SWIMMING

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 2 January 1926, Page 12

SWIMMING

Nothing can be imagined better for swimming than tlu: weather conditions of the last few weeks, and during this week conditions have been veritably ideal. And they have been thoroughly enjoyed by many thousands here and in all putts *of the’ Dominion. EN Y STOCK LEY TO GO TO AUSTRALIA. A DISTANCE SWIMMER ALSO. * An invitation has been received by the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association from the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia, for Miss Ena Stockley, the New Zealand lady champion, to compete in the Australian ladies’ championships at Sytlney on February- 13, 17 and 20 next. The Australian body has requested that Miss Stockley should bo accompanied by the best distance lady swimmer in New Zealand, the selection of the latter to be left to the New Zealand Association. The choice of the distance swimmer will be made after the New Zealand championships in Napier next month. The choice is almost certain to be confined to Misses Piri Page and Joan Bell, of Auckland. The former won the ladies’ distance events at the last New Zealand championships, but in the interim Miss Bell, a younger swimmer, has made a rapid improvement, and it is considered probable that she will be able to boat Miss Page this year. It is probable that in addition to .swimming in Sydney, the New Zea landers will also compete in Brisbane and Melbourne, the tour lasting till the middle of March.

TEAM WORK.

Swimming in Canterbury is going 10 experience a decided fillip if the plans of the centre secretary, Mr. Griff Rich, work out all right. Mr. has gathered the club secretaries round him in a sort of unofficial committee, and this gathering of the men who count most in the game has gone into ways and means of bringing about improve ments. The movement is one of the most promising that has ever been initiated in Canterbury. Not onlv will it ensure a greater degree of cooperation between the centre and the clubs, but it will do much to take the sharp edge off the club feeling that was so unpleasantly noticeable last year. One of the first fruits of the new policy- will be in evidence at a carnival to be held soon, when an inter-club event for juniors, free of entrance fee, will be put on. Efforts are also being made to increase the entries in all classes of competition at the inter-club carnivals. “Bumper entries from one club to another spell successful carnivals,” says Mr. Rich in a memorandum to the clubs. Endeavours are also being made to arrange for all the country clubs to hold inter-club carnivals, and for the members of the town clubs to attend in force. In the past few years the country clubs have been left far too much to themselves, a thing that has not helped to make any lighter the task of the few stalwarts who are carrying the banner of amateur swimming in the country districts. There have recently been conferences of secretaries in Canterbury, and a good effect is reported by Ghristehurch papers on the matter of coaching. The smaller clubs, particularly those in the suburbs, have suffered through a dearth of well-informed swimmers who could impart a little useful knowledge to the members'. Now the larger city clubs are making themselves responsible for the task. Provided the suburban clubs will see to it that a class is at the bath to be coached the larger clubs will see that there is a coach there to do the work. The same arrangement applies to water polo. Under these circumstances there should be no excuse for the suburban clubs failing to have their members coached. The spirit underlying this mutual aid programme cannot lie too highly praised. If the members of the larger clubs arc w-illing to give up their time to help the w-eaker clubs the effect must be to make for an all-round improvement in the sport. The new movement breaks new ground in Canterbury and promises to bring about a long overdue change in the attitude of the clubs generally towards the sport. Swimming in Canterbury is at a comparatively low ebb, despite the fact that there is plenty of material offering. Supremacy for the time being at any- rate has definitely gone to the north. An effect of the new idea which the centre secretary is endeavouring to make a permanent feature of our swimming administration may be to bring back supremacy- to Canterbury In a comparatively brief time.