SWIMMING ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20405, 6 November 1929, Page 15

SWIMMING ITEMS.

PARNELL CLUB'S GYMKHANA.

PROGRAMME FOR AUSTRALIANS.

SCHOOL CERTIFICATES ISSUED. The first club to launch its new season's activities will be Parnell which will hold a gymkhana at the Parnell Baths 011 Saturday afternoon. This fixture will be the forerunner to the annual series of events in which tho club's members compete for various cups and trophies. Much interest among bathers is aroused when the events are decided, there being no extra charge apart from tho price of admission to the baths.

The following programme of ovents has been arranged:—soyds. Wndo Cup Handicap, 50yds. Farmers' Cup Handicap, 50yuf. Sinaile Cup Handicap, 50yds. 3\loss Ballm Cup Handicap, 50yds. Girls' Cup Handicap, 50yds. Open Handicap, Greasy Boom, Corfu Dive. Post entries will be received for all events.

From all appearances carnivals will not commence for at least another couple of weeks. No application lias yet been made to tho centre for a carnival before the visit of the Australian champions. The tentative itinerary of the tour of tlie Australian champions, Noel Ryan and Reg. Grier, provides for 25 appearances during the five weeks they arc in the Dominion. They are scheduled to arrive in Auckland on December 3 and to take part in carnivals at the Tepid Baths 011 December 4 and 5. After swimming at a number of towns in the North Island they will sail from Wellington for Nelson on December 22, will lie in Ashburton on December 28, and then will return to the North Island, swimming at Wanganui on January 1. After appearing at several towns in the Wellington Province they will leave Wellington for Sydney on January 10. It will be an exceedingly strenuous tour for the visitors, and by the time tliev depart from the Dominion they will have seen a considerable portion of the country, but will doubtless be somewhat tired of the continual travelling. Strength ot Clubs. .Returns furnished at the Auckland Centre's meeting last week of the membership strength of the seven Auckland clubs revealed that there were 1068 members last season. The Mount Eden Club headed the list with a total of 211 members. Great progress has been made by this club in recent years. Last season it won the water-polo competition and two inter-club relay events. Until the rules of the newly-constituted Auckland Water Polo Board are approved of by the New Zealand Council at its annual meeting, to be held shortly, activities of tho game, so far as commencing I lie competition is concerned, are at a standstill. Local officials are confident the council will sanction the new organisation. In tho meantime arrangements for the control of the competition are being finalised. ln t this direction representations have been mad<} by the board to the City Council for facilities for playing and practising at the Tepid Baths one evening weekly. The enormous increase in the number of certificates issued to school children in the Auckland Centre's educational area, as outlined at the annual meeting of the centre last week, was a very meritorious achievement of the officer in charge, Mr. L. Brighton, and eulogistic references were made to bis untiring efforts. Since tho 1926-27 season the local cent re'\s total has been raised from 1805 certificates to 5153. Mr. Brighton resigned recently from the secretaryship of the Ponsonbv Club so as to devote more time to the educational side of swimming. A point raised in the report by Mr. Brighton was that whereas country schools had enthusiastically supported the scheme, the same interest had not been shown by city schools. As this is a matter Mr." Brighton aims to' remedy this season, the latest record is sure to be eclipsed.

Training in Wellington. Training activities are in full swing in Wellington, Miss Kathleen Miller and I. W. Cameron being two of the leading swimmers who are settling down to strenuous work. Miss Miller may make this her last season and she intends to endeavour 16 create fresh records. Sho is' particularly keen to add the 220 yds. free-style record lo her credit., this being the only middle-distance standard that has so far not. yielded to her onslaughts. Jt will be interesting to see if Cameron will succeed in eclipsing his 100 yds. record this season. This will be his second season as a senior and so ho should not have yet attained his zenith. _ Cameron will have plenty of opportunities to test liis capabilities. In addition to the competition of the Wellington and Dominion championships he will bo pitted against. Reg. Grier, the Australian sprint champion, in Wellington and in Auckland. As present indications are that there is no f.wimmer locally capable of extending Crier, it is quite probable Cameron will be brought up to oppose him. Cameron will find it a difficult task to triumph over Grier, whose Australian record for 100 yds. is one second faster than his best time. , Reports state that N. Dowsett, formerly of Wanganui, has taken up his residence in Wellington. It is not, known whether he is to compete, as lie stated last season he intended to retire. Should he swim again his presence would, make sprint competition keener there, although it is improbable he could turn the tables on Cameron, who deprived him of his 100 yds. New Zealand title and record last season.