds. Ladies' Bracelet. Patterson will ho remembered _as having swum in the schoolboys' championship at To Aro baths somo two seasons ago. but without . Success, although, ho showed promise of developing into a good stvi'mmer.' Hp has go; improved that ho can now easily account for those who' wero. then swimming .ahead of. him. That consistent-place-getter, W. Bey .accounted. for a'',little of the 'prize.,iuopey at the; Worser :J?ay races) winning tho Toyds, haiidlCap, and.swimming liig Second place in the. Ladies' Bracelet. Out of his last.three starts, Bey has ono first aiid two seconds to his credit.

R. Bvenson won the 100 yds. residents'handicap at this meeting. EveiisOn is always found to givo a good account oNiimsolf in distances over tho CO yards, and if'ho wero to train consistently' thero is littlo doubt that ho would bo ono of the best long-distauco irttn Wellington lias seen. '' Tho starting facilities were very inadequate at tho Worser Bay carnival. A small-launch was utilised for ,getting ,tbe men away,' but owing to the: very heavy sea this craft was bobbing about like a state of affairs which.played havoc with tho starting plunges of competitors. Again, the. launch was not anchored in such a maniior. as would prevent it swinging, the result- being that somo cOnipc-. titers got aWay at, on advantagcOuii moment, wlnlo others had to swim yards further. This was a contingency .which tlie liaridicaljpcr for tho racps could not, ot courso, foresee '6r alloy for. . It would seenl advisable for '.th'o officials llest year to erect a, small staging off tho rocks, close to the spriiigbord. Starting iuon from boats is always mbro or loss ali unsatisfactory ,method, ~ _ Mr. S. Ribbands, a inomber of tho English Diving Association, who was, here'for a few weeks last season, is again in Wellington. Mr. Ribbands is an enthusiast in diving matters, and has placed a lot.of literature on the, subject in tho hands of several local clubs' members. Ho hasalso bcon good enough to furnish a copy, of a, set of rules governing diving competitions; These rules, it may bp added, have been accepted by .the New South Wales Association, to whom they wero supplied by Mr. Ribbands. It is Mr. Ribbands' intention to 'remain.permanently iii New Zea•laud,, and lib will strive to have , a diving championship included in; tho': New Zealand championship swimming fixtures. - When Mr. Ribbands speaks, of a diving competitinn,, bo does hot mean tho usual iiea,t .header, but fors more to a variety. .or -trichi 'aiKl. fancy, qtyingj/jrach as somprsaults,. swallo^'j. sort;w, buck, and other forms of diving; This'class of competition,'-besides advaiiciilg t-IVo .proficiency of the.: men., themselves,'■''-.would" also' prove'. iin excellent, attractiOu. from the spec-, tatbrs' point ftf vieu',' . Shields is; about to commence giving leisonfe' to :Schoolboys, for tho season. Mr-.' Shields : has been, much occupied::,With.,his business,affairs'duriug tho.early part, of tho sumnier, otherwise ho would have made a start in this useful work: sooner. During'past;' seasons iiiauy pf, tlio'-verj'' siiia 11 'boys have beoii enabled io leafh to' sfrim, through th'o kindiioss, of _Mr. Shields, much ' sooner ' than : they otherwise: Would have' done. 'A Wairarapa coutelnporai-y, commenting On the carnii yal recently held there, Said: "Itivas pleasing to note tho presence, of Mr.' T. Shields; Wollingtoil,-; who,has dbiie more for swimmmg thaii;.'any other" miiii ill New Zealand. During tho'aftern'obii' hp gave'a' display of : trick and fancy' swimming, ;which was .'w ell applauded," ':' ' Tho'cmi. which was. rcceii'tl.V' rireSented to the'.Wellington 'Club. b,v: Mr. AY. B. Missen Will he competed for in two long-distance handicap races, hamely' 220 yds: aiiiT 440 yds., points to. count fivo for first place, three for second, ahd one for third. It has beon decided that,the. sha'll not :he wou outright. It is hoped tbiit'this cup lvill assist in encour-' aging long-distance swimming, which is still in a rather ; backward condition. Tho Hegglun Brothers returned to Blenheim last week, hut they hope to bo ablo to visit, Wellington .-to".compete at- some of tho carnivals which; will eventuate during the next, month or two. ■. . - Thorndon .Club will hold a picnic at Lowry Bay on February 2. : : \ .The programme for the Swifts Clubs'ninth annual carnival, to bo hold at To' Aro Baths, on; February 15, includes the following 'eventssoyds. maiden, oOyds. ladies' bracOlct .(handicap), lOOydi. interclub handicap, ■220 yds." liitercliib handicap, 30yds, cluli junior'handicap (under 16 years), diving competition (mtorelub,three dive's olf springbbard,' second and top steps of diving stage reaper-, ttvely ; points, to count 10, each; for. flight and entry,, and fivo for. recovery); ftOyds. race ill clothes (coat, vests, long trousers',-shirts and socks; no whito duck or similar garments' allowed), comic dive in fancy costumo (best fancy Comie costume, best comic dive), water polo (exhibition .game). Entries close at 0 p.m. oii Tuesday, Fobruarv 11. As: predicted iii this column n ; couple of months ago, F, \X. Springfield will tnrn, bis steps in tbo direction of England,after- the championships at Perth this month. Springfield is to do battle for Australia .at, .the World's Olympian Games. Mr f , ,R, Coombes, who_ represents tbo Games Committee in Aiis.traliii has instructions from : Q.A.S.A; to enter Springfield, ; and that splendid young athleto's Vnamo ~will bo sent along in duo course. ';.

