CONFUSION CAUSED BY ENTRY SYSTEM FOR SWIMMING CARNIVALS

Southland Times, Issue 23664, 12 November 1938, Page 15

CONFUSION CAUSED BY ENTRY SYSTEM FOR SWIMMING CARNIVALS

By

LIFEBELT

CLUB HOURS Monday, 6.15 to 7.15 p.m.—Murihiku. Tuesday, 5.45 to 6.45 p.m.—ExPupils. ' Wednesday, 5.45 to 6.45 p.m.—Collegiate. Wednesday, 8.30 p.m.—Water polo. Thursday, 6.15 to 7.15 p.m.—Murihiku. COMING EVENTS November 12 at 7.45 p.m.—Collegiate carnival. November 19.—Oreti Surf Club opening. November 24.—Ex-Pupils’ inter-club carnival. December 8 or 15.—Southland junior and intermediate championships. January 19.—Southland senior championships. January 21.—Watson Cup. Open water swim at Bluff. January 26-28.-—New Zealand junior and intermediate championships at Rotorua. February 14-18.—Senior national championships at Invercargill. A feature of swimming administration which could be greatly improved in Invercargill is the haphazard system of carnival entries. This most important phase of swimming control is absolutely neglected and if a swimmer does not make his own entry he simply is left out Sometimes entries are given in by second parties on behalf of somebody they think meant to enter but -in quite a lot pf these cases the proposed person does not swim, which of course, means another scratching from the programme with its attendant annoyances. There may be better methods of collecting entries but one of the most satisfactory is the one in which each club has a definite official appointed with the express object of collecting entries from his club for these interclub galas. If the secretary is too busy, and he usually has enough to do under ordinary circumstances, some one else. should be apoointed for the job. Again, the nuisance of bundles of loose entry sheets would be avoided. At present each intending competitor puts his entry in on a separate printed form provided by the centre and these are, on some occasions, deemed also to be the place for humorous remarks about times and so on. By each club sending in its entries as a club, the entries would automatically be entered on sheets of foolscap with, as is the only logical way, the total club entries for each race under a separate heading. This would mean that the handicapper would have a much simpler task in the initial stages. The club handicapper can, from his club handicapping ledger, supply the times required by the handicapper for each entry, more accurately than many of them are now given. When it is considered that each club has big attendances every night, the entries for inter-club races are really quite poor and an energetic drive on club nights should almost double the present entries. Another item overlooked is the importance of inter-club relays as a popular event and a very good source of revenue. Fifteen to 20, three or four-a-side teams, each swimmer to swim one lap, should be a minimum entry here and, at sixpence a head, a reasonable prize, and profit, could be made available. This profit would help to offset those races which have smaller entries but which must be included on a programme, such as a 220 yards handicap, to cater for the better class swimmers. For this relay race it is customary for a club to appoint an official known as a relay captain to enter and compose teams for his club. A lack of organization only causes overlaps in the make-up of the teams and is solely responsible for small entries. This is made as a suggestion and it is to be hoped that those in charge will give the proposal the consideration which is it? due, as it is a subject which has, as yet, not assumed the importance here attached to it elsewhere. Among the many improvements suggested by members of the centre, one idea which is being seriously considered is the substitution of the ordinary cork float lanes by a more rigid line. So far experiments have been restricted to one lane made of wooden strips of about two feet in length, round and the thickness of a broom handle, joined together by short pieces of cord. The wood has been painted one or two different colours to prove which colour is most easily visible to a swimmer who is racing in the lanes. Visibility is a big item in helping a swimmer to steer a straight course and if it is possible to sight these lanes all the way it will be a definite help to all competitors. Also the more rigid lanes should break-up the waves sent over the pool surface by the swimmers, more than the ordinary lanes do and should thus certainly help the speed made in races. However, they may be more awkward to handle between events.

