SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 20019, 9 November 1928, Page 15

SWIMMING

[By Hookeb.]

NOTES AND COMMENTS

KIWI ACTIVITIES. Kiwi had a good attendance on Tuesday night, though Club Captain W. Boyd was unfortunately unable to be present. H. D. Gillies was doing some fast sprinting, and over the shorter distances should be in the running in handicap events this season. He is certain to find a place in the club’s relay team few the championships. W. Boyd and N. H. Bailey are certainties, but the other position will be a little doubtful. Boyd will devote most time to the back-stroke this season, but I believe that if he were also to train steadily for the 100yds he would be capable of pretty fast time. W. Hamilton is beginning to show, keenness, but will need to settle to hard training if he is to show improvement on last year’s form. He was swimming well towards the end of last season, but has not yet done much in the way of serious training. M. Taylor is a young swimmer who is worthy of-the attention of the Training Committee. He is very keen, and with a little coaching would improve considerably. Miss J. Munro is one of the most promising juniors in the club, but she should take her training a little more seriously. Miss P. Lang is training hard at present, and if she maintains her rate of improvement she should ho seen to advantage in intermediate events tills season. Miss C. Lang is now an intermediate, and while hardly as strong a swimmer as her sister, she has a very nice stroke, and can move along over the shorter distances. An old member in Bob ICenna > put in an appearance on Tuesday night, and Bob Hector, who has been ono of the stalwarts of the club for so long, was also in attendance.

A visitor was Miss M. Mathieson, tha Dunedin intermediate, who is swimming very well just now. She is one of the most promising intermediate m Dunedin at the present time. The date for the club’s carnival has yet to be fixed, but in view of tho lateness of the New Zealand championships it is unlikely that this fixture will be staged before the New Year. In the meantime it is hoped to get off a number of club events before Christmas. CHARLTON SUGGESTED. The Auckland Centro is to be commended on the enterprise it is showing in recommending that “ Boy ”< Charlton, the Australian champion, should be asked to visit New Zealand this summer. In the event of Charlton being unable to tour the dominion, it is hoped he may make a trip to Auckland. The of a visit from the Japanese. Takaishi, for tho 1929-30 season is also recommended. There is no doubt, that a tour by Charlton would be immensely popular, for his is a household name in the swimming world, and an appearance by this famous Australian swimmer in various centres would give the sport a tremendous' fillip in New Zealand. It is to bo hoped tho New Zealand Council will view tho proposal favourably, and that it will be found possible for Charlton to make tho tour. DUNEDIN JOTTINGS. Increasing interest is being shown by members of tho Dunedin Club in the season’s activities, and several swimmers are now settling to solid training. Last Friday’s handicap swim over a! length was won by Bert Haines, J* Fleming being second, and young Walter Jarvis third. Haines is a very, fair sprint swimmer and good diver. Roy Colder started operations on' Friday night, and he tried most of the dives out on tho low board, a new, board having been recently installed* For so early in tho season Calder was diving well, and it is pretty safe to assert that it will not be long before he regains his best form of last season* _ Miss M. Jepson was devoting her. time to tho coaching of several junior girls, some of whom aro coming along nicely. Miss Johnson and Miss Leslie are two ladies whose strokes are being developed along the right lines, and two promising youngsters are Williams and S. Jarvis. A visitor from Nelson, Cooke, shaped quite well on tho diving boards. Ho was also present at the Kiwi hour on Tuesday night, and showed that if lio were remaining in Dunedin he would be a decidedly welcome addition to the ranks of tho local divers. Miss Daphne Murdoch, last year’s junior girls’ champion, is swimming nicely at present, and is expected to perform well at the forthcoming snorts of tho Otago Girls’ High School, at which there should be some good swimn.ing; another contender for honours at this mooting being Miss P. Lang, tho Kiwi intermediate. B. Kerr is training steadily just now, and-a new-comer from Invercargill who promises to bo a fair swimmer is L. J. ; Dunbar. G. Staples is improving on tho board, and with experience should develop into a very fair fancy diver. He has a nice flight, and in the plain diving is a performer above tho ordinary. . Miss D. Foote, runner-up in the New Zealand ladies’ diving championship last season, is performing well on tho boards just now, and will probably make a bold bid for_ Miss L. Hood’s New Zealand title this season. A. M. Jlix, the New Zealand intermediate diving champion, is also shaping quite well at the present time. IMPORTATION OF COACH TO AUSTRALIA. “It is worth tho consideration of our authorities to import a great coach, just as they would import a great swimmer,” stated Andrew Charlton on his return from tho Olympic Games. Charlton said ha was greatly impressed at the Olympic Games by tho manner in which tho Americans tackled this sport. Bachrach was tho chief coach and general supervisor, and ho had assistants to do the work. The assistants carried out his instructions and learnt his methods. Each one will return to an American club a more accomplished coach than when ho went away. Thus swimming will benefit in America.

