SWIMMING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19980, 23 December 1926, Page 4

SWIMMING.

By Neptune. It is pleasing to note that the harbourside clubs are active this year and are catering for swimmers in conju. ction with the Macaudrew Bay and Broad Bay regattas on Boxing and New Year’s Dave respectively. It is to be hoped hat Dunedin, as well as local swimmers, will appear in these carnivals. A carnival which, it is to be hoped, will attract large entries and a still larger attendance is to be staged at the Municipal Baths by the Otago Centre this month. The object is a worthy one, as any profits which may accrue are to be devoted to financing the Otago team which is tq be sent to the Dominion championships at Auckland on January 22, 24, 26, and 27. Surely all enthusiasts will do their best to help in every way they can, and remember that if they cannot compete they can at least attend, and so lessen the financial burden on the individual clubs. I am looking forward to our representatives giving a good account of themselves at Auckland nest month. Lewis, on his present form, should come somewhere near the breast-stroke championship, and whoever beats Roy Calder in the diving should be champion of the Dominion for 1927. At present I cannot see anyone likely to extend Leslie Olds, the present holder of the junior boys’ 220 yards championship, and it is quite likely that this youngster will clip a few seconds off his own record for this distance when he swims in salt water. Misses M. Jepson and K. Miller arc capable, under favourable conditions, of being among the winners in the ladies’ events, and if D. Olds manages to swim the 100 yards breast-stroke in 84 seconds (which he should be quite able to Jo) he should be a valuable member v,f the team. We are unfortunate in not having a representative in the ladies’ •' diving championships, but it is possible that Miss M. Morrison may go north to compete for the title. ' I am in receipt of Christmas greetings from one who, I imagine, • must be the official bard of the Invercargill Swimming Club. In addition to sending me best wishes f°r_ the season, he also forwards an invitation to a dance (which, unfortunately, I am unable to attend), and encloses the following lines: “Neptune and the sea are one, But now as time advances, King Nep. goes in for social fun And does the latest dances. Neptune, his mermaids, and his mermen, heartily reciprocate the greetings, and trust the evening may he an unqualified success and that the club’s affairs may prosper. The life-saving and surf clubs of Canterbury will hold their big day for competitions on Monday next. This day will be known as Life-saving Day, and all the surf clubs under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Surf Association will be represented in a whole day of spectacular work — work which the public as a whole knows little about, but which places real surfing on a higher plane that that of a mere sport. The events will begin in the morning, when the contest, for the Sumner Cup. and the land-drillfor the Ray Bank Cup, the surf championship of Canterbury, will be held. In the afternoon, the drills for the Benson Shield, the provincial boys’ award, and the rescue work for the Ray Bank Cup, will be held. The proceedings, which will be under the auspices of the. Life-saving Society, will be opened by a march-past of all teams competing. It should be a great day for the public, which will see how the surfing beaches are safeguarded. Two records were broken at the Wellington Swimming Centre’s carnival which was recently. Claridge took the 50 yards in 26sec, which is a provincial record for the distance, and Rex Trott, by cover ing the 220 yards in 2min 35 l-ssec, bear the previous Wellington record by Bsbc. Wellington swimming has a decided acquisition in Watson (states the Wellington Evening Post), a new arrival from Scotland, who is said to have recorded 58seo for lOOyards in Scotland —time which nas been beaten by only one New Zealander, the present champion, Dowsett. Discussing the methods employed in Scotland, Watson said that swimmers there spent hours solely concentrating on strokes, and are always on the look-out for mistakes. Coaches stress relaxation of the- arms in recovery and lessening roH as much as possible, especially in sprinting. In training for 100 yards Watson said the method adopted by him is tq swim 250 yards to 300 yards about five nights a week at a good, hard pace, in order to develop stamina, and then devote the other two nights to sprinting “all out.” One point, however, that he emphasised was that it was no good doing 200 yards or 300 yards whenever one felt incapable ot it; more harm than good was done when a swimmer struggled on length after length when he was obviously done Watson has joined the Lyall Bay Club. The Now Zealand Herald makes the following reference to the performances ot Misses Miller and Jepson at this year's Otago championships:—“A race of exceptional interest was the lOOyards championship, in which Miss M. Jepson, New Zealand intermediate champion for the dis tance, beat by a touch the 220 yards Dominion -'ntermediate champion, Miss Miller, in the rather slow time of 71sec. Both girls are now senior swimmers, but they will have to do better to be dangerous in the Dominion title race.” At the Mt. Eden Club’s carnival held last week, Adamson was the star performer of the evening (states the New Zealand Herald). His two public appearances this season have been sufficient to prove that the swimmer who beats him in the- Auckland 100 yards championship will need to go very close to or even break the Dominion record. His time of 60sec was excellent under the conditions, and it is doubtful whether Dowsett has ever equalled it in fresh water. Next to Adamson, the Dominion champion, Baird, was well to the fore. 1 Baird figured in a new role as the winner of the 100 yards handicap. Not since his junior days has he taken part in a sprint race, and the fact that he returned 62 l-ssec in both heat and final should encourage him to vary his work more in the future. Shorter distances now and again will smarten up his action and should tend also to enable him to cover the first half of a 220 yards race with more pace. Although third, Enwright. swam almost as well as his two younger rivals. Another seasoil has failed to relegate him to the ranks of retirement. Until Auckland wins the water polo trophy it is safe to assume that he will continue to face the starter.

According to latest advices, Miss Mattie Mealing, the young Sydney swimmer swimming at the Sydney Domain Baths on Saturday last, swam the 100 yards backstroke in Imin 21 3-ssec—thus breaking the Australian record for the distance. Only eight names appear in the International Federation’s latest list of world’s records. By removing the records of Charlton and Weisnyiller, the wonderful Swede, Arne Borg, claims nine of the fastest times, which vary from 300 metres to one mile. It is stated that Borg had his stroke improved when Barhrach increased his reacli by nearly 4in, and thus eliminated the crossing of the catch. Weismuller holds six recotds, from 100 yards to 300 yards, and Charlton possesses the 1500 metres time. Although the Australian is the holder of a solitary record, there is the possibility that ho will secure further world’s honours when he races against the Japanese Takaishi, next month, E. Ratlemacher (Germany) holds four breast-stroke records, and L. Van Parys (Belgium) holds the fifth. The backstroke records are divided between W. Kealoha (Hawaii), 0. Fahr (Germany), and G. Blitz (Belgium). Balmain Council has expended about £BOOO in renovating, expanding, and improving the baths at Elkington Park (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). The baths have,, been extended by about one-third of their former area, the water surface now enclosed approximating about an acre. They are 73 1-3 yards across, giving the regulation distance. Dressing accommodation has been provided for 1000 persons, while two new stands furnish accommodation for 1500 onlookers. The two top floors have been reserved for women, and throughout the whole baths the shower ■ and sanitary adjuncts have ben modernised. It is claimed that the Elkington Park Baths are now among the most consplcte and modern in the Commonwealth.