SWIMMING

Southland Times, Issue 22158, 28 October 1933, Page 15

SWIMMING

(By

“Trudgeon.”)

A start has been made by the centre to map out a programme of carnivals for the season. The idea is a good one and should assist in popularizing these fixtures again. Clubs have been asked to hold their carnivals on a certain date and when the circuit has been completed any club may hold another at its own risk. This ensures a limited number of carnivals at the height of the season, when a good measure of public patronage is availale. Once again it has been decided to hold a “Learn To Swim'’ week. In past years the results have been excellent and the City Council appears to have become enthusiastic about the idea. The week will be held from November 6 to November 11 and it only remains for the programme to be drawn up. The Collegiate Club has been allotted a carnival during “Learn To Swim’’ week and several championship events will be decided during the evening. They will be the 50 yards junior girls’ freestyle, the 50 yards junior boys’ freestyle, the 33 1-3 yards boys’ freestyle for the No. 1 Herbert Smith trophy, the 100 yards girls’ freestyle for the No. 2 trophy, the 33 1-3 yards primary school boys’ freestyle for the No. 6 trophy and the 100 yards girls’ breaststroke for the No. 7 trophy. An encouraging sign of a growing interest in swimming in the country centres is the formation of the Tua-

tapere Swimming Club. It is up to the

centre to encourage these clubs and as far as the Tuatapere club is concerned it is certainly doing its duty. A visit has been arranged for January 14 and it will take the form of a picnic. The writer has long advocated a serious attempt to form sub-centres in the country districts. For instance, there is

a club at Gore and one at Pukerau and they could easily be made the nucleus of an Eastern District Sub-Centre. Similarly, the Tuatapere Club and another club at Riverton could form a Western District Sub-Centre.

Through the departure for Wellington of Miss Jean Taylor, the ranks of swimmers in Otago have suffered the loss of one who, in a long association with the sport in Dunedin, has rendered yeoman sevice to the clubs she has been connected with. (States the Otago Daily Times.) Formerly ladies’ captain of the Kiwi Club, she was best known as a distance swimmer, two of her outstanding performances being in that club’s Harbour Race two years ago and in the Batt Cup harbour swim a week later. Through ill-health Miss Taylor was prevented from taking active part in swimming last season, but she had, shortly prior to her leaving for Wellington, joined the newlyformed Zenith Club, of which she was ladies captain, and with her characteristic thoroughness taken part in the club’s coaching activities. Should she elect to take up competitive swimming in Wellington she should prove as popular an acquisition to the sport in that centre as she was in Otago. Distinctly encouraging is the move already made by the Otago Centre to arrange for a tour of Australian swimmers through the South Island, (states the Otago Daily Times). Too frequently have prominent swimmers from the other side got as far as Auckland only to conclude their tour there, while southern centres, through lack of finance, have been forced to look on, with the result that in Otago, at any rate, swimmers merely hear of the doings of overseas champions. Mr P. N. Rundle struck the right note when he emphasized the necessity of encouraging tours by swimmers from overseas, for, as he said, a young swimmer can only gauge how fast or how slow he is by watching a real champion, and only by the centre’s seeing that the youngsters get such an opportunity will the standard of swimming locally improve. Already, the province has among the ranks of its juniors several lads who would undoubtedly reach the top flight if they could add further to their knowledge of the mechanics of speed swimming, and should the centre’s scheme come to fruition, its results would be beneficial not only to the swimmers themselves, but to the sport generally. Moreover, if, as has been suggested, appearances of the visitors ' at the country centres could be arranged, much benefit would accrue and interest in swimming in the country districts would receive a valuable impetus.

MURIHIKU CLUB A SUCCESSFUL CARNIVAL. In spite of the fact that many critics contend that the evening of Labour Day is not a suitable occasion for holding a carnival, the Murihiku Club’s fixture must be termed a success in every way. The attendance of the public was excellent and if the centre carries ■ out a policy of limiting the number of carnivals, there is no reason why bumper houses should not be recorded on every occasion. Some fine swimmers were seen in action, particularly among the younger performers, and fast times were clocked on more than one occasion.

The paucity of senior lady swimmers in Invercargill has often given rise to comment, but this is a state of affairs that will be corrected in the course of time. There are plenty of promising girls among the intermediates and juniors, as could be seen by the most casual observer on Monday night. Indeed, as Miss N. Basstian is likely to travel to the Dominion senior championships and there are a number of potential claimants for New Zealand intermediate and junior honours, Southland should be well and worthily represented at both championship meetings this season. Among the men on Monday evening A. W. Wesney must be termed the outstanding and at any rate, the most successful competitor. The 33 1-3 yards men’s dash handicap, the blind fold race and the duel handicap all fell to him. In the last-named event Wesney was right on scratch and he gave away nine points to the second-placed competitor to win, but he was not diving as well as he has in the past. A feature of the intermediate and junior events was the fastness of many of the competitors’ times. Southland is fortunate in possessing such a promising crop of youngsters who will put the province well and truly on the swimming map in years to come.

The most successful among the younger swimmers was A. C. Millar, who made no race of it to annex the 33 1-3 yards open handicap (under 14) and the 33 1-3 boys’ handicap (under 16). What is more he also won his heat in both events. His time in both finals was 20sec., distinctly good for his class. No surprises were provided by the younger girls, although the final of the 66 2-3 yards open breaststroke handicap promised to be interesting. The three finalists, P. Day, C. Lynch and M. Day, were evenly matched and they finished in the order mentioned. Interest was provided by the two relay races, while a tiny-tots’ race was an interesting item. The water polo match in which Murihiku defeated the Oreti Surf Club by four goals to two, created a good deal of excitement and promised an interesting competition for the season.