SWIMMING NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 23332, 16 October 1937, Page 18

SWIMMING NOTES

MORE INTEREST IN TRAINING (By LIFEBELT) Murihiki carnival.— October 21, 7.45 p.m. Club hours.— Murihiki, Monday, 6.157 p.m.; Ex-Pupils, Tuesday, 5.456.30 p.m.; Collegiate, Wednesday, 5.45-6.30 p.m.. With the decision of the Murihiki Club to hold its carnival next week swimmers are showing more interest in their training, even D. Davis being observed to swim seven lengths at one time. A reply has been received from H. Leander accepting.the invitation to compete at the meeting and suggesting a water polo match between its representatives and a -local team. Southland should be able to field a fast and clever polo team this year and a try-out of probable players would npear very beneficial to them. A noticeable feature preceding these carnivals is the practice indulged in by the very young swimmers who intend to compete in the width for learners. They are observed dashing across every time an opening occurs, much to the annoyance of those earnest trainers who are swimming lengths. These width races and the tiny tots 33 1-3 yds (under 11) are without doubt the most popular events of the evening and the winners and losers receive great applause for the efforts. The medley relay appears to be attracting a fair share of attention and a good number of intending competitors are busy studying what they consider to be the fastest swimming arrangement. However, the general result of making the teams as fast as regards has not proved a success as regards winning a relay. Here again we get the fastest teams being known swimmers and consequently being right back on their best times while a team with one unknown performer has the handicapper guessing. The medley next Thursday consists of one swimmer backstroke, one breaststroke and one freestyle. Do not forget that entries close tonight at the baths office at 9 p.m. for the Murihiki Club’s carnival next Thursday. Swimmers would do well to remember that the handicapper expects all competitors to fill in their times with their entry forms and that he has the power to disqualify any entrant entering false times. Miss J. Macdonald is scheduled to make an attempt on her own New Zealand girls’ intermediate backstroke record of 0.77 4-5 next Thursday night at the carnival. This should prove an added attraction as this girl is a graceful and accomplished stylist not often seen in New Zealand and all Southlanders will wish her luck in her attempt. GREAT ENTHUSIASM SHOWN Aided for the first time by bright hot weather the Murihiki Club experienced an attendance which bade fair to equal its best last Monday. Many new members were signed up and great enthusiasm was shown by everybody. Another 33 1-3 yards handicap was swum off and again heats were necessary. The heats and final produced close and good racing, the finishes being of the blanket variety with the exception of the eventual winner Miss D. Moffett, who swam well to gain an easy victory, and register good time. The winner used the breastroke in both heat and final. Another breaststroke entry was Miss C. Lynch, who also swam well but was unplaced, being rather badly hampered by having too little room for the wider breaststroke action. Miss B. Westerby filled second pl-.ce once more swimming very consistently and was forced to' her best by the fast finishing M. Jones. V. Osmond, P. Malthus, and J. Cameron provided the fireworks in the race, all swimming a very fast length. The smallest competitor in the race was Miss M. Gerrard, who reached the final, and was close up at the finish. The results were:—First heat.—Miss D. Moffett 1, Miss B. Westerby 2, M. Jones 3. Second ' heat.—A. V. Osmond 1, N. Hannon 2, Miss M. Gerrard 3. Final.—Miss Moffett I, Miss B. Westerby 2, M. Jones 3. While these club races are good for the members and keep the swimmers interested, there is a very noticeable break in coaching activities while the events are being swum off. The club session, of only three-quarters of an hour, is not over long, and while these heats are in progress the non-swimmers have to line the walls or get out of the pool. A reasonable suggestion would be for entries to close each night for the next week’s event when handicaps and heats could be arranged and posted on the board, and the races begun at 6.15 sharp and finished with. The argument would be that trouble would be experienced in obtaining entries a week ahead, but even if the entries slackened in the initial stages of the experiment, the swimmers would soon become alive to the necessity of entering before hand and would do so or be left out. The value of these races is too great to permit of them being discarded, but they should not be allowed to spoil the coaching being carried on. Next week’s event is a 50 yards handicap. During the Collegiate Club’s hour the principal of the Technical College (Mr C. A. Stewart) attended and addressed the members present. Mr Stewart deplored the present weakness of the club, mentioning that with the college to draw upon it should be more prominent and concluded by urging a greater amount of co-operation between club members and present pupils. Mr G. Rask then replied on behalf of the club thanking Mr Stewart for his address and pointing out that his club was very appreciative of his efi forts to aid them. He went on to refer to Mr Stewart’s keen interest in swimming at the college and indicated that the Collegiate Club would, in future, be paying more attention to still-water life-saving which it regarded as important as swimming itself. Immediately afterwards a dual re--1 lay was swum. The first heat resulted in a hollow victory for Phillips and Jackson, who performed well. An added interest was given the second heat by the inclusion of one of the college masters, Mr W. Curwin, and his team touched firs* inches ahead of the second pair. His win was well received. The final saw a great finish between four teams, the handicapping being excellent, Mr Curkin and A. Edwards catching the judge’s eye by the barest of margins. The results were as follows:—First heat.—B. Phillips and H. Jackson 1, C. Lea and E. Ker 2. Second heat.—W. Curwin and A. Edwards 1, R. Lyons and M. Cushen 2. Final.—W. Curwin and A. Edwards 1, B. Phillips and H. Jackson 2. Next week’s event | will be a 33 1-3 yards handicap. Mr Anderson, another college master, acted as judge for these events, and it is very pleasing to see these men taking an active interest in the club. NEW STARTING RULES A good deal of opposition appears evident among swimmers as to the new rules governing starting in scratch competitions. The old method of “Ready—Go” is now discarded as it has been, considered to be responsible for the majority of false starts, and the new method is substituted but whether the false start bugbear has disappeared or not remains to be seen. The rule now reads as follows:—“The starter shall use the preparatory command ‘take vow: marks.’ and there shall fol-

