SWIMMING

Southland Times, Issue 19500, 14 March 1925, Page 15

SWIMMING

AROUND THE RESORTS,

(By

“Trudgeon Crawl”.)

This has been a quiet week locally, the weather being far tco boisterous for enthusi asm even, to indulge in swimming. It looks like the end of the season, which generally closes directly after Easter. All we hope for now is a few odd days of sunshine with the requisite warmth for the beaches.. I have dealt before with certaifi aspects of the dominion championships, but it is a matter which can still bear some discussion says “Neptune” in the “O.D. Times”.

In the 220 Yards Breaststroke Championship, the only event to go to Otago, Lewis swam a well-judged race. He maintained a lead of half a yard from Bolton throughout, and finished strongly to win by a yard. His time, 3min 13|sec, was not startling, as he has done the distance in 3min 9sec. It is probably because at no stage was he called upcn to exert himself that his time was not in conformance with his ability. The 100 Yards Men’s Championship was won by Adamson (Auckland), and he swam a magnificent race. A feature of this race and one which was much commented upon, was that all the competitors were in line from one lap to the other, giving the appearance of a continuous wave. It was only Adamson’s brown arm which touched the tape first that gave an indication of the winner. The race was swum in 61 3-ssec, and although not fast for the distance was good for fresh water. The performance of Dowsett (Wanganui) in the 100 Yards Inter-club Championship was exceptionally praiseworthy. After swimming in the heat, and the semi-final, he won the final in the remarkable time of 60 3-ssec. He demonstrated that he is really the fastest swimmer in New Zea-

land to-day over that distance. In salt ( water his time would be bettered by at least 1 l-ssec. The 150 Yards Backstroke Champion- , ship went to Fairgray (Auckland), who 1 covered the distance in Imin 56 4-ssec, a J record for the Dominion. Fairgray beat ■ the previous New Zealand record held by Moorhouse (Canterbury) by 4-ssec, and he swam a great race. Moorhouse did not swim up to form this year, but judging ! from appearance and the speed of the two men, he would net beat Fairgray. An easy win was registered by Pelham j (Auckland) in the 440 Yards New Zealand ; Championship. He beat the existing New j Zealand record by 6 l-ssec, a truly remark- ' able performance. It had been predicted ; that he would lower the record figures, ■ and the predictions were more than sub- ; stantiated. It is a noteworthy fact that i Pelham swims a continuous trudge stroke with two balance flutters. In kicking he : seems to make the legs revolve, and by this j leg action procures a remarkable speed, i The action is one I have not seen before, but it is evident that if acquired it would i greatly increase the speed of swimmers. i The ladies provided a keenly-contested I race in the 220 Yards Breaststroke Championship. After a great fight for the initial honour, Miss Pigeon (Canterbury) finished a yard ahead of the next two. It was the opinion of a number of those present that Miss Scotten (Otago) came j second. The judges thought otherwise, but j in any case it was a close finish. The i first four competitors to finish broke the I New Zealand record for the distance. The diving showed a great improvement I on previous years, and the increasing entries give the indication that the championship is firmly established. In the men’s diving B. Keesing (Canterbury) annexed the championship, while Walker (Otago) drew second place. The latter was not up to form on the second night, but it may be mentioned in passing that Keesing is an old Otago boy, and received his training here. In the ladies’ diving championship Miss Foot (Otago) made a mistake, due to nervousness: which probably lost her the championship. She should have done the half screw for the first compulsory dive on the second night, but unfortunately did a plain header. Had she attempted the half screw and secured four out of 10 marks it is stated on authority that she would have won the event. Her two voluntary dives were beautifully executed. The most consistent swimmer of the meeting was Enwright (Auckland), who was, last week, erroneously stated to possess only one leg. Although he lost his 100yds title after holding it for four suc- | cesive years, he won the 220 yards championship for the first time in 2min 36 3-ssec, and later in the evening swam I second in the half-mile. He was second in the quarter-mile, and achieved his ambition by winning the Annette Kellerman Cup for the three-mile race in Lyttelton Harbour in the fastest time. The cup has now been won by three Aucklanders since it was first competed for in 1922. Come along, Otago; where are the longdistance swimmers? That cup in due for a visit to the south. The Wigram Shield contest provided great interest, and the Otago team (Lewis, Mclndoe, Devlin and Swann) went through in fast time. It was unfortunate that one of the team swam No. 2 method instead of No. 1, and lost his points. The break was probably due to nervousness. The next contest for the Shield will lie held in Dunedin about Christmas time. It is quite on the cards that Otago will place two teams in the contest. I have been informed that a number of the Christchurch swimmers would like to visit Dunedin at Easter. I understand that the Kiwi Club is contemplating holding a carnival, and I would suggest that as the club has not yet decided on a date, that it be held when the Christchurch swimmers arrive, and so give an added interest to the events. It is rather late in the season, I admit, but there is a suggestion I have wanted to put to swimmers in general for some time. To those who have studied swimming affairs in Auckland it will be remembered that an innovation that is most popular, and one which is increasing in popu-

