SWIMMING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 51, 6 April 1914, Page 2

SWIMMING.

NOTES OF THE WEEK. SIR JOHN HALL'S SHIELD. I notice that the Canterbury Swimming Centre has handed over the management and control of Sir John Hall's Shield Competition, of next year to the Christehurch branch of the Life-saving Society. This shield is vested in the Canterbury Swimming Centre, and in the writer's opinion the contest should be absolutely under the control of that body. Although not wishing to make disparaging remarks about the Lifesaving (a body which does much useful work), one cannot blink the fact that it has never shown any capacity for entering with any success into competitive sport. Whether this is due to the fact that the society has always seemed to be out of touch, or rather out of sympathy, with the great majority of contestant swimmers the writer cannot say, but with the example of the society's previous failure to rise to the occasion in the Wigram Shield Competition, the latest act of the Canterbury Centre seems rather ill-advised. In the Wigram contest the centre yielded to the request of the society to be allowed to select t\\e representatives of the province in the big Lifesaving contest at the championships'. As a result,of the society's endeavours five very moderate candidates appeared for selection (as compared with over 50 for the previous year), the chosen four being unable to retain a trophy which has hitherto found what has always been recognised? as a safe resting;place in Canterbury.

I WELLINGTON MATTERS. It is a rule of the New Zealand; Amateur Swimming Association that a delegate of a swimming centre is debarred from holding a seat on the governing body. When, therfeore, Mr Adkins, late chairman of the Wellington Centre, was appointed to the association, his eligi'bility for membership was challenged until he had given the satisfactory assurance'that he had resigned and was no longer a delegate to the Wellington body. Notwithstanding the denial given by this gentleman,, it seems strange that :jjl the published reports of the last meeting of the Wellington Centre the chairman, in reply to a question, stated that i Mr Adkins was present as the delegate for a lady's club. lam given to understand that, on the next occasion that the NeV/ Zealand Association meets, a motion will be submitted asking Mr ' Adkins to show cause why he shoiUd ■be suspended for a "breach of the association rules, and further requesting the Wellington Centre for an explanation. An application came, bef ore the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association at its last meeting from B. C. Freyberg (a swimmer well known throughout the Dominion) asking for the removal of the disqualification placed upon h'im by the Wellington Centre. ;B. Wilton .also wrote asking whether he, as a delegate to the Wellington Centre, had the right of perusing the minute book of the executive of that body. Owing to lack of information, the association deferred both matters until further particulars could be obtained. There does not seem much to connect either of these applications, but from private information I learn that both have a very important bearing on a storm which is at present raging in swimming circles in Wellington. For ttte beginning of the trouble one has to go back to the championships held at Wanganui in 1913. While competing at that town the manager of the Canterbury team received a telegram from ■ the Levin Club, Wellington, asking him if he could arrange for his men to compete at that club's carnival while passing through to Christehurch. He replied in the affirmative, but later a communication arrived from the Wellington Centre stating that it had decided to hold the Norden Cup Competition at Wellington on a date which coincided with the Levin Carnival. It Avas naturally assumed that this annual contest was to take place at the Levin function, but at the last moment it was discovered that it was at a gathering promoted for ! the occasion by the centre. Meanwhile,

a few minutes . in discussing rule 5. Several players were penalised on Saturday without cause. / The game next Saturday between Dunedin Mornington a7id Nomads is being looked forward to with considerable interest. . It will probably be played at St. Albans Park, but definite notice will be given later in the week. The Rugbyites are getting alarmed at the hold the "soccer" game is getting in the schools, not only locally, but all over the Dominion. At different times both in Wellington and Dunedin repeated efforts have been made to check the inroads made by the Association game, but with what result. In Dunedin there are easily tein boys playing "soccer" to one playing Eugby; in Wellington the number is still greater, while in Auckland and Canterbury the popularity of the game with the boys is more apparent each season. Why? The reasons are not far to seek, and can be summed up as follow: —The small boy can play on equal terms with the big boy, and as often as not "diddle" him; the rough and tumble element in Rugby is totally insuited to boys of tender years, playing where they so often do, on playgrounds perhaps of ashpalt or cinders. A small boy can play "soccer", even with much bigger boys the whole day, and run little, if any, chance of coming a serious cropper. This cannot be said of Rugby, where '' struggles'' are frequent, and should (as often is bound to be the case) the boy of Bst odd fall on the boy of, say, 6st, there is great risk of injury of a permanent kind. Not only the boys realise this, but so also do the parents. lam quite sure there is ample room for both games, and that the Rugby officials should take up'a dog-in-the-manger attitude will certainly not do their game any good.

