THREE HANDICAPPERS SUGGESTED FOR SWIMMING IN CITY

Southland Times, Issue 23634, 8 October 1938, Page 14

THREE HANDICAPPERS SUGGESTED FOR SWIMMING IN CITY

By :

LIFEBELT

CLUB HOURS Monday 6.15-7.15 p.m. Murihiku. Tuesday 5.45-6.45 p.m. Ex-Pupils. Wednesday 5.45-6.45 p.m. Collegiate. Thursday 6.15-7.15 p.m. Murihiku. Last Wednesday saw the beginning of the organization of a women’s committee to aid the Southland Swimming Centre in its efforts to run the National championship meeting. Valuable work is contributed every year by the women supporters of the swimming body and this year is one in which their cooperation is essential as the problem of organizating the meeting is a large one and also a matter requiring a con- , siderable amount of finance. It is to be hoped that the women will be able to devise some means of helping the funds which would no doubt be very acceptable to the centre. The Southland Centre has very little chance of ever becoming a very financial body as it is the head of rather a small province with the result that the number of financial members of swimming clubs is not really very great, although in proportion to the population the number is quite normal. The province’s geographical situation is another drag on the centre’s funds, as it is very seldom that the swimming teams sent away do not have expensive travelling. This year the junior team is to go to Rotorua and that will not be a cheap trip by any means. . Fortunately the senior team does not travel. Last year the senior team went to New Plymouth and the junioi to Nelson, and although the members of the teams had to find a certain amount of the expenses one can easily appreciate the financial difficulties of the centre. If the big meeting in February can be run with a satisfactory profit, it will be a marvellous thing for the whole of the swimming section. During the annual meeting of the centre some discussion apparently arose about the handicapping last season and as a result the centre handicapper, Mr Owen Davis, has resigned. It is always easy to criticise others, but constructive criticism is not always offered, and that is the only type of criticism which is of any use. When the framing of handicaps is under consideration . there are many small points to be considered and when every thing is considered there must always be a certain element of guesswork in the result. It is doubtful if anybody in the whole of New Zealand is really satisfied with the handicapping. Inconsistencies always exist and always will, particularly so where all races are open. JUNIORS AS SENIORS In Invercargill there are examples of boys and girls swimming in the junioi races provided for them and on the same night competing also in the open handicaps. If seniors cannot compete and win the junior prizes, why should the juniors be allowed to win the senior prizes without a penalty. . In national championship events any junior competing as- a senior is henceforth treated as a senior and is unable to return to the junior ranks. That is a little harsh for handicap events, however, but the real way to obviate these difficulties is to impose short

limits on all races which are on the

programme which also caters for juniors , separately. If juniors are not; catered for they should be entitled to compete in the open handicaps. It has been computed that in all last season’s races 44 per cent, of the swimmers were successful in gaming prizes, so that 56 per cent;, or more than half received nothing for their year’s work. This, of course, cannot be helped, but it would be a better state of affairs if the percentages were reversed, and they could be if all races were graded to a certain limit, and every carnival catered -for two separate classes of swimmers: A grade and B grade. By

doing this the junior events could be done away with.. Also any B grade swimmer wishing to swim A grade as well as B grade could do so but only by sacrificing his handicap. At present a junior could win both junior and senior handicaps in one night. There is not a big number of junior races—-roughly seven catering for juniors and intermediates—so these swimmers have to enter open races. Of course, these juniors swell the open handicap fields very considerably and really could not be done away with but it is hard on the seniors. Last season of 33 events—seven juniors and 26 open handicaps—juniors, including intermediates, filled 20 first places and 15 seconds, seniors took 13 firsts and 17 seconds. The odd number of seconds is accounted for by the fact that there was only one contestant in one event. This shows that the juniors captured 13 firsts and eight seconds in open handicaps out of 26 events which explains why a big portion of seniors missed the prize-list. The solution would certainly appear to be by the grading system as this means that improving juniors will not be out on long handicaps in front of the seniors who find it very hard to improve on their times. It is very common to see a youngster improve anything up to five or six seconds in 100 yards, between two carnivals, and that certainly leaves the backmarkers no chance. THREE HANDICAPPERS Apart from all questions of grading, a suggestion well worth considering is the appointment of three handicappers, one representative from each club. Surely no complaints should be forthcoming under these conditions as each member should have a first-hand knowledge of his own club mates and if beter finishes are possible they should occur more frequently under this system; also the presence of three members would lighten the burden of handicapping which, apart from the welter of critism is a very exacting task and the centre handicapper has a heavy season. The task of selecting Southland’s water polo teams will be taken in hand as soon as possible and the committee desires all those players who are willing to train concientiously to hand in their names to committee members or at the Baths office. Training will start as soon as a suitable hour is granted at the pool and it is the intention to train two keen teams with the object of entering A and B teams in the national championships. Although Southland has lost very nearly a complete polo team it is still considered possible to field a team equal to the task of winning this meeting. The loss by transfer of so many of the leading players is a very serious matter but there are other players coming on. Among those younger players showing decided promise are Dudly Davis, K. Shaw, D. Berry, and A. Duncan. Davis is a very vigorous player who plays an exceptionally good game but has a slow shot—he fails to get the ball away quickly enough. Shaw plays well but is a poor handler; Berry handles not badly, has a very strong shot but is very easily tricked, as he swims at the ball with head down; and Duncan showed unusual ability in goal last season. Another young player who may be valuable with more experience is J. Cameron. Ball handling is his trouble, too. However, with plenty of practice these boys should soon handle a ball well and then they will be firstrate players. ’ Murihiku race results are:— Junior and Intermediate 50 yards Handicap—First heat: Jack Macdonald 1, D. Robbie 2, W. Robbie 3. Second heat: D. Kirkland 1, M. Barry 2, L. Barry 3. Final M. Barry 1, Jack Macdonald 2, D. Kirkland 3. Time 41 secs. All finishes were close and the racing was very interesting.