SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 22804, 12 November 1937, Page 15

SWIMMING

NEWS AND NITES [By Hook**.] FIXTURES. November 15-20.—Otago Centre’* “ Learn to Swim ” Week. November 18.—Secondary school girls’ life saving and relay competitions, at Dunedin. ■November 24.—Kiwi Amateur Swimming Club’s carnival. November 27.—Taieri Amateur Swimming Club’s opening carnival, at Mosgiel. December 8 and 11.—Otago senior, intermediate, and junior championship carnival. December ' 15.—Dunedin Amateur Swimming Club’s carnival. December (date to be arranged).— Batt Cup Harbour Race, at Macandrew Bay. January 8, 10, and 12.—New Zealand National Championships, at New Plymouth. January 15, 17, and 18.—New Zealand intermediate and junior champion-' ships, at Nelson. January 22.—Country clubs’ championship carnival, at Oamaru. February 5 to 12.—Empire Games, at Sydney. BAY OF PLENTY PREPARES INTERMEDIATE AND JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS , Mr J. 'Windeler, the local officer of the Bay of Plenty Centre, writes concerning the prospects of. the Bay of Plenty team-in the forthcoming New Zealand intermediate and junior championships at Nelson. Formerly the Rotorua swimmers were attached to the South Auckland Centre, and this year will be the first appearance of Bay of Plenty in national competition. The Rotorua Club is going very strongly at present, and is the only, club in the Bay of Plenty Centre that has started for the year. Of 260 juniors in the centre this club has 104.

It has eight members in training for the championships, these being as follow:

Senior,—Harry St. George (aged 24, free style), Douglas Ewert (18, diving), Nawi Kira (15, free style). Intermediate.—Betty 1 Garth (aged 15, free style), “ Sdnnie ” Sewell (16, diving), James Whiti (15, free style). Juniors.—Nani Kira (12;,free style), Jack Fitzgerald (12, diving). Harry St. George hails from New Plymouth, and is very keen. He is a useful swimmer, not a stylist by any means, but a dogged, determined swimmer. He is very powerful and should perform well. , Douglas Ewert, who was second in the national men’s diving championship in 1936 to R. 0. Johnson, of Otago, is diving exceptionally well and with confidence, and is now doing every dive on the handbook.

Miss Nawi Kira is swimming better than ever, and though she is only 15 years of age will probably be pushed forward to senior this season. Her style has improved since the New Zealand junior championships at Hamilton in 1936, and if she continues at her present rate of progress she will swim senior. If not she will swim intermediate.

Jitnmy Whiti has an extraordinarily high flotation, with a beautifully relaxed recovery and a good kick. He is very promising and will probably be close up at the championships. Miss Betty Garth is very tall and slight, with a very nice action, rather low in the water, but she has a powerful arm drive and should do well. “ Sonnie ” Sewell does very well on the diving board and has plenty' of confidence. He should acquit himself very creditably. Miss Nani Kira has taken to work very seriously and swims very much like her sister Nawi, but she is not quite so polished. She has only one ambition, and that is to beat Nawi.

Jack Fitzgerald is a diminutive little fellow and is really very clever, but very hard to see. Small as he is, however, he has got the knack of getting plenty of help from the board.

None of these swimmers has done any fast work yet, as the bath is still too hot, but -they are polishing off their work, set them by Coach Jack Perrin, quite easily and finishing fresh.

The Rotorua Club is holding a carnival on December 1.

Benny Morrison (New Zealand junior 100yds champion) is in college in Auckland and will not be back in Rotorua until just before Christmas, so he may swim for Auckland.

