SWIMMING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21825, 14 September 1934, Page 5

SWIMMING NOTES

[By Hooxn.]

The Australians’ Tour. The advent of the new season has simplified matters concerning the arrangements for the tour of the South Island by the Australians, Reg. Clark and Harry Tickle, with Mr Dudley Hellmrich as manager and coach, and practically every one of the centres and clubs originally approached have now confirmed the terms offered by the Otago Centre, and all that is required now to complete the negotiations is the formal acceptance through the Amateur Swimming Association of Australia of the invitation that has been tendered. It may perhaps be necessary for the Otago Centre in order to meet requests for appearances of the visitors to make some slight rearrangement of the_ itinerary. ror instance, the Wellington Amateur Swimming Club is prepared to stage a carnival if a suitable date early in the tour can be allotted, and the Otago Centre intends doing all it can to meet the Wellington request. If the visitors were to make their first appearance in Wellington the itinerary could be so rearranged as to enable them to compete at Ashburton a couple of weeks or so earlier than previously arranged, and then go on to Invercargill for a Saturday and Monday appearance, as already agreed upon. The arranging of the itinerary has been no light task, and the definite fixing of the visitors’ programme has been left to a sub-commit-tee of the centre. Southland and Otago Centres will each have two appearances of the visitors, the Oamaru Club will now stage one carnival, the West Coast Centre is staging three carnivals, the Elmwood Club (Christchurch) one, and confirma- ' tion is still awaited from Ashburton as to whether one or two carnivals.will* be staged there, though it is probable that there will be two. The Australians are to visit Alexandra for a carnival, and if it can be arranged they will also visit Cromwell and Milton, where new clubs are being formed. They are scheduled at present to leave Sydney on November 17, arriving in Wellington on November 22, so that they will be in New Zealand over a month. The entertainment part of the programme has not been drawn up yet, but the visitors will be enabled to see the best attractions of the South Island. It is hoped while they are in Central Otago to arrange for them to be taken on a tour of the southern lakes. The New Zealand University champion, D. H. Symes, who is a member of the Otago Centre during term time in Dunedin, but is prominently associated with the Elmwood Club in Christchurch during the long vacation, told the writer during the week that the Elmwood Club is very enthusiastic over the visit of the Australians, and the club’s members are looking forward to deriving great benefit from the advice of Mr Hellmrich, the coach. The Elmwood Club intends inviting the New Zealand 50yds record-holder, Walter Jarvis, to Christchurch, and will stage a special invitation 100yds race, in which the starters will probably comprise the Australian Reg. Clarke. Walter Jarvis, D. H. Symes, and E. M'Conyille, all of whom are in the very first flight. It is also proposed to arrange a 100yds backstroke event, in which Clark will be up against L?h. Moorhouse (ex-New Zealand champion and Olympic representative) and Georg® Low (who was run-ner-up to W. Whareaitu in the last New Zealand 150yds .back-stroke championship). Tickle, the champion direr, will be asked to give demonstrations* In Dunedin it is likely .that Clark and Jarvis will meet in special 50yds and 100yds free-style events, and D. H. Symes and J. D. O’Driscoll may also compete in these events, A back-stroke event will be staged at one of the carnivals locally, and one of the Australian champion’s opponents will be P. E. Mathieson, Otago back-stroke chainpion, whoso best time officially for 150yds is Imin 50 l-ssec, hut who has been credited with bettering that time. in the carnivals that will be staged in the outside districts of the Otago Centre, such as Oamaru and Alexandra, it is likely that quite a few/Dunedin swimmers will take part, but these matters will be arranged once the definite dates have been fixed by the Otago Centre. Kiwi Club Jottings. The annual meeting of the Kiwi Club will be held at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms on Tuesday night, and already several new members have handed in their names, the club hour both on Thursday of last week and last Tuesday being very well attended for so early in the season. A. J. Leeden will be a strong contender for a place in the club’s relay teams in championship competition this season. He is already carving, out a fast length, and if he concentrates on improving his stroke as he did season he will be heard from over the longer distances. Miss M. Boulton, the ladies’ club captain, produced great results among the junior members last season, and besides many of her old pupils has some promising new members in baud already. Among these may be mentioned Miss Alva Lawrence, who promises to develop into a speedy little swimmer on the crawl. Misses Joan and Jean Jcnvey have commenced activities for the season, and the former promises to be a much improved swimmer this season. Jean showed ability as a diver last season, and it should not be long before she is ready for competition in this direction. Teddy Jenvey should also do well now that ho is acquiring more power. There is no keener junior in the chib than this boy.

