SURF PROVINCIALISM

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1935, Page 9

SURF PROVINCIALISM

A BOGEY TO BE SS ONE-SIDED COMMENTS. (By “Beltman.”) With surf life-saving at a pitch of popularity at present greater than ever before, , the time seems opportune for a protest against a factor that may make for a disruption of the amicable feeling between all New Zealand clubs so necessary for the progress of the sport. Surf life-saving is a national affair, and although competition and a desire by each district under the Surf LifeSaving Association to excel in championship performances are all very well, any suggestion of provincialism must be strictly suppressed. The attitude of Auckland in this respect merits particular notice, for provincialism from writers in that province is doing definite harm, causing a feeling of resentment in other districts and. probably creating an attitude of superiority in Auckland life-saving circles that is certainly unnecessary. Constant Featuring.

No doubt Auckland writers find it necessary to write material of appeal to those who are interested, but to judge by the constant featuring in the comment columns of Auckland’s prowess people would be led to believe that other districts have little efficiency but much luck compared .with Auckland’s surf men. *

A. writer in a weekly paper published at Auckland had much to say, recently concerning the national surf championships at New Plymouth, in which the honours were evenly divided between Auckland, Wellington, Taranaki and Otago. Portions of the comment were as follow: —

* “Waitemata, with W. Gordon and P. Shanahan, gave a decisive beating to other competitors in the beach belt, race, and its two juniors, Pascoe and. Hardy, put up a fine swim in the junior surf race over a course of approximately 450 yards, securing second and third- places in spite of being badly crowded at the start.”

The beach belt race was not a championship event, being put on more to fill a possible gap in the programme. Scratch teams composed of any two men available were entered at’ the post. In the surf race, in which J. Neville, New Plymouth Old Boys, was first, all competitors suffered equally from crowding At the start arid the Auckland swimmers were not alone in that handicap. The comment continues: —

", . . N. Galbraith, Takapuna’s 15stone beltman, gave an astounding performance on Saturday afternoon by winning his heats in the four-man alarm team event and the beltman’s championship, while in the Nelson Shield rescue and resuscitation team he drew belt position and outswam J. Blakeley, the Lyall Bay crack and former champion. Unfortunately in the final of the beltman’s championship he did not strike form.” W. J. Jarvis (Otago) won the beltman's championship final and Takapuna, did not even win its heat in the Nelson Shield. No one can have any objection to a writer endeavouring to help, such a worthwhile sport, but to foster provincialism with such expressions of opinion is misleading and harmful, and properly resented by other provinces just as good. “Criticism is even better founded in connection with swimming comments,” stated a prominent Taranaki authority. “In Auclcland they seem to care more about whether Auckland’s swimmers can be beaten than about the standard of swimming.”