SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 12

SWIMMING.

'■■ (Br Sflabh.) , The hecossity for uniformity in diring rnles throughout Australasia has for a long tirao engaged tho attention of, Mr. H. Sydney B. Ribbands, of Hastings, | who has always taken a keen interost in the art. Mr. Kibbands writes as under:— "Allow mo, through your instrumentality, to draw attention to the necessity for, and advantage of, furthering tho swimming community's interest in the fascinating art or graceful, fancy, ami high diving. It is but two season,ago since I brought the notice of tho New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association to tho universal backward conaition of this branch of their sport, and it was, therefore, very gratifying to observe that at the last Australasian swimming championships diving displays were not only made a leading foaturo of each day's programme, but proved themselves to bo the most entertaining and attractive item of a memorable meeting. "The value of diving is found in many ways. Firstly, because it creates sensational excitement for the observer; secondly, bo'cause it affords sonsuous fascination to the performer. Consequently it follows that the senior officials of swimming bodies should do all in their power to encourage the sport for the sako of swelling their club funds by the attraction of the, paying public; white the junior members of like communities should do thoir utmost to apply themselves to an exercise which is unique for, its physical training of grace and supploness of limb, ami has the immediate reward of more generous and repeated recognition from the hands of the spectators than ordinary race swimming can ever obtain. "Diving has this further advantage, that in localities where tho temperature of the water is low, prolonged swims are impossible, or, if indulged in, are harmful to tho bodily tissues and the blood; whereas oven, in cold spring water' 6ft repeated plunges and exposure to bright sunshine "may mako even an hour's bathe delightfully exhilarating and healthily improving. Moreover, when a swimmor has passed the ago limit, when his body can no longer stand the violent, exertion of racing, ho can still continues to improve in and add to the 'number of his fancj dives, and so prolong his active service to his club. 'After giving much careful study and thought to tho subject, I am convinced that the adoption of two fundamental principles would place the art upon a secure and scientific footing. Firstly,'standard high and low spring divmg-boords should be erected in all baths. Secondly, a general, method of judging and classifying the performance of dives in competition should alone be recognised. .. "The first condition should be no difficult matter to, arrange, as tho standard springboards I suggest conform with those in use in Germany, and also agreo with tho dimensions adopted at tho recent London Olympic Games, whore tho sizes were based on: tho German model. J. hose standard boards are now established in Hastings and Napier swimming Whs, and, in practice, prove thoir entire suitability to their purpose. A sum, of. .C 7 will entirely cover the cost of construction of two such standard boarde-ono high and the other low-in-eluding stands and'all fittings. The' sum exponded may bo considerably lessoned where excavation has not ,to be made for the' fixture of the upright supports.-, Moreover, as the existing spring-boards in baths have frequently to bo renewed, there would be little, if any, extra expense in fixing up n board that is standard at tho beginning of tho approaching season. ■ ■ , ■ . . "Tho adoption of a standard size would at oncedo away, with the'present unfair handicapping of divers due to the unaccustomed length, height, and spring of nny board, other than the one on which thoy may have trained. At this time of writing, one niay find boards long, short,- springy, stiff, high, and low, but no, two entirely alike in these characteristics, and it is, consequently a, most unjust.Mliing that a visiting:'diver: should compete and bo surpassed. by »■ local: champion for tho sole reason that ,the niceties of timing the former's mid-air revolutions have been entirely upset by lack of acquaintance with the local springboard's idiosyncrasies. Tho sporting public would never admit of the inferiority ■-. of a cricketer or tonnjs player obliged to play on a pitch or. a court of irregular, dimensions, wjth bat, racquot, arid balls of unusual sizes, am yet the skill, of tho , unfortunate diver -which might oth<jrwise,;rival--ithat.'.6f 'kny.igymnastie athlete has,-lip to lcctfully retarded by tho apathetic designers of swimming regulations.'■■ ' ■■■■!,■ "Tho second principlo of n universal'method of judging a diver's performance is also" a matter which may be satisfactorily arranged, and I propose that fixed points bo allotted to the holding of a competitor's limbs' while executing a given dive. Ten 'detail' points aro to bo apportioned as - follow at starting, 1; take-off and run, i; straight knees and pointed toes, 1; united legs, 1; straightoncc arms, 1; correct holding of hands, 1; good entry—minimum splash, 2; good stylo, 2. These features carried out according to rules, described hereafter, are to be apparent in every dive, whether plain , (neat header),. swallow; or .'somersault, etc., .'and : with. , . Very little patience-'and study a judge.may detect w,hen a ■diver fails to .observe them, ..and.consequently' deduct a point, or points; for overy lapse, '< • "Further, some eight characteristic and distinctive dives have been tabulated, such 1 as tho plain, fall, jump, buck, somersault, low, and sofew, with their values graded according to the difficulty in executing them, backwards or, forwards, while standing or running, from a low or a high standard springbqard. Theso values range from ono to two points, intermediate degrees being, denoted by •decimals. For instance, the standing' plain, dive, forwards, from tho low spring-board, is one of tho simplest of-'dives, and- involves merely tho correct carrying-out of the rules governing the detail points. The. grade value' of tho plain divo is 1. Tho running somersault of one-and-a-hnlf turn, forwards, from tho highest spring-board, needs considerably more skill, aud is valued at"Lβ.' .'-.-'•• "As wo have seen tho ten detail points allotted to the holding of limbs are tho same for every dive, but a.% tho limb positions aro mqro difficult of attainment-proportionally to the dive's special characteristics, so ten multiplied by the grade valuo should give the total number of points obtainable for tho correct, execution of any divo. Thus the-grade'valuo of the standing plain dive, forwards,- low board, is 1; multiplied by detail points 10, the maximum points for successful exociition will be 10. The running-somersault, one-and-a-half turn, forwards, < high board, grade value 1.6, multiplied by detail- points ' 10, will yield maximum points IC. If the competitor should have lost points through bending knees, 1, and his body has thrown over causing considerable'splash,' 2, he .will have - gained only 7 detail points out of a possible 10. Such faults in executing the plain dive will give him 1, multiplied, by.7, equals 7 points; ana in the case of tho somersault, 1.0 multiplied by 7,"equals 11.2 points. By this method we shall have a scientific basis to work on, something systematic which will gi.ve the competitor confidence that his work is being fairly judged. Besides, by setting a variety ofV dives, more opportunity: for distinction will, be afforded than is possible under existing conditions. -.: "At most carnivals' tho diving judge is not only no diver himself, never, having mastered tho rudiments of ; the art, but he is'also quite, at a loss how-to' classify the contestants. In consequence, nothing moro difficult is set in competition than the 'neat header' (plain divo), whose only characteristic to-day is, apparently, minimum splash, regardless of the grace and , poise of the diver'in mid-air, and _wo have often a dozen or more swimmers giving in their names at a fpost entry'—diving events being of .bo little account that Smith, Jones, and ; Robinson have a 'go at if just for the fun of- tho thing. - - To make it still moro puzzling for the udge, the competitors usually have three attompts each, with tho forcsoen result that Smith gives two perfect dives and one bad, Jones three equally good dives, a"ud _ Robinson one fair, ono good, and ono perfect dive. Who is the winner? The judge usually consults with an equally confused associate, so that tho decision may not rest entirely on his shoulders, and tho result maj bo anybody's luck. But. fortunately for the judge in many s cases thcro is a recognised champion diver in ; the club, and to him may,be safely awarded the palm, whether or not bo was diving up to his usual "I myself havo taken part in a competition at Hyde, Islo of Wight, where a colonel in the volunteers and a member of tho. Town Council wore the two judeos, and their sole guide to tho performer's skill was tho applause pf the spectators.'' Possibly bocauso I had a number of friends proseut I managed to tie,for first place, and then, after giving three additional dives—making six in all from a platform forty feet high—the only solution open to the.- judge was a division of tho prize. _.' ,'. . , "By my system such a manifestly unfnii , finish will -be impossible, ,ns the.setting of a variety of dives will give tho accomplished diver a clinneo lo bring himself to the front without a shadow of doubt; 'while tho points awarded him will be quite irrespective of the appreciation ■of public and friends. '. ''Naturallyltlie best judges of diving nro those : who aro themselves masters in the art. but as theee persons at the present day aro mostly youthful competitors, thoro will bo for this season .considerable difficulty in finding competent men for tho position. However, timo ,'wfil quickly dettcoy Uiu obstacle, and it wilt