The bond of good fellowship that exists between Otago and Rotorua swimmers is indicated by the good wishes sent to Otago swimmers by Mr and Mrs Kira, Nawi and Nani, who were so happily associated with the Otago team at Hamilton. Mrs Aratema and Kimo, her son, who swam at Hamilton, also convey greetings to their Otago friends. SPECTACULAR SWIMMING SHOW KIWI CLUI’S INTERPROVINCIAL CARNIVAL Something new in the way of swimming entertainment is being arranged by Die Kiwi Amateur Swimming Club for its big gala at the Municipal (Baths on Show night, November 24 ; for the programme will be in the farm of a “swimming show,” in which all branches or swimming activity will be presented to the public, as well as one of the most spetacular mannequin parades ever held in Dunedin. Messrs Arthur Barnett Ltd. have very generously arranged for a gorgeous pageant of the latest in the way of swimming costumes and beach attire by 12 specially selected mannequins, and with the flood-lighting effects being devised, this should be one of the most colourful items ever staged in the Municipal Baths. The carnival itself lias a real interprovincial flavour, and the 440yds invitation short-limit handicap takes upon it almost the aspect of an Empire Games trial, as the New Zealand Council has asked that the times of those competing should be taken. It is not known yet whether D. H, Byrnes, will be a competitor, but the remainder of the field represents the best distance men in the Dominion. Lon Newell, of the East Christchurch Club, who holds the New Zealand 440yds, 880yds, and one mile championships, has accepted the Kiwi Club’s invitation to take part, and he will be opposed by J. O’Driscoll (who won the national half-mile title at Auckland! in 1935 and was beaten only by inches in the national 44Qyds by Newell at Dunedin in 1936), P. R. Malthius (the Southland champion, who finished third to Newell and O’Driscoll in the quarter-mile on that occasion), E. Tease (the Otago 440 yards champion). W.' Johnson (the Auckland half-mil'e and mile champion, now swimming for Kiwi), and D. Reid (the Otago mile champion). The quarter-mil© is invariably one of the befit races on the programme, and as 5.12 is the mark set by the New Zealand Council for Dominion selection, there should he some great swimming in this event. ' The ladies’ events will be just as interesting, and the club has arranged with Miss Moira M'Grath, the promising Southland champion, to take part in a special 110yds ladies’ invitation free style event, in which the competitors will include the Empire Games representative, Miss Islay Purdie, who I®. getting into top form; Miss Joyce Macdonald, the Southland intermediate free style champion and candidate for inclusion in the New Zealand team as a back stroke competitor—she will alto take part in a 100yds ladies’ invitation event; Miss C. Garvin, the very promising Kiwi intermediate; and Miss A. Brown, who was well placed in several Dtago championship events last season. Miss Gwen Rix, the Empire Games ladies diving representative, who is a member of the Dunedin Club, has agreed to give a demonstration of diving, which will supplement the interolub diving handicap, for which a large entry has been received already, and tho other special attractions include a water polo match between the Kiwi A team (who are leading in the senior competition locally) and a combined team drawn from the Southland clubs. Most of the Southland water polo players will also take part in the interclub handicap events, which include a 220yds breast stroke handicap, 100yds medley relay 100yds back stroke, and Iwyds interclub handicap. Ihe younger swimmers are catered for with a 100yds intermediate and junior handicap, 75yds intermediate and junior breast stroke handicap, and 50vds junior handicap. ' ■ The Otago interclub four-a-side relav championship will he decided, and a display of life saving will be given by the St. Clair Life Saving Club in costume and with equipment. It is many years since such a comprehensive programme has been staged in Dunedm. ° "LEARN TO SWIM WEEK" EFFORT BERMS ON MONDAY ik earn -’K Week ” begins at the Municipal Baths on Monday, and as this is part of the national campaign which i$ being held a few weeks later in most of the northern centres special efforts h\ve been made by the Ota<m Lentre tq ensure the success of the week.

Otago was the first to institute these Learn to Swim Weeks,” and with the experience of past years to guide it the local centre should not be found wantmg during the coming campaign. The clubs have agreed to provide some GO instructors, and as they have all had valuable experience as coaches in their own clubs the results of their efforts next week should be most satisfactory. A meeting of instructors was largely attended on Tuesday night, and the plan of campaign was outlined by •Mr P. A. Mathieson (superintendent of the baths), who impressed upon the instructors the need for regular. attendance at the various sessions, and outlined the methods of instruction that might be used. .The National Committee of Swimming a, ?d Life Saying in Wellington is very willingly assisting the centre, and the use i t , official instructors’ badges will enable learners to readily place them•elyes m classes. The centre is appointing a supervisor each night to ensure that no one seeking instruction is overlooked, and stewards wilt also have charge of record books, detailing the progress made by each pupil. Circulars have been despatched to all business firms and schools, and as sessions are being held in the lunch hour, late afternoon, and evening, as jveli as a ladies’- class ja -the afternoon^

it is hoped that hundreds of learners, young and old, will avail themselves of this opportunity of learning to swim from competent instructors,' who are offering their services voluntarily in a desire to increase the number of swimmers in Dunedin.

Instruction will be available in crawl, breast stroke, and back stroke swimming, and for those who desire it there will also be classes in diving. Given line weather, the coming week should b& onA of the most Successful the Otago Centre has yet held.

