Swimming Notes.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 816, 18 February 1916, Page 18

Swimming Notes.

Last week was one of special interest to Wellington's swimming community— that is to say the older ones and those who, for various reasons have not yet enlisted—the occasion being a sort of carnival week in connection with the opening of the tepid bath at the Boys' Institute. The bath is certainly a credit to the Institute, and with a few minor alterartions should more than favourably compare with similar ones in the Dominion. The official opening took place on Tuesday night, and after the audience had patiently listened to the speechifying, a sports programme was gone through. The racing was quite good considering the scarcity of senior swimmers, although the meeting was not (particularly well handled; so much so in fact that certain items were cut out, including an exhibition of life-saving.

This, perhaps, after all was a blessing in disguise, as the spectators had had a sufficiency of tame turns in the one and a-quarter hours' of eloquence forced upon them by the powers governing the ceremonies. Among the soldier competitors was Sapper Carlisle Atkinson, last year's New Zealand 100 yards champion and world's record-holder for the 220 yards breast stroke, and Sergeant J. Cooper, a one-time New South Wales country district champion, both of whom are excellent swimmers. A- word of praise is due to Mr. T. Shields, the veteran swimmer, for the prominent part taken by him in the gathering.. He had a very big portion of the programme allotted to him, and he came through the ordeal with flying ~ colours.