SWIMMING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1680, 11 May 1904, Page 57

SWIMMING.

(By “Naitator.”) H. A Creagho. late of Dunedin, is said to have >von a Queensland championship race a few days ago. He has taken up his residence in Rockhampton. Mass Annette Kellerman, Australia’s champion lady swimmer, swam a distance of about two miles down the River Yarra recently, with the object of timing herself. She intends shortly to try to establish a two-mile record, as she has now had two trials over the stretqh of the river named. A boat follows the swimmer for the whole distance in. case of emergency. R. Oavill, when asked by an inter-

viewer- as to his favourite stroke replied:—“M'y crawl; but I only-use it for short distances—up to 12Gy>dis. For anything beyond that I prefer at present the double over-arm stroke. It is much the easier. and faster stroke for the longer races.” Asked if ihe was developing any more nenv strokes, Cavill said: “No, not at present. I’m hard at work perfecting' the ‘Cavill crawl,’ which, is .undoubtedly the fastest stroke for a sprint.. I myself can’t go- just now, but I hope to be able to improve the Stroke for long distances. Tiudgeon, you know, further than 100yds or 120yds at top speed, with it couldn't use his stroke for more than 100yds, but as time has gone on we have improved it so that we can swim, mile and live-mile distances with double over-arm stroke. In fact. Read, Billington, and myself swam the 1 eng-di s tan cie onampionship m the Thames with that stroke. So it is possible my new stroke may be callable of similar adaptation.” A correspondent signing himself “Constant Renner” sends a -long “poem,” one verso only of which is quotable. It is as follows: “To swim with ease and confidence and grace Should) in New Zealand have acknowledged place Of recognition; and by law decreed, Be taiugat as fully as we’re taught to read; Forming a part in education’s rule In every college and in every school.” This may not be beautiful in a poetic sense bub it is sensible. Mr Grundy, of the Clyde Quayschool, recently deplored tlhe fact that a large number of boys “played, the wag” from school and) went to Te Axo baths. Boys will be boys; nothing could bo better for them than that they should spend some time in bathing and only increasing years and' knowledge will convince them that the benefit to be derived from bathing dee® not increase, in ©very case, m proportion to the tame spent in the water, but if they wear© compelled by the school committees to bathe o'noe a day at the baths the practice of “wagging it” to go for a swim would be minimised. At the last meeting of the City Council a doleful statement of the financial position of the two city baths was presented. The TlhorndOn baths failed te pay working expenses; To Are baths shewed an excess of revenue over expenditure but botli were financial failures when interest and sinking-fund were taken into account. At about 4 o’clocos in the afternoon there are very few adults using the bath® and the City Council would find that it would pay .'n the long run to allow schoolboys to. use the baths free for an hour from that time. By this means—tlhe school committee also making it compulsory for schoolboys to bathe —the Council would create a large swimming public at a very small expenseWriting of Caviil’s return to Sydney “Natator,” in the “Referee,” write®: Cavill returned home from Maoriland on Friday full of agreeable recollections and good impressions of Auckland and dta people. “Mr Kohn (president of the Auckland Swimming Association) is,” said be, “one of the best fellows I ever met.” Cavill did well during his absence. He gathered the furlong championship of New Zealand in record time; won a 108 yards race in Imin 3sec—remarkably speedy—and travelled faster than anyone else in the 36 yards (scratch) and 72 yards (handicap) events. To crown it all, 'the famous young swimmer was, the morning after his home-coming, presented with a prize he values far and away bef ore the pile of medals, pots, and such that have come to him during years of athletic successes—in the form of a fin© baby son—‘Uhe picture of his dad. they assure me,’’ said Cavill, in a confidential sort of way. A Brisbane newspaper says:—Harry Oroaghe who won the lOQyds championship of Central Queensland, is a native of Marlborough, and is quite ,an unassuming young fellow, and a real good swimmer over 100 and 220 yardis. He has a “crawl” stroke peculiarly hi® own, and can cover the 100yds in Imin 3see. so ’he should give hi® - opponents a shake over that distance. He is a good worker for the sport and should prove a great acquisition to Central Queensland and the sport generally. He represented New Zealand at tho last Australasian championships, and performed very creditably. He has been te New Zealand on business, and has only been, interested in the sport during the past twelve month's, so there is plenty of room for improvement. All swimmers will join in wishing him good luck.