SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 19522, 1 April 1927, Page 13

SWIMMING

[By Hooker.]

Things have been very quiet in the local swimming world during the past week, and unless the Otago Centre does something in the way of initiating a movement for the clubs to stage a combined carnival before Easter, it appear". as if the season will. close in a very flat and dismal fashion. Now that Miss Kathleen Miller, New Zealand ladies' 220yds and 140yds champion,' has returned from her successful dominion tour, it would be a happy plan to stage an appearance in her own home town, but to meet with success a carnival would require to be put on before Easter. What. are the clubs, and the centre more particularly", doing in this'matter P

Tho Kiwi Club made a start last Monday night with its races for tho Halliday Cup, the first event being decided over 66jjyds. W. Boyd gave an indication of the rapid strides he has made in tree-style swimming this season by touching a length ahead of Pitenithly. with D. Olds in third place. Pithcaithly swam a good race, but faded out over the closing stages. Boyd has an unorthodox stroke, but ho has put time into it, and can make pace out of it. He is one of the most promising of tho senior swimmers in Dunedin at the present lime, and next season should see him a contender for ebamnionship honors in more than one event. » The St. Clair Club did nos have as good an attendance at the baths as usual on Monday night, due ho doubt to the change in weather and to lie fact that The season is- now drawing to a close. Nevertheless, polo and life saving practice was carried out during the evening. W. M'Lean, who won the tumor plunge at the Otago Boys’ High School swimming sports last year, and who established a new record, is plunging better than ever. At the St. Clair Club nractice on Monday night ho beat his previous record easily, and, although lie will be competing in the senior class at this year’s sports, he should be hard to dispose of, fresh figures being expected of him. Word has just been received from South America of the wonderful performances of a swimmer in the Argentine, which, if the times are authentic, places him on a level with Johnny Weismuller. the world’s champion. The times recorded by this swimmer, Alberto Zorilla, arc 100yds. 62 3-ssec; 100 metres, 60 3-ssec: -250 metres, 2min EOsccj 400 metres. smin 9 l-ssoc; 100yds back stroke, limn 9 l-ssec; and 100 metres back stroke, Imin 15 l-ssec. If this swimmer competes in the . next Olympic Games it will ho interesting to see how ho fares against Weismuller and Takaishi. On a time basis there is very little to choose between these three swimmers. Zorilla is aged only twenty years, and recently on a trip to tho United States ho made his initial anpenrance ns a member of tho New York A.C., and impressed the critics there with a 220vds swim in 2min 21 sec m a slow 75ft bath. C. J. E. M'Lean, the St. Clair and Otago men’s fiec-style champion, recently left for Auckland to resume Ins studies there, but bo will be back in Dunedin in. time for next swimming ■season. M'Lean was one of Otago s most disappointing swimmers last season, his winning times being much below what was expected of him. He has potentialities, and as he is still comparatively young as swimmers go ho mayproduce something better in the way of times next season. In an interesting letter to the writer Mr E. H. Olds, formerly custodian and coach at the Dunedin Municipal Baths, states that the American swimming authorities are very strict with the breast stroke, and he thinks tho. stroke will be worked out altogether within a year or so. “ The Americans don’t like 'it,” ho wrties, “and it has to go. There are too many arguments oyer the proper stvlc, etc.” The time lor ] 00yds breast" stroke at the Olympic Club, California, tho night previous ter which he wrote, was Imiu Bscc. Speaking of diving, the ox-Dunedin coach states that he came across Dave Pall, a beautiful diver, at Stanford University, California. His voluntary dives are a double and a one and a half cut-away, two and a-half Gainer with a half-twist (Gainer or Molberg this is called), half-Gainer with full twist, two and a-lialf back somersaults, and two and a-half back somersaults with full twist. The hunch dive Is never seen in America. All single somersaults are performed with hollow back, tho head never tucked nor the hands to the side. An Dander is always known ns a half-Gainer, and a Molberg as a Gainer. A pike is a jackknife, and a screw is a twist. Mr Olds has praise for the way New Zealand meets are conducted, for though lie considers Now Zealand is a long way behind the times in swimming methods, he thinks New Zealand meets are as well conducted as any in America.

The St. Clair Club is [jutting through a few members for their lifesaving medallion shortly. J. Swan, H. Devlin, and 0. B. Lewis are preparing for the highest award, the diploma, and all three have good chances of attaining the coveted distinction. Another potential world’s champion has arisen m the Edna Davev, of the Spit Ladies’ Club (says the Sydney ‘ Referee ’). Last Saturday in the 300yds championship of N.S.W. Miss Davey shaved 7 2-ssc-c off Miss Fanny Durack’s nine-year-old Australian record, and 3 3-ssee off Gertrude Edcrle’s listed world’s record. Edna Davey’s rise has been meteoric. Swimming her first championship last season, she several times filled second places to Claire Couldwcl! in State and Australian championships. _ In a 2Coyds challenge race at Coogee, in which Piri Page competed, she swam second to the New Zealand star, and defeated Claire Couldwell. This season Miss Davey has won the 150yds, 220yds, 300yds, and 880yds State, aiid the 220yds and 440yds Australian championships with ease. Had she been extended on Saturday, she would have broken 3min 48soc. Her action was like clockwork ever the entire course, and she was never called on to hurry. Her stroke is a six-beat crawly and her arm work long, leisurely, ana almost faultless. In one way, however, her speed could bo increased. Miss Davey turns on her side much too quickly to breathe. Were she to delay her body turn until her under arm had covered one-third of its drive greater speed would bo obtained. Her great swim was, next to Charlton’s victories over Takaishi, the outstanding feature _of this season, and stamp her as a swimmer of world class. Miss Davey, a splendidly-proportioned athlete, was never extended. Taking the lead at