Johnny Weissmuller might come to Australia as a swimmer, but he could

not do so much for the sport as would his coach, Bachrach; that is, if Bachrach were properly used. When all is said and done, it would not cost too much—certainly nothing in comparison to.the benefit Australian swimming would derive. Bachrach is the world’s outstanding coach. The way to use him would be for the Australian body to farm him out to tho various States interested, in each State classes of suitable swimmers would be formed to learn his methods and absorb some of his swimming wisdom. Those men afterwards would become State coaches.

Swimming has reached a point where I consider there can bo very little alteration in future styles. A great deal of experimenting has been going on, and the swimming experts have arrived at something near a standard method, allowing for individual characteristics.

“We have plenty of promising young swimmers here. They are as keen as mustard to learn and ambitions to succeed. Thus wo hjivo the best of material to work on, but they have no one to guide them, and often they try to pick up points by watching. “Sometimes they pick the wrong models to copy. Of course, there are lots of local swimmers who are willing to help where they can, but they have not been abroad and studied tho different styles and their results. Thus many of our .swimmers arc good only to a point. “There is little hope for them to progress beyond this point, because we have not highly-trained teachers. And because of this lack many a potential champion is lost to Australia.”

SUGGESTED JUKI Oil CAUNIVAL. In tho course of conversation at the baths during the week with Mr A. Greig and Mr P. Mathicson (tho baths custodian), both very keen swimming enthusiasts, tho suggestion was made to the writer that tho three clubs in Dunedin should combine during tho present season to stago a carnival devoted wildly to events for junior swimmers.

The suggestion is certainly a very good one, and ono that would bo likely to bring a largo number of junior swimmers into active competition. If it were supported by the public, such a carnival could bo made an annual affair, and there is no doubt that great keenness would bo displaced by tho juniors themselves, who might be expected to dispose of a largo number of tickets for the affair. If ono of the clubs were to take this matter up with tho other clubs I feel sum some good would come from tho suggestion. vST. CLAHt DOINGS. St. Clair had a good muster of members on Monday night, and some useful training work was indulged in. The water polo team should be hard to boat this year, lor excellent form is being shown by some of the players in practice'. -I. L. MTndoe, J. Simpson, and C. it. Lewis were all putting in some hard practice with the polo ball. Ges. Lewis is also moving nicely on tho breast stroke, but it is unlikely the cx-Ncw Zealand champion will bo able to get away to take part at the New Zealand Championships in Wellington. .He has been elected to the position of captain of tho St, Clair Life Saving Club under its new constitution, and a wiser choice could not have been made, Lewis being a good swimmer and a popular follow in addition. His brother Jack will take over the secretarial reins, and should carry out his duties with satisfaction to all concerned. it will probably be three weeks yet before beach activities arc commenced, tho bathing sheds not yet being ready for occupation. Arthur Harrod is to bo tho instructor to the team this .season, and as ho is a good life-saver, a useful swimmer, and sound water polo player, it can bo scon that ho has had plenty of experience in tho aquatic sport. ■ OLYMPIC MANAGEMENT. According to the remarks made by tho president (Mr J- L. M‘Jndoo)_at tho annual meeting of tho Otago Swimming Centre, all was not well with tho Olympic team during its tour abroad, and he has hinted that tho lady swimmers did not receive tho encouragement they should have to go in and win. . All sorts of whispers over tho management oftho team have been circulated throughout Now Zealand, and it is indeed pleasing to know that tho New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association is taking the matter up with a view to learning just what, if any, trouble occurred during tho team’s absence abroad. The writer was never in favour of Mr 11. Amos being appointed manager of the team, holding that he was not the right man for the position ; but if any report has been made by Mr Amos to the New Zealand Olympic Council, then it should ho made public, and the facts thoroughly ventilated. In view of tho fact that there is every likelihood of a further appeal being made in 1932, tho public is entitled to know fully the account of tho team’s doings abroad, tho financial results of tho tour, and so on, and the Otago Centro is to bo commended on asking the Olympic Council when tho various sporting bodies interested are likely to receive an official report of the tour, and also when a balance sheet is to ho issued.