• "Incidentally, .it may,, be recorded that swindling .shows .the cleanest rccord . ii, regard, to treedoln from tho betting evil," says the annual report of the- N.Z.A.S.A. v Scholars' proficiency certificates will now bo granted .by ,tho N.Z.A.S.A, to' scholars swimming 220 yards or. more. Schoolmasters, howover, must certify that tho claimants are learners. . •. . ' ■ .

• The New Zealand • .Swimming Association has decided .that tho subscription for clubs up. to 50 members Shall be Itl.-i. Gd., ami 30 and upwards £1 Is. , This is in addition to tho local centre affiliation-iVe.

The mattur of sanding two English champions to Australia will bo considered by tho English Amateur Swimming Association ill March'next, at Chester. .i ThaVp'rogramme - for. 'tho Woodvillo Club's sjjprts to bo;held: on.February 5 comprises litteon 'ertots, tho principal 0110 being-.the Hawko's Bay Championship of SOilyds. Tho races are .to bo held at. the. Coronation Baths, which aro 100 ft. long.

Cecil Hcaly, of tho East Sydney . Club,. is undoubtedly one of tho most successful swimmers of tho present day, says the "Australasian.'', In Euglaud and on tho Continent Inst yoar he distinguished himself !by winning many important races against tho champions of England and other countries, and this season, in Australia, he Ims already placed championship races to hia credit. Oil January 4 ho quite excelled himself 'by winning the '140 yards championship of New South Wales at Ahmly baths. The time was smin. '28sec., -which was only 9scc. olitsido tho world's record for the disttmeo, hold by the late 13. B. Kieran. Ily his latest success Heal.v has borne out (ho opinion often expressed in swimming circles here that, with careful training, he would eventually develop into a distance swimmer. That' lie has covered 4-10 yards in the time stated is an

achievement of which IJoaly, considering that he was solely, a sprint swimmer until about twelve months ago, might well feci proud, and his success would come as pleasant a .surprise, to him as it would to his friends in tho swimming world all over Australia. Owing to private business, Hcalv has been unable in the past to devoto much

