SWIMMING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 29 August 1925, Page 12

SWIMMING.

Tlvrol outstanding figures in European swimming circles are anxious to visit Australia this coming summer They are Eric Rademaclier and Gustav Froeiieh, of Magdeburg, Germany. Rademaclier has an international reputation as a breast-stroke swimmer. He holds European and German records far 200 and 400 metre's from 1922 to 1924. Ait the last Olympiad at Plants Robert Skelton, of Chicago, beat Radetniacher’s 200-metre world’s record. In April, however, Rademacher bettered Skelton’ s time and brought the world's record for 200 metres to 2.50 2-5. This is exceptionally fast swimming. In Australia we have had some grand exponents of the art of breast stroking, find yet none of them has touched better than 3miii. ssec. for the distance. Froelioh is back-istroke champion of Germany, his best time for 100 metres being, 1 understand, lmin. 16sec. This i'S better than our local experts for back-stroke, and in addition Froelioh is a fast free style (crawl stroke) swimmer. He is capable of 57 iseconds for 100 yiardis and 63 seconds for 100 faietres. Both Riademacher aind Froelioh are first-class water-polo -players, and members of the relay team, of the Hellas-Magdeburg Swimming Oulb, Which team,, it is stated, has an unbeaten record in Germany since 1920. The matter of their proposed visit is how before the officials of the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia in Sydney. There are two “hurdles'’ in the Way of the proposition. Firstly, up to June;, of this year the German Amateur Association had not joined tlie Interitaitioniajl Shimming Federation; and secondly, Germans are still prohibited immigrants to this country. It was proposed, however, that at the International Amateur Sporting Conference at Prague in June, that Germany Should 'be permitted to join' the Amateur Federation. As regards the immigration restrictions, they can be lifted on a guarantee, as has 'been done with (several visiting boxers and swimmers who have been here from the Philippines, Hawaii, and India. It has become quite common in many parts of the world to talk about “the health mission of the sun.” What this phrase really means was seen on all the beaches in Devonport and probably bn all other beaches on Sunday (states the Auckland Stair). The cult of sun bathing was iseen .at its height-, and What was noticeable was that while htamy young , [people even .Went the length of having a dip in the salt Water and seemed to get much pleasure out of the experience, older people simply indulged in sun bathing and a good rub down afterwards. The days When by-laws were made against sun bathing, and only a limited time was allowed to get between the bathing shed and the water, and vice versa are now counted as the old-fashioned times.