Swimming. (By "Header.")

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 14

Swimming. (By "Header.")

Very little has happened, or is happening, in the local swimming world that is in need of any elaboration here. The good old "southerlies," with cold weather, are returning, and many swim- j mers are reluctantly keeping away from the baths. The water during the week has been decidedly chilly, and not at all inviting. About a score of Thorndon swimmers are to enjoy their Easter holidays m Hawkes Bay, where a couple of swimming carnivals will take place. At Hastings on Easter Saturday, the champion Thorndon polo team will cry conclusions with the champions of Hawkes Bay and a spirited game should be /the result. The following items, which should proved interesting, are culled from various sources :— C. Atkinson, of Canterbury who recently established a world's record for the 220 yds breast stroke, has been swimming in Chriatchurch for two seasons and (Juring that period he has yon the 50yds provincial championship on two occasions, besides winning several jnterclub events. As he is in his nineteenth year his future in swimming will be watched with interest by his numerous friends who all express regret at his leaving Christchurch for Auckland, at which place he will, it is understood, only temporarily reside. Cg 11 , Hcaly put up the excellent time of 57 3-5 for the 100 yards in Tasmania a little time back. When one comes to remember the long time Cecil has been swimming, and the numerous wins to- his credit, the performance seems all the better. He is certainly not in the heyday of his youth, and the time will take a lot of beating. These are days of record-breaking indeed, says "Natator," of the Referee On 28th February, 1908, one W Hobb's, a petty oflicer aboard a man-o' warship in Sydney at the time, took it into his head to, after some preparation, swim three miles at Ru&hcutter's Ba\ Baths Sydney, and arranged for the Swimming Association's "dockers" to be on hand so that what the watch showed might stand as a record for others to tilt at. Hobbs got over the distance in lhr 28min 17sec, not at all bad time, and those figure* have remained in the book ever since, for the reason that thr«e miles is a distance over which swimmers compete only once in years, indeed I don't remember a three miles race since Hobbs's specially ordered swim until on a recent Saturday afternoon, when, at the Municipal Baths, Domain, the final event for the association president's (Mr. Jas. Taylor) cup was contested, and Arthur Wilks, a v« it ! ander ' won in lhr 20min 24 4-ssec, which beat Hobbs's performance easily, and five others did better than the sailorman. Young Wilks is a great swimmer for his age, and should develop into a Kieran or a Beaurepair© if well guided. It is joy indeed for the iover of swimming that is swimming (33, 66, and 100 yards dashes do not come under the heading "swimming" at all) to know we have so many *«al swimmers as the Tace under notice discovered, and that through them (per medium of the spirit of emulation) we may find many more Arthur Wilks is only 19 years of age, and has been swimming for six yeaTS. Four years ago he competed at the country carnival held in Sydney, and was then among the starters for the 100 yards handicap, but failed to finish prominently. Th© youth took part in sprint handicaps at Newcastle and Maitland, and won at the latter place. During last month 32 members of the Manly (Sydney) Surf Club passed the examination set by the Royal Life Saving Society, and included in the list are the names of nino young ladies. The examinations, which are of a very thorough character, consist of rescuing a patient by five separate methods, each time towing him 20 yards, swimming breast stroke 100 yards, and on the back with arms folded 50 yards ; diving from the surface for an object, and giving proof of a thorough knowledge of land drill and methods of resuscitation. For tho medallion examination this work has to be performed while wearingclothes and shoes in-the water. An interesting review of the work of the club shows that since it was started two and a half years ago 83 members have passed the proficiency examinations of the Royal Life-saving Society ; 20 have obtained medallions, and three have passed the severe test for the silver medal. The members of the club do volunteer duty on the beach at Manly on all Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and it is worthy of mention that since the club was started no lives have been lost at Manly on Saturdays, j Sundays, or holidays. From this ma- { terial a movement is now on foot to augment the district rifle clubs during the winter months, The club now in- ' eludes many of the best swimmers, i Cecil Healy, Alex. Wickham, L. Solomons; G. Tartakoyer, and others. A regrettable incident occurred whilst the final of the water polo championship was being played at the baths on Saturday (reports the Napier Telegraph). Fists were brought into operation against one of the Napier team. The latter, resenting these tactics, seized his opponent and ducked him. Two others of the Port team came to the rescue, and the Napier man was ducked in turn, Btill clinging to the aggressor, who had rather a long immersion, and could not huve stood the treatment much longer. The referee ordered both men out of the baths, but allowed them to re-enter after a short interval. "This," concludes the paper, ' 'is not the first occasion on which feeling lias been shown by members of the team responsible for the unseemly incident on Saturday." Napier, "Header" regrets to say, is not the only place where .such unseemly tactic* take place, for suspicious play was noticed several times in a recent game at Te 4ro. Names will not be mentioned here, but an earnest appeal is made to the guilty ones to "olay the game."