low a sufficient length of time before the signal to start is given. The competitors shall remain stationary until the actual signal is given. The starter shall call back the competitors at the first false start and remind them of not starting before the starting signal is given. Such a false start if repeated in the same heat (no matter if by the same swimmer or another swimmer) shall disqualify.”

It will be seen that there is now no cautionary word, simply the command “go.” This would appear to be very fair to all the starters but I still think that attempts will be made by the socalled shrewd ones, to anticipate the command. In the event of one false start the competitor who breaks in the second or subsequent starts in the same heat incurs disqualification. Swimmers consider this very unfair if a nonoffender is penalized for his first mistake and the nervous strain the majority of swimmers labour under in qll championship races is very much increased. The fear of being caught flatfooted will almost assuredly continue to creat false starts, and yet a swimmer can only hope to start flat-footed if he is to stay in the race. I have not yet seen any provision for the case of three or four swimmers who anticipate the word in the second start I presume they are all disqualified and yet that event is very probable. Records made under the old rule will be harder to break now, as going by our one example of the new, practically every race was swum very much slower than it should rhave been, very nearly one second being lost at the start, and practically every race being heraled by one false start, because of the long period before “go” was given. And yet the old system with a good starter was very satisfactory. We, in Southland, have had no complaints with false starts. The centre’s starter, Mr A. Kingsland, is as good as any in New Zealand, and our experience is the same as all other centres, good starters, good starts, even with the old rules. One very good amendment to the present laws governing starting is the introduction of the clause stating: “The starting stations shall be drawn for No. 1 starting from the right facing the course.” This rule will eliminate the delay usually occuring at the start owing to competitors picking and choosing their lanes after the ballot. Previously each competitor drew a marble and was given preference of lanes in order of number, that is No. 1 marble had first choice, No. 2 second and so on and swimmers would be crossing back and forward on the starting platform. That is now done away with and much less confusion should result.