SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 22810, 19 November 1937, Page 5

SWIMMING

NEWS AND NOTES [By Hookm.] FIXTURES. , 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 12.—Batt Cup Harbour Race, at Macandrew Bay. _ December 15.—Dunedin Amateur Swimming Club’s carnival. January 8, 10, and 12.—New Zealand National Championships, at New Plymouth.

■January 15, 17, and 18.—New Zealand intermediate and junior championships, at Nelson. January 22.—Country clubs’ championship carnival, at Oamaru, January 22 and 24.—New Zealand surf life-saving championships, at New Brighton. February 6 to 12.—Empire Games, at Sydney. SPECTACULAR SWIMMING MANY STARS FOR KIWI CARNIVAL The “ swimming show ” to be staged by tho Kiwi Club next Wednesday night has quite aii interprqvincial flavour, as the competitors taking part will be drawn from no fewer than five different centres, and the New Zealand Council has asked the Otago Centre to see that the times of the men in the 440yds invitation short-limit handicap are taken. Len. Newell, the New Zealand 440yds, 880yds, and one-mile champion, is coming to Dunedin at the special invitation of the Kiwi Club to compete in this event, and those who remember the thrilling race he had with J. D. O’Driscoll in the national quarter-mile in 1936, when Newell won by inches, will look forward to the latter’s meeting with the Dunedin Club representative next week; and the presence of the Southland distance swimmer, P. R. Malthus, who was third in that race, will add further to the interest in the event. , Malthus showed at the last national championships that he was one of the finest distance swimmers in the Dominion, and he is reported to be swimming well. ‘ The field will also comprise E. Toase, the Otago 440yds champion, who is one of the most improved swmuners in the province, D. Reid (the Otago mile champion), and possibly W. Johnson (the ex-Auckland half-mile and mile champion), though the last named has not done a great deal of regular training of late. The New Zealand Council has set a standard of smin 12seo for 440yds for Empire Games selection, and as New Zealand’s best distance men will be competing next week it will be interesting to see if any of them are able to reach this mark, which’ is better than the existing New Zealand record of smtn 13 2-ssec.

Miss Gwen Rix, the New Zealand ladies’ diving champion and Empire Games representative, will be a competitor in the interclub diving handicap, and will also give a demonstration of diving. Miss Rix is in fine form just now, and her displays are always popular with tbe public. Besides the 110yds invitation ladies’ event, in which Miss Islay Purdie will swim against other swimmers and the visiting Southlander, Miss Moira M'Grath, .an invitation 100yds ladies’ back stroke event has been included, and in this Miss Joyce Macdonald, the Southland contender for a place in the Empire Games team, will be a starter. The Kiwi A team, which has been unbeaten in the senior water polo competition, will play a combined, -team of Southlanders, and the St. Clair Surf Life Saving Club is co-operating by arranging a special six-man event with equipment and reels between two strong teams.

A colourful attraction will be the mannequin parade arranged by Messrs Arthur Barnett Ltd.in _ which the latest in the way of swimming costumes and beach attire will be displayed. Considerable pains have been taken in regard to this item, and floodlighting should add to its effectiveness. Junior and free style and back stroke events are included on the programme, and another interesting event will be_ the 133 l-3yds Otago relay championship, at present held by University. Several teams will be contesting this race, and a medley relay handicap has drawn an entry of some 30 teams. The entries generally are exceptional, and the club is sparing no effort to see that tbe programme is put through with despatch. REAL CHAMPIONSHIP PROSPECT FINE BACK STROKE EXPONENT In Miss Edna Goldthorpe the Kiwi Club has a swimmer who may win the highest honours for Otago on back stroke at the New Zealand intermediate and junior championships at Nelson in January. This girl was started off on this style of swimming by Miss M. Boulton, and when the latter went to Auckland to live Miss Goldthorpe cam© under the charge of A. Thomas, her club’s captain, who was runner-up in the New Zealand 150yds back stroke championship in 1936. Miss Goldthorpe won the Otago junior girls’ back stroke title last season, but she has shown very marked improvement in times this year, and in a recent unofficial trial lowered the New Zealand junior girl’s record time by three seconds. This girl has developed a very good style, trains bard, and is very keen, and she promises to make a name for herself at this style of swimming. She is also a speedy little free style swimmer, and will give a good account of herself in the Otago junior championships. The swimming she does with Miss Islay Purdie has had good results, and she is cultivating a very smooth and well-relaxed- stroke.