SWIMMING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2128, 29 February 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

SWIMMING.

(Notes by. “Crawl.”) THE SCHOOL BATH. A start has been made with the hath at the Gisborne School, and it will be finished in good time for next season. Questioned as to the use of the bath by the general public, Mr F. J. Rowley, chairman of the committee which lias the matter in hand, said the bath would be open to use by the public under certain conditions. It, was proposed to allow' those who became members of a swimming club to be formed at a later date, to use the bath, the swimming club to pay to the Bulb Committee a percentage of the club subscriptions. To members of the swimming club the bath would be available up to S and after o. and hours would also be sot apart for ladies. The bath would be well adapted for holding sports. On one side there is to be a space of six feet in which could be placed one or two forms, and on the other side there will be a clear space of twelve feet, in which it is proposed to errect graded tiers of seats.-

NE-AV DISTANCE CHA.AIPIOX

For many years Victoria lias not been much in evidence 'in the swimming world, but it looks as if she were about to again take a place in the forefront of things natatorial. This would seem to be proved by the results of the Australasian championships decided in Perth on February Bth. In the 880yds race F. Beaurepaire (Victoria) won from 0. Dickman (N.8.W.) with J. It. Garland (N.S.AY.) third, the other starters being P. W. lopringfieid (Q.) and Sweetman (W.A.). Beaurepaire led from the start, and won by 00 yards from Dickman, who was 40 yards ahead or Garland, -Springfield lying fourth 10 yards behind Garland. Beaurepaire s time was llmin 58 3-5 sec. r l Jie world’s record for the distance was held by the late B. B. Kieran, who put up llmin. 2 1-5 sec. in Belfast in 1905. The Sydney Referee” says : Beaurepaire’s was a remarkably good swim—a performance that places him well above the whole or his Australasian contemporaries. Evidently that recent sojourn in Sydney, with its opportunities for swimming among the State’s best men, and picking up wrinkles, together with, the attainment of additional maturity and consequent increased power, lias helped Beaurepaire along considerably; he has improved wonderfully, and, as the lad may be expected to advance still further, there is every likelihood of Australia possessing, within the next year, a champion equal to anything that lias been accomplished before his time, ind a Victorian lit to be classed with his State’s ton-notclicrs of 25 years ago —the Mclndoes, lie Littles, and AYel.-stcrs of a day when the Southern State was rich indeed in exponents cl Natation.

It would hardly he right to already acclaim Beaurepaire as Kievan's successor though he lias certainly proved himself to be an exceptional swimmer. It is one tiling to put up a world’s record in witer smooth ar glass and quite another to put up sterling .figures in a lumpy sea. Tin Victorian's performance in the halfmile championship was also meritorious by reason of the small mimbex of turps. The Fremantle baths where flu* racq was held, are 105 yd; long, so tint only 9 turns were lieccs sarv wlrlc a record is recognised i! mad ■ i.i i 25yd hath, in which cast the i*n "er would turn about -V times in the half-mile; and som swimmers have reduced turning t such a line art that they make btd'e time when turning than when sw> ming. In the 220yds Australasian ebrpinnsliip decided at Rerih Intel; Cecil Healey (N.S.AV.) belt Beaurepaire (Vie.) by 10yds. The time war 2min 34 l-osec. In the race for the one-mile r-liam-pionship Beaurepaire once again showed up, winning in 24min. 29sec from Dickman (N.S.AV.) with. J'. R. Garland (N.S.AAE) third. In " a 500yd:j. scratch raet* Beaurepaire won by 25 yds. from Springfield (01 with J. R. Garland (N.S.AV.) third. The time was Gmin. 34eec.