G. M'Auslin is back on the boards, and'if practice counts for anything should give a good account of himself in competition. He is getting more height from the boards, and is showing more finish than was the case last season. Doug. Freeman is another of the club’s divers who has started activities. Reg. Geddes and Dan Shanahan have both Been putting in good work on the breast stroke, and both these swimmers should return fast times at this style this season. Geddes left 73 3-ssec behind him as the intermediate boys’ 100 yards breast stroke New Zealand record, and if he continues with his training as he has done so far it should not be long before he improves on this time. Young Michael Shanahan, holder of the New Zealand junior boys' 75yds breast-stroke championship, has been doing some swimming with Geddes, and on the way he has been swimming is a potential junior recordbreaker. He has two seasons in this division yet. W. Dyson made good progress last year, and in his second season promises well both on free style and breast stroke. Ho will be competing in the junior championship at the Christian Brothers High School sports next month, and so, too, probably will M. Shanahan, who is quite useful on the crawl as well as on the breast stroke. P. E. Mathieson has been a regular attender at the baths since their reopening, and should not be long in striking his best form. Another conscientious swimmer is Miss Alice Gillies, and a big improvement may be looked for in her times in intermediate competition this season, M. Taylor has started training, with a view to being in form for the commencement of the water polo matches. Miss Ena Crawshaw, formerly captain of the Oamaru Club, who joined up towards the end of last season, will be an acquisition this season, and so, too, will Miss Eileen Shanahan, who was present at the club hour last week, and showed a lot of dash in her swimming for so early in the season. The club lias considerably more talent among the lady members this season than haslieen the" case since the days of Miss Kathleen Miller. ... „„„ , Miss Nancy Olds, Otago ladies’ 220yds breast-stroke champion, was moving very freely on that style on Tuesday night, and as she is still an intermediate should put up good times in that division tills season. Miss C. Knowles, holder of the junior girls breast-stroke title, is still eligible for that division, and should not be far short of New Zealand standard by the time the intermediate and junior championships are decided. Miss Maureen Shanahan attends to her training very conscientiously, and her breast-stroke has impressed quite a few of the local enthusiasts. M. Goodwin is a regular attender at the club hour, and should be ready for competition by the time the first cranivnl comes along. The club hour will be officially opened with a programme of club and interclub events on a date to be arranged at the annual meeting next Thursday. St. Clair Nows. The St. Clair Life Saving Club will hold its annual meeting at the pavilion on Monday night, but already members have commenced operations at the Municipal Baths, and another good season is in prospect. Walter Jarvis has been doing a lot of steady swimming with D. H. Symes, the New ’Zealand University champion, and those who have seen Jarvis moving are not afraid to predict that ho will improve on his 23 l-ssec for 50yds before the season has been long under way. In view of his 56sec for 100yds last season, he should go close to the Now Zealand record with the opposition he should get when Clark comes over. Jim and Charlie Durand have both made an appearance, and this pair should add to interest in breast-stroke events again this season. Another promising breast-stroke swimmer w r ith the St. Clair Club is Bert Lewis, a brother of the ex-New Zealand champion, C. B. Lewis. Bert has been doing some slow work, and with the promising style he possesses should show further improvement this year. Stuart M'Kenzic did not do much in competition last season, but has made a start again. If he elected to take his swimming seriously there would not be many better free style exponents in Otago then “ Mac.” He has held Otago titles in the past, apd could still make distance competition interesting. Dunedin Doings. The most improved member of the Dunedin Club last season was Jack O’Driscoll, who gob down to 58sec for 100yds and, besides being second in the’looyds and 220yds men's championships, carried off the 440yds. half-mile, and mile titles, and the 100yds intermediate boys’ breast-stroke, also filling second place in the Non’ Zealand lOOvds intermediate boys’ breast-stroke to t>. Shanahan, and taking third place in the New Zealand men’s mile championship. He has been doing plenty of long slow swims, and should be a prominent man over all distances this season. His sister, who has a year or two yet in intermediate ranks, is also a most promising swimmer. Miss Winnie Newall. ex-intermediate champion, will be back in competition this season after a year’s spell, and should give a good account ol hersolr. . Miss Gwen Rix, one of the most consistent performers in Otago, is another who will make intermediate girls and ladies’ events interesting. Svd. Jarvis, holder of all New Zealand junior boys’ free style records from 50yds to 220yds, should be very hard to’beat in the intermediate title events at Timani during the coming season. Svd was second to Noel Crump in the 100yds and 440yds championships .ast season, and third in the 220yds, and lie is already settling to his preparation for the coming season. , . . , The annual meeting of the club is to be held in a fortnight’s time, and after the successful season experienced last year a big muster of members is antiBarry is one of the keenest young swimmers in Otago, and, as he is still an intermediate, should bo well to the fore this season. He should nob be long in getting near to 60sec for 100yds. Miss Maxine Mathieson was prevented through ill-health from doing much training last season, but nevertheless tool: second place in the New Zealand 220yds ladies’ breast-stroke championship". She intends making an early start this year, and will be a competitor in both free style and breaststroke competition.