time to training, but his recent success shows that ho has been giving more attention to his distance work than had been tho case previously. Tho programme of tho Australasian Swimming Championship carnival, to take place in Perth on February S, 12, 15. and IS), is to hand, as follows:— 1' el) I'll ary B.—lsoyds. inter-club handicap, 100 yds. secondary schools', handicap, 440 yds. Australasian. championship, 100 yds. Australasian championship, diving: competition—tho " Swallow " and'"ono and a half" methods, as well as neatest, header. ' •, I'ebruary 12.—220yd5.. Australasian cliampionship, 220 yds. breast-stroke' Australasian championsbip, second \stago of diving com-, petition, 50yds. inter-club,handicap. I'ebruary 15.—880 yds. Australasian, chaml)ionshi|i, oOyds; invitation race, third stage diving .competition, first round of an interState water polo competition, "West Australia handicap (22l)yds.i. 1 February 10.—Australasian, mile championship, 100 yds. first-class handicap, 100 yds. second-class handicap, concluding stage diving competition, 50yds. scratch race, water polo filial. ' HOW TO CHOOSE ONE'S DISTANCE. . Writing in connection \rith competitivo swimming, C. M. Daniels says every mail ill deciding to enter the competitive field as a swimmer han sonic idea as to whother ho, .Wants to bedo.ine I a Rprilit.er or a'distance swimmer, but- nino times out of ten it is the realisation of one's possibilities that leads to racing. In cither case thero are hut two strokes worth taking up, the .trudgeon and the crawl. For.the sprinter the crawl is im-. doubtedly the one to adopt, and many maintain that it is, also tho fastest- ■ distanco stroke. 'Learned for tho purpose and timed, accordingly there is no reason why it should not give'tho best results. Tho fact that it is admittedly the fastest sprinting stroke provos beyond question that .the movements are the best, and that it is merely a case of lnuking them, just slow enough to be ; held over the distance to be covered. Several swimmers have negotiated the mile in competition with jit, so that we know it .can bo done. The, 'aspirant to distance honours - can lose nothing by giving it a;trial; it is easy to revert to the tnidgCon if.it,proves unsatisfactory. In tho trial, the candidate should not, try jto hold a 50 yards speed over a mile course, an attempt most novices make, but should swim, in easy stretches or, say, two or three; hundreds yards very slowly and paying close attention to form. Not ono out of .ten has a'really good-concep-tion of pace, and few men seem even to ap-. preciate. that pace miiSt be adjusted to tho distiuico before ono. They;will start out on a.', long swim, especially if tlioy-are ,trying a.,-stroke, that is; new to them,:.. as. if:,they were' going only fifty yards', and, of : course, they die obt beforo the hundred mark is reached.. This is probably the reason- that at the appearance of both the trudgeon and the crawl' overy one predicted that they would never- be held over a furlong. Whether it is best for one to becomo a distance swimmer or a' sprinter cannot very well bo ascertained until, a good deal of racing has been done. Every ono begins at the' sprints, and if ono is better fitted to tho distances he will soon find it out without being told.* .Tho knowledge comes .-instinctively. In taking up racing, or in deciding to, the prospectivo competitor, should bear ill mind that the only way to 'succeed is to learn tho stroke correctly and thoroughly before ■ attempting agv fast work at all. ' To race with n faulty stroko is simply ,to develop and confirm oncV faults, and 'to'; doom oneself to modiocrity. 'Many youngsters who win their novice race, and possibly.spnio other unimportant event by. 1 hruto; stYniiftthj'/firmly.: believo that they ato •on f.theiih'igh'road to; success, and neglect form', altogether, , with the result that thoy never' accomplish anything." Form is everythiiig nowadays. Yi T o hiivc progressed so • far towards; scientific swimming that even tho "most favoured by Nature will never' reach the ''championship class unless through form, -The'temptation is start racipg/ns, Soon as speed appears, and One's first- prises look .very enticing, but a little; self ,'deniii! aud early application will amply repay.jiii-'the long run.'