30yds, she gradually widened the gap to paddle home 25yds in front of Mattie Mealing, whose time (4min 15sec) is 4-Ssec slower than her heat time and 1 2-ssoo faster than Claire Couldwell’s in winning the 300yds title last season.

Beach Day has been abandoned by the St. Clair Club, owing to the unsettled state of the weather at this time of the year. Reports from Durban afford virtual assurance that South Africa will.bo represented by a water polo team at the Olympic Games at Amsterdam next year. The dominion players have developed great skill at the sport, and for a couple of season experts have been claiming that a team able to hold its own against all comers could bo mustered from the various districts. Apparently the authorities have become convinced, and t>*ry are now taking steps to raise the fgnds for the trip to Holland, Compared witli the general standard in America that of diving .is a very low one indeed (according to Mr E. H. Olds, late custodian and coach at the Dunedin Municipal Baths, who is now in America, and who is as competent to express an opinion on this subject as any man in New Zealand). He states that the hunch dive, single spikes, and single Molbergs are not performed in America. He finds it hard to understand why Len Annand, of Christchurch, should alter the pose of a hunch dive—something he learnt in America—because it is never seen in America among those with pretensions to Olympic or national honors. In the senior competition there are live voluntaries. Mr Olds saw A 1 White, the Olympic champion, diving recently, and ho asserts that White is absolutely a master of the art.

MISS MILLER’S TOUR. Miss Kathleen Miller, New Zealand ladies’ 220yds and 440yds champion, who has taken part in an extensive tour of the dominion in company with Miss Ena Stocldey, New Zealand ladies’ 100yds champion, returned to Dunedin on Wednesday night. The two ladies were under the managership of Mrs Annie M. Miller, mother of the Otago champion, who gave “ Hooker some impressions of the tour on Thursday. . Appearances were made at pmaru, Ashburton, Carterton, Gisborne, Napier, Eeilding, Hawera, New .Plymouth, To Awamutu, Morrinsville, and Dargaville. The tour principally consisted of exhibition _ swims, and at the various schools—private and public the champions took classes, many promising children being coached, particularly in some of the smaller centres. Letters of appreciation from head masters of many of the schools were received by Miss Miller, these congratulating her on the thoroughness of her instruction and the success made by gaining the interest of the pupils during the lesson. The carnivals in most cases, were largely attended, this being the case particularly at Gisborne, whore two nights’ swimming was staged. At all places but Morrinsville the lady champions competed in races over distances suitable for them, competition usually being against the men. The tour primarily was supposed to be for the benefit of school children, and competitive swimming was optional. _ in every centre the girls comi'eted against local talent, but at Morrinsville the visitors knew nothing about an invitation 100yds race that was being staged until the day of the race. Miss J. Hell and Miss Piri Page were brought down from Auckland to compete, but Mrs Miller objected to Miss Miller competing, as the latter was approaching the end of an ardous tour, and the distance did not suit her. Miss Stockley did not race because the race would, merely have been a. duel between her and Miss Bell. The four girls, however, took part in an exhibition swim over the distance. Miss Miller’s first attempt on a New Zealand record during the tour was made at Napier, where she came within 1 l-ssec of Miss Gwitha Shand’s 440yds accord of Gmin Bsec. Had she been assisted by the pacemaker originally arranged she would probably have established fresh figures for the distance, but ho took suddenly ill, and a substitute had to be found at a moment’s notice. Some light on what occurred at New Plymouth when, after Miss Miller had shattered tbo 880yds record of 14mni 28 2-ssec, held by Miss Violet Walrond it was found that the course was 4tt 7iin short of the full distance, was given by Mrs Miller, iicioro the attempt took place Mrs Miller drew th» attention of the secretary to the fact that the baths were 2in short ot 33 l-3yds in length, and she asked if the course had been surveyed, dug was assured that everything was in order, and it is most unfortunate that there should have been such laxity on the part of the Taranaki Centre officials, as Miss Miller would have broken the record in any case. Miss Miller has had a strenuous tour, -and she is not sorry to be homo again. She has' added to Otago’s reputation in the Now Zealand swimming world, and if she shows as great an improvement next reason as was the case during the past season, further fresh ladies’ records will be sot up before she finishes her career.