larity each year is the formation of clubs by the various large drapery and ware- i house concerns. These clubs comprise | members from the various departments, £nd anyone who can swim is included, j A certain hour each day is set aside for j practice, a matter in which the employers | are only too willing to participate. A night is fixed during the season, or perhaps several nights, and the various concerns issue challenges to one another. The result is that many interesting and »enjoyable carnivals have been held. The keenest rivalry exists between the various houses, and the innovation is an excellent one. There is ample scope for such a thing in Dunedin, and although it is possibly too late to be considered this season, I would advise that it be net lost sight of, and perhaps next season the swimming enthusiasts of the warehouses and drapery businesses will get together and form house clubs. I do not think they will I find the employers wanting when the project is put to them. It is only another way of improving the standard cf swimming and of bringing to light unknown swimmers and “dark horses” who would be a credit to Otago at the championships. Think it over. It goes well in Auckland, and there is no reason why it should not go better down here. When the New Zealand Swimming Council asked the centre delegates who were conferring in Christchurch to consider the question of inviting an overseas swimmer to tour (says the Sun), it evidently had in mind an American swimmer. Suggestions were numerous enough at first. Johnny Weismuller was proposed, but he was turned down because there was a possibility cf his going to Australia next year, and the policy of the New Zealand swimming authorities is to play a lone hand. Suggestions of Arne Borg and the Philadelphian swimmer, Miss Morelius, were received. J. Clouston (Auckland) proposed Mariechen Wehselau, who, in the course of an interview in Auckland on her way to Australia, has signified her willingness to undertake a Dominion tour. C. Atkinson was in favour of bringing a swimmer from Hawaii. Then someone proposed an in- ! vitation to Australian swimmers, and sug- ; gested Henry, who having retired, was not j available. Boy Charlton’s uncertainty whether he should retire or not put him j out of court. So there remained R. Eve I and Moss Christie. On a show of hands it ] was demonstrated that the proposal to I invite the Australians was most favoured. ! Of the others, Arne Berg and Mariechen ‘ Wehselau were the most favoured. So ' everything is now in train for a visit from . an overseas swimmer, and negotiations are j to be started immediately. A Sydney paper, in dealing with some j future lady swimming champions, mentions the names of Vera Pawley and Beryl Wai- | pole, of New South Wales. It states that ' althcugh only in her teens Miss Pawley I has registered 63 2-ssec for 100yds and ; 29 2-ssec for 50yds. But it is to Miss j Walpole, a 14-years-old member of that > great nursery of champions, the Manly I Swimming Club, that Australia is looking for a possible Olympic champion. Last month she swam 100yds in 71sec, and seems to improve at every start, so that there is no telling where she may finish. Her 15-years-cld brother is a minutebreaker. While in Adelaide Sam Kahanamoku got away with a great many results, and further enhanced his reputation as a swimmer of speed. He won by 10yds in the 100yds South Australian championship in 57 2-5 sec, although B. Bywater, who finished second, takes the title, under the residential clause. The previous best in Adelaide was Norman Ross’s 57 3-ssec. Then he won the 220yds championship event in 2min 39sec and the 100yds breast-stroke championship in the State record time cf Imin 18 4-ssec. B. Bywater and D. Boucher finished second in the respective contests, and take the titles. j

| An idea that should lead to something with swimming coaches has come to light. The trainer with Mariechen Wehselau, on i the Australian tour, at practice, ties a 1 rope round Mariechen’s waist, and the 1 end is held by the trainer, while her j protege swims in a stationary position, within a few feet of the observer. Thus, slight inaccuracies in the stroke are discernible at once, and any decrease or jerk lin the pull registers on the rope. A steady, firm tension of the rope is aimed at. The | Hawaiian holds the world’s record for > women for 100yds, having negotiated for I that distance in 63sec. She is 18 years ■of age and weighs 12st. Like all who j have preceded her from the Hawaiian , Islands, her arm and shoulder work leave : little to be desired. Australian critics have ■ noticed that a feature of her stroke is I lhe muscle relaxation of the arms during I the recovery. The Australian girls—and New Zealand swimmers, too, for that mat- ' ter—appear to be in too much of a hurry’ |to get the next stroke started, with the result that perfect synchronisation is im- . possible (says the Christchurch Sun). ; A recent batch of papers brings some in- | teresting news from overseas, and one in particular deals with the breaking of more records by swimmers at Florida. Ethel Lackie has clipped two seconds from her own world’s record for women (made in 1924 at the Olympic Games) by swimming 110yds in Imin 10 l-ssec. Agnes Geraghty ! made a new American record for women [ for 200yds breast-stroke, her time being j 3min 7sec. Martha Nortelius swam 200yds | free style in 2min 29 l-ssec. Carel Nielsen I did 300 yds breast-stroke style in 4min 37 I 3-ssec.