Mr E. G. James’s Resignation. The resignation of Mr E. G. James as treasurer of the Otago Centre will be regretted by all who have had anything to do with him during his twenty years of outstanding service on the centre. Mr James was secretary of the centre for many years, and championship secretary on tho last occasion the New Zealand championships were held here, tho success of that fixture being due in no small degree to his gifted organising ability, his attention to detail, and the enthusiasm he displayed for all phases of his work. As treasurer of tho centre, he has shown all the qualities that 'go to make for the treasurer par excellence, and it is indeed fortunate for the centre that his services are not to be lost altogether, as he will -■'till retain a seat on the executive. Mr James’s activities have not been confined to the administrative side by any means. Ho was a good swimmer and a first-class diver, up to championship standard, a few years ago, and as a diving coach he has been responsible for the .success of not a few of New Zealand’s best performers on the board during the last decade, in view of the approach of the Australians’ tour, it is good to know that his experience will still be available to the centre. The centre is also to be congratulated on its choice of a successor to Mr James ns treasurer, Mr B. Kerr being one ot the younger officials who have shown marked administrative ability during the last few years. Being a fine swimmer, good water polo player, having a sound all-round knowledge of the sport, and previous experience as secretary of tho Dunedin Club, be should successfully carry out the duties associated with his new position.

Splashes. .Most of the clubs are beginning their club hours at the Municipal Baths, and with annual meetings due in the next week or so it should not be long before swimming activity is general. Tho formation of clubs nt Milton and Cromwell is a pleasing sign, and brings the number of clubs affiliated to the Otago Centre to ten. with the possibility of one or two more joining up. Val Newall, one of Otago’s best water polo players a couple of seasons ago, is now associated with the activities of the St. Kilda Life Saving Club, and should be able to work a great improvement in that club's polo team which took part in the B grade competition last season. The proposal outlined by Mr Dudley Hellmricb, secretary of the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association, regarding the running of a big handicap in'which swimmers from all clubs should be induced to compete, was considered at this week’s meeting of the Otago Swimming Centre, and, with a view to assisting in raising funds to send the Otago team to Auckland it is likely that some scheme similar to that tried in Sydney will bo held here soon after the annual meeting of the centre, winch is fixed for October 4.