LONG-DISTANCE SWIMS England’s long-distance championship tor women, swum over the usual five-rhile Codrse in the Thames, from Kew. .to Putney, was won by Miss M. Y. Allen, last year’s runner-up. Miss S’. L. Browning, holder of the title, was not a competitor. The English long-distance championship for men, swum over the five-mile course in the Thames, was won for the fourth successive time by C. T. Deane in Ih 2min 57 3-ssec, wiping out the 27-year-old record of T. S. (“ Sid ”) Ba thereby, who did Hi 3min 12 2-osec. The annual swim across Rome, held over a course of about four miles in the Tiber, attracted most of Italy’s star swimmers, and w'as won by the veteran. Paelo Costoli, in 45miu 21sec. fitters, Baldo, and Gissomo gained the places.

DUNEDIN NOTES Life-saving classes are now in full swing under the supervision of Mr D. C. Bannatyne. June Shaw is a regular attender at club hour, and more practice with a paddle board will help her. W. Swansea is a young member who is fast gaining experience, and a little more practice should help considerably. Miss H. Cleary is moving very smoothly on the breast stroke, and should do well in competition this season. She is coached by Miss Gwen Rix.

Jim Christie has not yet started serious training, and it is time he did so, as he showed up as a promising breast stroke swimmer last season. Dave Paul, a new member., made a successful debut in competitive swimming by winning the second-class handicap at the Otago Centre’s carnival. Dave needs only to develop a smoother arm action to be recording faster times. The brothers, W. and M, M'Gregor, and also M. M'Quarrie, are very keen this season, but should get down to serious swimming if they wish to improve. Jack O’Driscoll is training very hard these days, but has developed a roll which, is slowing up his stroke a little. I’he club’s first outing is to be held at Goat Island on Sunday, November 28, and members of all clubs are invited to attend,' KIWI ACTIVITIES With the club carnival on November 24 and the near approach of_ the Otago championships, hard work is being done by dozens of club swimmers in all divisions, and it is particularly pleasing to find such a good attendance at the early morning training classes. Miss C. Garvin, who is a pupil of Mr P. A. Mathieson, should go very well in intermediate ranks at the championships. She has a proficient stroke, and is bound to return improved times. Ivan Wilson and Russ. Buchanan, two promising intermediates, will he ■hack in competition at the club’s carnival. Ivan is the present junior breast stroke champion of Otago. Miss Betty M'Donald has a very good kick, hut must endeavour to get her .elbows up higher. She is very promising indeed.

The following teams will represent the club in the three-a-side medley relay handicap at the club’s carnival on November 24 :—No. I—C. Lawrence (crawl), W. Dyson (breaststroke), A. Thomas (back strojie) ; No. 2—Miss I. Purdie, Miss W. Dunn, Miss E. Abernethy; No. 3—Miss A. Brown, W. M. Carr, Miss E. Goldthorpe; No. 4—Miss C. Garvin, Miss M. Goldthorpe. I. Johnson; No. 5 —D. Reid, Reg. Geddes, P. Young; No. 6—C. Sell, L. M’Gavin, Miss O. Armour; No. 7—l. Shaw, Miss M. Hudson, Miss G. Harris; No. 8— Miss D. Pope, Roy Geddes, W. Warren ; No. 9—J. G. Reid, Miss C. Knowles. W. Johnson; No. 10—M. O’Connell, J, Purdie, and I. Hall; No. 11—R. Peat, Miss N. Peat, and Miss K. Lame; No. 12-—J. Houston, I. Wilson, and M. Taylor; No. 13—R. Blanche, H. Newall, and R. Buchanan. Miss Islay Purdie is training very hard at present, and the national record holder should be in great farm for the club carnival.

Very fast time may be expected of Miss Winnie Dunn in the 220yds breast stroke at the Otago championships. Mr A. Greig has Miss Dunn working to a definite schedule, and she should set a new provincial record at the championship meeting. Miss C. Knowles requires plenty of hard work to strike her best form at the Otago championships. Miss G. Harris is training well, and should give a good account of herself in the intermediate girls’ back stroke championship.

SPLASHES A record number of Dominions (17) will be represented at the Empire Games. Swimming entry from Bermuda just received leaves Newfoundland the only one from which a reply has not been received. This is a setback to those who contended that Australia’s remoteness would in few sections of the Empire sending representatives (says the ‘Sporting Globe.’) Competitors will come from England, Scotland, Wales, _ Northern Ireland, Canada, South Africa, India, Bermuda, Jamaica, Ceylon, Trinidad, British Guiana, Hong Kong, Fiji, end New Zealand which, with Australia, will make 17.