At tonight’s carnival a varied swimming programme is to be submitted and spectators are assured of a good evening’s entertainment. All classes of swimmers are catered for and excellent entries have been received. Two championships are set down for decision. Both are over 220 yards, the first being the intermediate girls’ freestyle and the other the junior boys. Miss Westerby, who is swimming very well just now, should prove the winner of the former. Miss Macdonald, the title holder, will be swimming backstroke as the experience under racing conditions should prove invaluable to her. Even so she may push Miss Westerby closer than expected and may also break the existing senior women’s 200 metres backstroke record on the journey. Last week Miss Macdonald covered 220 yards backstroke in the course of her training in 3min 12 l-ssec, so considering that the present 220 metres record, to the credit of Miss Farquhar, of Auckland, stands at 3min 14 4-ssec, Miss Macdonald should have no trouble in breaking that. The 200 metres is 3ft 10 l-Bin shorter than 220 yards. Miss Bradshaw, the other entrant, is a good girl but would not seem quite fast enough to head the other two.

A great struggle should result between two old rivals D. Kirkland and L. Barry, present junior champion. Barry has in the past always been able to shade Kirkland, but he will have to swim faster than last year to do it now. This should be a close finish. Seven inter-club handicaps, two tiny tots races and two diving competitions comprise the remainder of the competitive section and the programme is rounded off by some interesting novelties. .« t Four Otago swimmers will be competing, two of them being New Zealand champions and title holders, and the other two are numbered among Otago’s foremost swimmers. Miss Rix, New Zealand Empire Games representative diver, is well known to Invercargill audiences and needs no further introduction but Miss Christine Garvin is a newcomer here. This young girl took first place in Nelson last January in the New Zealand intermediate girls’ 100 yards championship in excellent time and was only narrowly beaten by Auckland’s much-boost-ed girl, Kathleen Grey. Miss Garvin will take her place in the Southland girls’ furlong and should have little difficulty in coming home first although the title will go to the first local girl to finish. C. Kidd, who was transferred to Dunedin last year, has progressed very well and is said to be a much improved swimmer. When he left here he was beginning to trouble the best distance men so he should now be worth watching. E. Toase has been showing form good enough to mark him as an outstanding swimmer; he has an easy style and is very fast. A brief glance through the main events shows that the handicaps have been well framed and to select any certainties seems impossible. Miss Rix appears well treated in the open dive handicap and L. Blaikie must surely feel flattered at being considered good enough to give this outstanding girl diver six points. Miss Rix should win that event.

On past form Berry appeals in the 220 yards with the scratch men well up. Cameron is not up to his best yet but the 100’ yards breaststroke offers a problem. Several swimmers who are improving are carded here but Miss Margaret Kennedy may get there with Shaw and Miss Lynch as her nearest opponents. In the 100 yards open Alexander will take a lot of beating with Miss McGrath and E. Toase challenging. With Miss Macdonald having previously swum a hard race, Martin looks the winner in the backstroke with Miss Macdonald handy if she starts. Another puzzle is the 50 yards junior and intermediate with four heats. A. Muirson on 9 sec may get this as he swam particularly well last carnival. Miss Joyce Gerrard also looks well treated and should be close up. Miss Margaret Barry is on a good mark and these three may fill the places. A good entry of junior divers makes that event interesting with the odds favouring Miss Leila Gellately or Miss Dulcie Clark.

Nearly 200 entries have been received for this carnival which is exceptionally good. Miss Alma Abernethy, the Otago women’s backstroke champion, is being coached in that style by Miss Islay Purdie,' and as she is carrying out her training with A. Thomas, Otago men’s champion, she is beginning to show the result of a careful championship preparation.

Result of 100 yards open handicap held at Ex-Pupils Club hour: R. Duthie 1, J. Alexander 2, A. C. Millar 3. Close finish. Time, 80 l-ssec. Girls’ race, two widths.—Miss M. Ritchie 1, Miss N. Dixon 2, Miss N. Webb 3. Won by a foot. . SURF The following team has been selected to present a run-out on opening day, November 19, at Oreti Beach: R. Glennie (patient), J. Cameron (beltman), I. Mitchell (Ist line), W. Williams (reel), R. Duthie (2nd line), J. Cockerell (3rd line). There will be a practice at the beach tomorrow at 11 a.m.