I hopo, bo only tho matter of two or three rears before a tew efficient and reliable men band themselves into ah association ef qualified diving judges—even as now tho hockey roforees have done. "Tho theoretical regulations I propose will probably havo to 1)0 modified according to practical experience,: but I .believe them to bo in tho main a solid framework for tho building up of a great pastime. Reforms, no matter how necessary or obvious, are always difficult to bring about chiefly because progressive ideas do not necessarily spring from the conservative controllers of sport, but I trust that those in authority over Australasian ewimming will see the truth and foundation of my remarks and will speedily offer sympathetic "assistance to place diving in- its rightful position as a healthy sport worthy o£ nil encouragement. .'•■'" "Any communications for further advice on this subject addressed to Hastings, Hawko's Bay, will have every attention. . 'T.S.—The following paragraph from the Sydney "Referee" of July 28 lost has just come to my notice: "Mr. R. M. Collins, hon. 6ce. of the Victorian Swimming Association, writes to 'Natator': 'The rules of my association have been' revised and brought up to date, and will bo printed in their new form in our first handbook. . ... Perhaps tho most important innovation ie a complete set of diving.rules submitted to my association by our mutual friend, Mr;- Sydney Ribbands. We have also established a Victorian Diving Championship,'" Details of Mr. Ribbands's scheme will follow in weekly instalments.. ( • ' ; : '