OLYMPIC TEAM

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 69, 19 September 1932, Page 5

OLYMPIC TEAM

FORM AT LOS ANGELES

ON THE SCENE TOO SOON

STJEVEY BY ITANAGER

of an opinion expressed in an advance report, published, in "The P.ost" on Saturday, that members of the -New Zealand team had passed the peak of'their form when the Olympic Gamed opened, and that they* had also been affected by the dry weather, was made by Mr. P. N. Bundle, manager of the Dominion's Olympic representatives, on the arrival of the party by the Monowai yesterday morning. His. view is >that the sltt? e? f II . particular •n'ould have done better if thejr events had been decided a St°+ in ? ays before the contests ac-S-T %°\ plac<\ lathe case ' however, Rhnrf h Lo, veloct ' the New Zealand Rhodes Scholar* who travelled to America from England^'with the British team, the position was. just the reverse. Mr. Rundle considers that Lovelock aw not have suf- ™. le°fc *«J1« to get into, proper, trim for the 150Q metres; and this contention,, he claimea, was borne out by Lovelock's fine performance at the British Empire v Hr-4; meeting in San Franciscd after tjxe. Games'. Although, expressing these opinions, Mr. Rundle did not put them forward as excuses for the failure of the J?ew Zealand ensign to be hoisted at the tames -m eignal of victory. All members of the party, which included several others besides Mr. Rundle and the actual competitors, returned fit and well, but Mrs. Leslie, wife of Mr. T W ( 'Pome') Leslie, New Zealand's veteran starter,-was. nursing an injured -kit wrist, which, she had the misfortune to fracture ln.ban Jbrancisco. Mr. H. Amos, chairman of the council of the New Zealand Olympic and British. Empire Games Association, went out to the Monowai and welcomed the team, and they were met on their arrival by other, members of the council. > "TRIUMPH OF ORGANISATION." : In an interview with a "Post" representative, Mr. Rundle said tha;t the team trained_very consistently -on the voyage •from. Wellington to San Francisco, so that when they arrived at Los Angeles, they.were in fairly good condition for land work. The. specially-built Olympic .Tillage, seven miles from the city of Los Angeles, where the team, with the exception: of Miss Kench, lived during the tames., was a triumph of organisation and forethought. The team 'was-.very:comfort-able, and the arrangements were excellent. -No strangers were allowed to enter the village without a pass, and the presence, or.ladies was absolutely barred. There was not a single fault to find with the village. - ■£As ■ each team arrived at the village, the ceremony of: raising its flag took place. .£ll the white races, were accommodated la. one quarter, the' Latin races in another, section, and the yellow -13068 were likewise in. one quarter of. the village. Jiach nation was allotted training grounds and certain hours for training, and transport to these grounds was provided. The New Zealand boxers trained at the Los Angeles Athletic Club; a. magnificent and beautifully equipped building, and the oarsmen at Long Beach, i which was 30 miles away." Each' nation had its . own chef. The New Zealanders 5 chef was a Scotsman, who knew exactly how the team liked their food prepared. "We could;have anything we asked' for," said Mr. Rundle. "If >we wanted turkey we got turkey, or. if we wanted roast lamb we got roast lamb." Miss Kench, the soJe lady member of the team, had' her quarters at. the Chapman Park Hotel, where all the lady competitors were located. . The hotel was about three miles from the 'village.' - .; ■ • " TWO THOUSAND PIGEONS . LIBERATED. Mr. Rundle- said that the opening ceremony on.-30th-July was a magnificent spectacle, and the crowd of 105,000 appeared to be awed, by its* impressiveness. A picturesque incident, after Mr. C. E Curtis,. Vice-President of the United States, had_ declared the Games open, and the' Olympic torch," mounted "on the peristyle at the "front, door", of the stadium had been lit, was the liberation of 2000. pigeons from the centre of the arena. The event in the athletic section which Mr Rundle said impressed him most was the final of the 800 metres', won for Great Britain by T. Hampson in world's record time. Mr. Bundle said that Hampson gauged his ability to a > nicety, : and ran a wonderful race. . The sprint races,: in which the -two negroes, Tolan and Metcalfe,' won tHe principal honours, were v<:ry thrilling. "As for the New Zealand representative, Elliot," said Mr. Rundle, "he wasn't disgraced_ by any means, and I would say that it he had had three months or six months in TJ.S.A. on those fast tracks he would have been «rignfc: up in the first three.: He ran splendidly." '. . : --- Commenting on .the strangeness' of 'the cinder tracks to most of the New Zealand athletes, Mr. Rundle said it was most noticeable that the Americans ran in an •upright style, as compared with the lean' forward adopted" by New Zealand competitors. The upright style was the most suitable for the cinder tracks. Lovelock was at a disadvantage, in that he. did not arrive at Los Angeles until a week before he ran. It was a pity, because the New Zealand team felt that they would see.their flag flown as a result of Lovelock's effort in the 1500 metres. - In both the 5000 and 10,000 metres, J. W- Savidan had won fourth, place against wonderful runners. The cyclist, R. Foubister, was not well on the day of the road race for which, he was entered, and was unable to do himself justice. THE BOXERS. Of the boxers, Purdie, through being 21b over-weight, had to fight in the welterweight section, and" Thomas also had io fight in a heavier weight. The result was that they met opponents 4 bigger and heavier than themselves. Purdie undoubtedly was the most scientific boxer seen, and it was difficult to understand how the decision came to be given against him. The other boxer, Lowe, put up, a good fight, and was loudly cheered when he left the ring. The oarsmen were ready ten days before the rowing events started, and they did not perform as well in the actual contests_ as they had in training. Competition was extremely keen, records'being established in 25 of the 32 athletic events, and of thifl number 15 were. world's records. Mr. Rundle said there was no doubt there was some good material among New Zealand athletes, but a proper system of the development of this material was necessary. Lovelock attributed .his success in England to the fact that he had received plenty of highclass competition, and Mr. Rundle said he thought that if our best men received better competition they would also improve. As for the oarsmen, his view- was that it would not be a wise e'tep to send away again a polyglot crew selected from all parts of the country. Mr. Rundle spoke highly of the hospitality extended to the New Zealanders, but said he accepted few invitations on behalf of the team until.the Games were over. As manager he had had to attend many big functions, and he met many interesting people.

The purpose of the Games, eaid Mr. Bundle, was being amply fulfilled. The ideal that it was not the result but the struggle that counted was stressed throughout at Los Angeles, and there were incidents which showed that the British spirit o£ sportsmanship was growing throughout the world.