crowds of spectators had assembled at Levin in expectation of seeing the Canterbury cracks, but, as they failed ,to imaterialise, the carnival practically collapsed. As the Levin Club stated that it had informed the Wellington Centre 'through its executive of its invitation of the Canterbury men evidently prior : to that body's decision to hold the Nordon Cup Competition, and moreover was up to the last day in; utter ignorance of the centre function, it was naturally sore over, the breach of courtesy of the centre executive, and mentioned the fact in no uncertain terms in its annual report. The centre immediately ordered the chib to apologise, but, this not being forthcoming, the executive of the centre suspended the club. Freyberg, who had been a member of the Levin Club, but who had resigned at the annual meeting, was included in the suspension, hence his appeal to the Dominion governing body. There is, however, a strong feeling evidenciug itself against the apparently high-handed manner of the the Wellington Association, and I am given to understand that the ruling asked by B. Wilton as to his right to inspect the executive minute book is the result of an endeavour to ascertain some rather interesting information on the subject, which that body refuses to disl- - ■ "

NEW BRIGHTON CLUB. On Saturday evening last the New Brighton Surf Club held, in the Pier Hall, what was described on. the admission ticket as "the end of the season shivoo." Certainly as a "shivoo" it was a pronounced success, the gathering, which was presided over by the Mayor of the borough, Mr "C. H. Winny, being a thoroughly enjoyable one. In his opening remarks, Mr\ Winny stated that it would not be long before it would be necessary to provide additional accommodation for bathers, the present beach accommodation being taxed'to its ,utmost dmring the season. He? emphasised the good feeling at preseM existing between the council and the surf club. '"

A matter which was introduced by Mr Stokes during the evening provided a very interesting discussion. In refer' 1 ring to the question of beach control,* he pointed out that it was time the club laid down a costume for its lady associates. Many of the ladies were wearing the uniform provided for the men, a condition of things which would not be allowed on any of the Australian beaches. He recommended the Canadian costume, or one with a skirt, for women. Continuing, Mr Stokes stated that it behoved the club to act in this matter promptly before it lost the present support of the. general public. The great popularity of Captain Owles was demonstrated when - that gentleman, who has taken "a keen interest in the affairs of the. club, and who has assisted from time to time with liberal financial contributions, was presented with a framed enlargement of a club muster. By the way the captain enjoys the distinction of being the first life member appointed. Toasts were proposed by the Mayor, C. Taylor, L. Cookson,. and C. Bryant, while musical and other items were given by Bloy's Band and Messrs E. Sweeney, L. Cookson, Dunn, Knox, F. Cuming, and H. M'D. Vincent. Congratulations to Mr G. Sanderson, the genial honorary secretary of the Canterbury Centre, who joins the ranks of the benedicts this week. MERMAN.

FANNY DURACK. The young Australian swimmer Miss Fanny Durack (shown below) has been very much in the public eye of late as possessing the very unladylike habit of

smashing swimming records. Needless to say, as she can only confess to having seen 21 summers, her appearance in the front rank of the sport is of a comparatively recent date. Although Miss Duraek has been a swimmer almost from the time she first learned to '' toddle,'' it was not until the year 1912 that what might be termed almost a natatorial eruption transpired, when this young Sydney prodigy was literally heaved out of obscurity by annexing the 100 yds Championship of Australia in the then record

time of lmin 9see, a perf by the way, she has since "bettered bySsec. Tier success iu this event was mainly responsible for her being chosen as the Australian lady representative at the Olympic Games at Stockholm. This selection was brilliantly justified when she "scooped the pool" in all women's races in record times. Her stamina is marvellous, for she not only uses the extremely exhausting, but speedy, ''crawl' ' .stroke over the shorter distances, but can maintain the same up to half a mile. This striking proof of her staying powers is rendered the more remarkable when it is remembered that none of our New Zealand men champions have ever shown themselves capable of using this stroke in racing with an degree of success over distances of more than 100 yards. Her most striking performance was in February last, when in swimming in a mile race she equalled her previous world ? s record for 220 yards and lowered the 440 yards, 880 yards, and. 1320 yards world's records. This feat enabled her to claim every women's world's, record from 50 yards to one mile.