Tiie manager oi' the Olympic learn lias reviewed the performances of tlio team, but that is not enough. Ho should bo able to give some account of the conditions nnderwhicli monitors trained, and the facilities that were afforded them. Ft appears undoubted that the swimmers were tho worst off of tho team in regard to training facilities, and this without a doubt contributed to their failure to reproduce their host form. In fairness to tho girls themselves, those facts should lie made clear in any report thatinay ho circulated Io the sporting bodies. SPLASHES. Miss Kathleen Miller, the Now Zealand ladies’ 220yds and 4-lUyds champion, who is expected to_ leave _ for Wellington in about a fortnight’s time, has nob yet started serious training, and it is unlikely that her real preparation for the season will connnenco until she takes up residence in Wellington. Owing io lack of support it lias been decided to delete the swimming events from the programme at tho Macandrew Bay regatta, which is rather a pity, for last year it must be said that tho entries showed an increase. However, Macandrcw Bay has come to this decision, and swimmers will have to bo content with a period of inactivity round about the Christmas holidays' unless it is posscible, through promise of support from tho swimmers, for tho Macandrcw Bay authorities to be persuaded to reverse their decision. The various schools arc now putting in time in preparation for the schools’ championship carnival at tho end of the present month, and if the keenness already being displayed by many of the youngsters is an augury of what may be expected, at the lixture itself its success should once again to assured. The presidency of the new St. Clair Life Saving Club has been allocated to Mr H. H. Henderson, who did so much valuable work on _ behalf of the old Surf and Life Saving Club. Mr Henderson is a real enthusiast in life-sav-ing matters, being president of the Otago head centre of the Royal Life Saving Society, The Wellington Centre recently had its annual general meeting (says the ‘New Zealand Sportsman’). The business discussed was very lengthy. All those essential details necessary for tho successful execution of a New Zealand championship meeting had to ho gone into. Tho meeting resulted in the election of a competent body of officials on whom the work of the centre will

devolve. Six or seven minor committees were formed. Those committees will bo respectively; Programme, Finance, Entertainment, Kcllcrman Cup Harbour Race, Property and Gear, Accommodation. With tho burdens split up in this manner, work should bo accomplished faster and in hotter style. Some difficulty arose at tho meeting as to how tho visiting junior swimmers would bn accommodated. There will ho twenty-five to thirty juniors competing from all over New Zealand. These youngsters are not allowed to stay in hotels, and will have to ho billeted in the city and suburbs where possible. The accommodation .of tho seniors will bo in hotels. The Victoria. University students are talking a lot about forming a swimming club, and, if tin's eventuates, it will provide something now in the way of competition (says the ‘ New Zealand Sportsman,’ Wellington). The ’Varsity Club intends to concentrate chiefly on water polo, and, should the club le formed, this will make the suburban and city clubs brush up their knowledge of this'branch of aquatics. The sport is quite popular with all swimmers: but inadequacy of facilities has prevented progress. However, if ’Varsity rounds up some new blood, it will ho good for all concerned. Tho hay clubs can get quite a lot of practice in, and tho Wellington and Thermion Clubs will have to arrange a systematic time-table of practice and put in some solid games at To Aro and Thermion. We hope this idea of the ’Varsity swimming fraternity eventuates, as it will bo splendid for all concerned. In none of the many sections of Mutation is greater activity being shown than in water polo (says the Sydney correspondent of tho ‘ Sporting Globe ’). Last summer was one of the best in tho history of _the_ sport in New South Wales, and with increased clubs and a more widespread interest, the current one promises to bo more attractive _ still. Certainly the recent polo meeting indicated this, for there has never been greater enthusiasm displayed. First and second grades will carry out tho competition similar to tho Australian rules and Rugby leagues method, the four leading teams taking part in the semi-finals, the winners playing off. The team ahead at tho end of tho first round, if subsequently eliminated, will have tho right to challenge. Though this system is not as equitable as that in which points are retained throughout it will cause interest to be maintained till the finish. In the third grade eighteen teams will compete. The executive will decide the method of carrying out this tournament.

St. Heaps, the brilliant eighteen-year-old Mosman swimmer, followed up his magnificent performance of the previous week, when be hung up 24sec for 50yds, by covering the full sprint course in 57 4-oseo (says the Sydney ‘Referee’). The merit of the perfromanco is emphasised by the fact that he swam an erratic course, and collided with another competitor. Mr J. L. MTndoo has been re-elec-ted president of the Otago Centre for another term, it being significant of Mr MTndoe’s popularity that no one was nominated in opposition to him. Mr MTndoo is a real live wire, and has an able lieutenant in the secretary (Mr C. B. Lewis).