CANADIAN ATHLETES

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1934, Page 9

CANADIAN ATHLETES

SPECIALISED TRAINING SUCCESS.

TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND.

Under the charge of Dr. A. S. Lamb, of McGill University, Montreal, the team of Canadian college athletes which by a wide margin won the Empire schools’ contests held this month at Melbourne, arrived at Wellington on Monday from Sydney. Dr. Lamb is accompanied by his wife. “I consider that our team was very lucky to do so well,” said Dr. Lamb when he landed from the Maunganui. That the material in other teams was equally good he by quoting the high jump, in which O. Evans, Victoria, had tied with I. R. Jansen, Canada, and had only been beaten in the jumpoff. The broad jump also had been won by a Victorian, E. R. Fletcher, and it seemed that these two athletes with proper advice would go far. A little more attention was paid to specialisation in Canada, and to this Dr. Lamb attributed his team’s success. “It is no good to enter for a competition unless you go in to win; that is the essence of competition,” explained Dr. Lamb. “At the same time it is important, especially when dealing with schoolboys, to avoid over-specialisation.” The task was to reconcile the two problems—how to win, and how far to encourage specialisation. In a school it was obviously better than the ninety and nine should maintain a high standard than that trainers should concentrate on the one or two specialists who excelled; The great merit of such a tour as the present one lay in the things the boys learned and the friendships which they made; these would be an important asset in cementing the good relationship and mutual understanding between Canada and other parte of the Empire. The boys, who looked very fit, will be touring the North Island before returning to Canada. They will demonstrate their prowess in New Zealand, and are anticipating better conditions of weather and track than they experienced at Melbourne. Dr. Lamb said that his team had also been quite unaccustomed to the circular track, and to running on grass. They had, however, soon accustomed themselves to new conditions.