Henri Padou, the greatest water polo player ever to represent France, and one of the cleverest the world has known, has decided to retire. After taking part in his ninety-fourth international match recently, Padou announced that he would give up the game upon reaching the 100 mark. It is not known whether he represented France in the Horthy Cup tournament lately held at Budapest, but if he did, he most likely has now attained his goal. Miss Nancy Merki, 11-year-old marvel of Portland, U.S.A., who a short time ago swam 200 metres in 2min 55 l-ssec, is now credited with having covered the distance in 2min 54 3-ssec in a 50-metre pool. While Victorians are waiting for summer the warmer waters in New South Wales are giving the swimmers a chance to show their paces. Reg Clark (who toured the South Island with Harry Tickle in 1934) was not perturbed by choppy water at Rochdale, Sydney, recently, for he was timed to do the 100yds in 57 l-osec. Bob Wiltshire, also having his first swim for the season, won at Manly after giving away long starts. He won his heat in 62 2-ssec. Ivo Wyatt, the Australian surf-belt champion, swam 100yds at Rushcutter Bay in 58sec. Another good performance at Manly was done bv G. Swinhourne, who swam 110yds in 65 4-ssec7 These times show that when the Sydney swimmers get into their real form the records will fly (says an Australian writer). Advice has been received by the New Zealand Council that its final nominations for the Empire Games must be in by December 31, and thus in completing the selection of the New Zealand team it will be impossible to wait for the N»'v Zealand championships. The council has asked that Len Newell

and D, H. Symes should be timed at the Kiwi Club’s carnival over 440yds, and if Symes swims ho is also to _ be timed over 100yds J. C. W. Davies, the breast stroke nominee, is ask< d to have a time trial not later than Decembei 20, and to secure final nomination he must return 3min or better for 220yds. The Kiwi Amateur Swimming Club, which held such a successful outing at Buckland’s Crossing on October 31. is arranging another trip on Sunday to Akatore. the bus leaving from the Municipal Baths at 10 a.in.

Bob Rimmer should be beard of in the Canterbury sprint competition this season. He does around 25sec for 50yds. Despite the fact that he is not a stylist, H. Goldsmith is registering times which suggest possibilities. He has done 59 3-6 sec far 100yds and 2min 36sec for 220yds. Several promising girls will be swimming in Canterbury _ though there is none up,.to championship class. The Kaikorai Club will stag© the following events at the Municipal Baths on December 3: 100yds men’s free style championship, 100yds ladies’ free style championship, 50vds free style junior championship, and 66 2-3yds free style junior boys’ championship.

A. V. Osmond, the Southland swimmer .who will be competing at the Kiwi Club’s carnival on November 24, is gaining much-more speed this year. He can now do better than 62scc for 100yds, and due to hard training is very fit. He filled a place in all distances in the Southland championships last year from 220yds up, and should be close up in the provincial events again this season. He won the Watson Cup (two mile open water swim) at Riverton last year and also gained fastest time. He swims butterfly in all breast stroke but is inclined to upset nearby competitors, due to the huge bow wave and wash.

Great keenness is being shown by tho Oamaru Club this season, and a triangular tournament is being arranged between the Oamaru. Waimate, and one of the Timaru clubs to take place later in the season. “ Learn to Swim ” week will bo held in Oamaru from December 6to 1L The “ Learn to Swim ” campaign in Lawrence will be held from November 29 to December 4. The new secretary of the Oamaru Club is Mr K Gemmell. who is a great worker for the sport, a good little swimmer himself, and one of the most popular officials associated with the snort in Otago.

One of the two remaining countries who had not replied to the invitation of the British Empire Games of 1938, Bermuda has now advised that an entry will be mad© in the swimming section—22oyds breast stroke, and has named Percy Belviu. Belvin recently bettered the Olympic record of 200 metres at breast stroke.

Congratulations are extended to Mr W. H. Matthews, a, vice-president of the Otago Centre,' on the distinction that has come his way ja the award of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association’s hon. blazer, in recognition of his outstanding services to swimming over a long period of years. Mr Matthews has been one of the centre’s chief diving coaches and judges for many years, and, he rates as a coach with the best the Dominion has ever had. He had charge of Roy_ Colder when the New Zealand champion was selected for the Empire Games of 1930, and his services to swimming have not by any means been confined to diving. He has been president of the Dunedin Amateur Swimming Club for several years, and has also been very prominently associated with the activities of the Otago branch of the Royal Life Saving Society for many years.