SWIMMING ACTIVITIES

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1930, Page 5

SWIMMING ACTIVITIES

NORTH TARANAKI CLUBS REPAIR OF WAITARA BATHS. AUSTRALIAN STAR SWIMMERS. (By “Life Saver.”) The Waitara baths, Under the control of the school committee, have been found to be leaking, and a sub-committee reported on Monday that, although patching would remedy the ■position for some time, a new floor, reinforced, and three inches thick, had been recommended. The committee decided to interview a man who was stated to be willing to do the work.

Meanwhile the swimming season is in full swing elsewhere in Taranaki. The Waitara club has agreed to provide improvements to the baths, and it seems improbable that the club will be able to commence activities for some time. It l is rather surprising that the condition of the baths was not attended to earlier. The Waitara club has . been, allotted January 15 as a carnival date, arid it will need to raise enthusiasm and provide training facilities for its members before that date. .: /

At the same meeting of the school committee Miss Lily Copplestone was granted the use of the baths in February for the teaching of swimming. It is presumed she will be working in conjunction with the club. The warm water in the New Plymouth baths, which has registered as high as 66 deg. F., has done much to set the weekly swimming night activities of the various clubs in full swing. Both the New Plymouth and Amateur Swimming Club and the Fitzroy Surf Club; have their organisation in full swing with aggregate competition events. The New Plymouth Ladies’ Live-Saving Club has held two coaching evenings at the baths, while the East End cl. b opened its swimming season, as, apart from its life-saving activities, on Thursday night. The Inglewood club was to have opened the same night, but the function has now been postponed. • ' \ NELSON SHIELD COMPETITION. i " i -. . ■ ' The Nelson .Shield competition has been set down for the Friday afternoon , during the-championship week aft Wanganui in March. At a meeting of the Wellington centre of the -Royal LifeSaving Society, says the Dominion, strong exception was taken to holding the ,life-saving competition of the Dominion on such a day, as it was considered that Friday is a shopping day ' and that people would not . go to the beach to see the competition. Several members expressed the -view that the life-saving competitions had been relegated to.the background in favour of swimming events. Objection was also taken to the holding of the race, for the Annette Kellerman Cup (three'miles) on the Saturday afternoon, as some of the competitors in this race would have to compete, in championship events in the evening. It was considered that the Nelson Shield contest should be held on either a. Saturday or a Sunday. Sunday was preferred, as. it was stated every section of the community recognised that lifesaving displays were not Merely sport-, ing events, but were realistic manifestations of the efficiency of teams to help in case .of possible drowning disasters. loss of polo banner: There was great jubilation in. Auckland swimming circles last/ year when the provincial . water polo team drew with Canterbury for the national polo championship and thereby partially checked t'- ■ long run of success the southern province had enjoyed. At the present moment there is great consternation in the same circles, says the New Zealand Referee, for the banner that is emblematic of supremacy in water-polo cannot be found. When ,the provinces drew at the last national championships ! it was agreed that each should hold the' banner for six months.

Aucklanders, proud of their achievement, displayed the banner in a commercial house in Queen Street; but with the passing of the weeks the glamour of the performance ■ died down and the trophy slipped into oblivion. A few nights ago the Canterbury centre wrote asking for the return of .the trophy, and someone remembered that after it had been displayed to the public it was forgotten. The task of unearthing it has been left to /secretary Walter Batty , and chairman R. Sheffeld.

NOTES AND JOTTINGS. The New Zealand Swimming Association is not issuing the official ham” this year owing to the small return received from sales. It is rather to be regretted that there was ,not a greater demand for the book, as it contained much interesting and valuable information which will be missed , by those 'who regularly obtained a copy. Obviously the council cannot afford to lose financially over the book, and it is probable some time will elapse before a further publication is made.

Swimming enthusiasts in Australia are anxious to see the' famous long-dis-tance swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, .in action, and there is every likelihoc ? of

the English Channel swimmer being among the 600 competitors in the annual three-mile Yarra swim of the Victorian Amateur Swimming Association, to .be decided in March, says an Australian writer. It is understood the swimmer,, who recently married a Dublin engk-eer, will be spending her honeymoon in Victoria about that time.

bliss Helene ;Madison, who may be coming to Australia from U.S.A, this season, made a remarkable entry into the swimming world. She first showed promise in 1928 when only 16 years old, and under capable tuition went ahead like wildfire. She' has broken eight world’s records and' six American records over distances ranging from 50 yards to a mile. Her best times are: 50yds. in 26 2-ssec., 100 yds. in 60 4-ssec.,'loo metres in OSsec,, 200yds. in 2.35, 500yds. in 6.6 2-5, and 50 in 31sec. Judged on her performances, Helene is the best woman swimmer in the world ’to-day. Australia possesses no such ver-1 sat?- 1 girl. Jean Cocks is a champion over the shorter distances, but her best . times are well out; | le those of the American. Jean has don? 50 yards in 28 4-5 sec.; and 100 yards in 64 3-ssec. Her time over the furlong is 2.41 3-5., and her 100 metres time is 73 3-ssec. Jean;* however, is only 16 years of age and can afford to develop gradually.