SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 170, 11 April 1908, Page 9

SWIMMING.

(By Splash.)

Tho swimming season has now. worked it« • self out, and on looking back over tho past ■ few months it has to bo admitted that tha'- ' season has been, a highly successful one.. : ■ There has been.no lack of enthusiasm on thi 1 part of any-of the clubs, all of which have ■ got through a full programme of events. The I perfect weather probably had a good deal to ' do. with the. boom in tho sport, and tho of- ■ ficers of the' various clubs may congratulate ■. themselves-on; the-fact that thoy made tha ' most of tlio' opportunity which came their . • way,-and may rotiro for tho winter with' a s ! sense of-, duty well done. A~ .feature of tho : : ?, season' has been ; the number of promising 1 youngsters; who . have been ;. noticed at the' !. baths;-and also the success of the attempt : to popularise distance swimming. The writer ' has been watching throe .youths with .ini terest this season, viz., Ward,: Patterson,- ?, ;a»d kelson, which trio should develop.into 1 'something a good'deal-better than- the aver- ■ ' age before next summer is through. "Splash" : pins his faith' to Ward as a lad who will turn •- > out a top-notcher if ho 'takes, the sport i seriously'during tho -next season. Polo has ' b had a, successful j-un during tho season, the ■ inter-club contests being followed by tha > N:Z. championship, which fell to the local Swifts combination.." ' Tho '"unsatisfactory state'of the local baths ? has exorcised tlioso- in. control of the" sport, and it is .anticipated "that.'.before next season . " begins the Te. Aro,,Baths will altered in 3 accordance , with,.plans already prepared so ' as to make:tliis,hath one of the best in New -Zealand; If tlieialterationSj.to the baths are - " .carried out';'the/Wellington Centre should ■: make a dctcrminedieffort to have tha Now F, Zealand Championships decidcd at Wellington :■ .nest' season.'. ;■ ■ - I • Thb--*following'paragraph, from tho Sydney . "Referee,".'written on .the return of C. Hcaly '. from..the Australasian championships, is.of Healy was greatly impress- ■ od-with the sportsmanliko way in which ic Springfield,, who, iii New-Zealand last year,, . i s '. .won; State, supremacy: for . took . : bis/yarious defeats. Not- once did; he' make ■ -■ thb'-semblance of-complaint or. attempt:an (• cblam- i [•' pioh.-thinks.Springfield.overtaxed himself by • i doing.' an excessive amount :of. training, work.; ~ Ho would, swim a mile, early in-the morning,. ■" ? then indulge in. two'or three 500 yards ap-i;. ' petisers;before.lunch, arid tho afternoon was" l ' devoted to another, mile,'and; very oftonj '»'» ' further ,500 yards.- Healy says it was no uso '• telling the young- Queenslander ho did too j much, or tliat r the late Barney'Keiran. never ' i trained- to "anything like" the samo extent. 1: :Springfiold was .ivrapped, up, heart and, soul, ' in; his mission;'.so.', much so,that nothing • ' could persuade him to remain out of bed after'. '8, o'clock. .'lt did ono good,' sa'd Cecil; 'to . ' see . Springfield congratulating the winners ; : no excuses- at all -for- his--own | defeats.' ' Springfield;is 'now on'; his way to:--; '. England to, compete at the Olympian games. M ": ' The : 100 jYaras .Ladies' Swimming Cliampiouship of.'New., South W'ales, decided at the.' ■ Lavender Bay baths recently, under the aus- . 1 pices of tho 'Ladies' Swimming .Association,- | placed Miss Dorothy Hill-in tho proud posi- » tion-of lady'champion 'swimmer of the States • • ; Her ' time for the distance. is a world's- re- ' cord,'which, she shares with; another; Aus- ' '• tralian •lady,'- E.-' Carr,- of Brisbane,' v f (Queensland, and 'stands at lmin. 19 '2-sseo. -' 1 Miss Hill was'a winner from end. to end,.and [ finished four yards to tho good.'. Until tho . ' advent of. Miss :.-Hill,-who is a '13-years-old " I schoolgirl,-tho New South Wales 100; yardsrecord was held by Miss Annetto Kellerman, " whoso ; timo' ' was slower-;by somef seconds. !• Miss : Hill-began summing- in races at'.the-'--. I .age of. 9 years','-when, she ;won.-at. 50 yards< L Since .then, sho has added to :hor .list.'.five t [ championships over -50 yards,;,and one over ■ 63 yards." In 1907 Miss Hill won'the ; 100 I; Yards Stato-Championship , in the then ' world's record of lmin. 19 1-osee, at Balmain Carnival. She also won the 50 Yards State' : Championship, '1907. '