SWIMMERS ARRIVE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 47, 19 November 1936, Page 17

SWIMMERS ARRIVE

Australians to Tour New Zealand O’CONNOR AND FLEiMING Two Australian swimmers, Arthur O’Connor, low-board (living champion of New South Wales, and W. Fleming, Queensland, 110 yards Australian champion au<] bolder of the Australian record for 220 yards of 2min. 19 4-ssec„ arrived at Wellington by the Wauganella yesterday morning to make a tour of the Dominion. The pair have come over at the invitation of the Otago centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, which holds the premiersbips of New Zealand, aud attributes this success to the visit last year of New South Wales swimmers. The visitors, who were accompanied by Mr. Dudley Helmrich, assistant-sec.-retary and coach of the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association, as manager, were met on their arrival yesterday by Mr. D. S. N. McCartney, chairman, and Mr. A. A. Jenkins, bon. treasurer, of the Wellington centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. By 11 o’clock the two swimmers were in Te Aro baths loosening their muscles after the trip across the Tasman. A Human Seal. A. O’Connor, a smiling little fellow, is a veritable human seal in the water. A member of the Balmain Swimming Club, he has just reached bis majority, and already holds the highboard and springboard diving championships of New South Wales, Western Suburbs, and the Balmain club. Mr. Heluirich explained yesterday that O’Connor has been diving since he was seven years of age, and has competed in the State championships since he was 11. “I saw him, at eight years of age, dive 73 feet in the old Domain baths at Sydney,” said Mr. Helmrich, “and this must have been an Australian record for a lad of that age. He has been competing in national and State championships since he was 11 years of age, aud never once has he been placed lower than second.” This is not: O’Connor’s first visit to New Zealand, as he was here two years ago, when he beat Harry Tickle, the then Australian champion diver, three out of five times. O’Connor is an all-round athlete, as he also excels at rowing, tennis and cycling. Fine Type of Athlete. William Fleming, the other member of the team, is a line stamp of athlete. Twenty-three years of age, he stands 6ft. 2in. in height, and scales 13st. He is also noted as a good Rugby League win g- th reequ a r ter. Fleming first came into prominence as a swimmer in 1934, when he went from Cairns to Brisbane to compete in the country swimming championships and showed such outstanding ability that be was induced to take up his residence at Brisbane. In the hands of Len. Stanton, one of Queensland’s best coaches, the lad from Cairns made such progress that last year ho won two championships at Sydney. He was not selected to go to the championships at Adelaide and Perth last year, but the Sandgate club, considering he should have been selected, sent him to the championships. He won the 110 yards at Perth in 62sec., and the 220 yards in 2.19 2-5, an Australian record, which beat the previous record established by Noel .Ryan, the British Empire champion, by 1 l-ssee. This performance was all the more meritorious as the race was over 55yard laps. Fleming specialises over 100 yards and 220 yards. It was raining when the two Australians had their plunges at Te Aro baths yesterday morning, and they found the water on the chilly side, but were delighted with the baths. “You have very fine baths here,” said Mr. Heluirich; “they are as fine as any outdoor swimming pool we have in Australia. Your diving-boards, however, are a bit antiquated.” Mr. Helmrich stated that he had brought over with him plans of the latest approved springboards, which might: be helpful to swimming in the Dominion, The visitors left for Dunedin last night, and their appearances in the Dominion will be mainly confined to exhibition swims and diving displays. At Dunedin Fleming will meet Peter Mathieson, who visited New South Wales last season, and won the backstroke title, as well as establishing a new 440yds. Australian record of 5.38 Fleming swims well on his back and Mr. Helmrich anticipates that he will make a creditable showing against the New Zealand champion.

Praise for New Zealand Swimmers.

Mr. Helmrich is a noted authority on swimming, and bus not only taken an active part in the administrative side of the sport aud as a coach, but has written widely on the game. His book, “How to Swim,” has become a text-book ou the sport. Mr. Helmrich has a high opinion of Peter Mathieson, the Dunedin backstroke swimmer, and considers he should have been sent to the Olympic Gaines this year. “I consider him one of the pluckiest swimmers I have seen,” he said; “he is as good as anything we have in Australia, and we sent a backstroke swimmer to the Games.”

The manager of the Australian team is also a warm admirer of Walter Jar-

vis, who accompanied Mathieson to Australia last season. “Though he did not do himself justice in Australia through failing to become acclimatised,” he said, “I consider Jarvis to be the finest stylist I have seen. The only thing which will prevent him from becoming a champion will be his lack of stamina. Jarvis is seeking advice from Mr. Helmrich on the present trip. Intensive Training Essential. Asked as to whether he preferred coaching to training in the development of swimmers, the New South Wales coach said that while it was necessary for a swimmer to start off right with the correct leg and arm movements, intensive training was what made world champions. Australian swimmers to-day followed the training methods in vogue 2i» years ago, and they are, he declared, just 25 years behind the times. When swimmers in America and Japan showed unusual promise, they were at once taken In hand, and did nothing else but swim all the year round, covering between two and three miles a day. It did not matter if a swimmer had crudities in his style. If he was intensely trained he would beat the stylist who only swam occasionally. “Take your Dick Arnst, for instance,” he said. “He was by no means a good oarsman, but intensive training and downright physical fitness made him champion sculler of the world.” The Team’s Itinerary. Following is the Australian team’s New Zealand itinerary November 21. Oamaru; November 24, Dunedin; November 26. Invercargill; November 30, Milton; December 1, Dunedin; December 3, Balclutha; December 5, Alexandra; December 9, Ashburton: December 12, Westport; December 17, Nelson: December 19. Wellington. The team will leave for Australia on December 21. British Empire Gaines. Air. Helmrich, ou his visit to New Zealand, will act as an agent for the British Empire Games, which are to be hold as part of the Sydney sesquicentenary celebrations in 1938. He said that the Government had made a grant of £lO,OOO for the games, and the council, which had arrangements in hand, would pay the expenses of the representatives of 18 countries to Sydney for the games. It was confidently expected to receive a very large entry front New Zealand, Australia’s nearest neighbour, and during his stay in the Dominion be would do his best to see that New Zealand sent as many athletes as possible to Sydney next year. It was hoped to include rowing events on the programme, and they hoped to see eightoar crews from the Dominion among the entrants.

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