SWIM HANDICAPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 63, 14 March 1936, Page 4

SWIM HANDICAPS

NEW SYSTEM MOOTED PROPOSAL AUCKLAND. I QUESTION OF GRADING. , At a. recent meeting of delegates to the Auckland Swimming Centre the following recommendation was passed:— Tha/t in ail races handicapped by the centre’s committee of distances ranging from 50yds. Io 190yds. have a basis of handicap published in the programme, and that if a competitor break that basis by more than 2s in distances 50yds. and 66yds., and 3s in 100yds. he be automatically disqualified. In reporting thereon, the centre’s handicapping committee stated: — For some years now there has been talk of aproposal to run in Auckland a series of races for graded swimmers, such as has been conducted with reasonable success in Australia. We fed it is the accepted opinion that Auckland is not at all readv for a. scheme such as that carried out in other countries, but your handicapping committee have so arranged the various lists of handicaps that the swdmmers have automatically been graded on the progra m me. We fed that both from fhe public as well as the competitors’ point of view this method of selection is to the ad vantage of all. and we suggest that from now' on it be the accepted principle. The verv many advantages directly the result of t'his procedure, have been apparent to most of us here in the meeting, but should any delegate feel that the idea is not going to be further appreciated maybe a few reasons why the scheme should be approved would I help:- - j (1) Assembly on the Board.—Assembly stewards will tell yon the matter of assembly simplified as fhe I scheme irons it out so that, the limits •are together a 1 are the scratch men. I (2/ The checx starter’s job of al locating marks is simple. I (3) The starter has Qfor heals; to count but very little. Points one, two, and three tend to speed up the commencing proceedings. (I; The races are interesting from the start. (5) Judges have a chance, whereas it is difficult in the case of a fast scratch man coming up on a slow competitor for the judge .to make the correct selection. (6/ The scratch men eliminate Uhe scratch men; the centre of the field competitors eliminate the other centre men; the limit men eliminate the limit (7) The centre of the field takes care of the people that the handicappers are not sure about. In consequence of the centres racing against the centres we have not spoiled the chance of a limit or a scratch man getting into the final because of a party unknown to any extent swimming better than anticipated. (8) With grouped heats we find that lit’ there are to be any poor finishes the poor one will be restricted to the [ centre of the field, and that’s where we I want them from the point of view’ of entertainment. j (9) AVc must get fairer, better competition. The limit man is, to us, just as important as the scratch man, and it I is our endeavour to get more limit men Ito enter into our handicaps. "With l group swimming a man does not mind going in even if on 20s if he has only to be stood up 2s or 3s in his heat. The scratch man gets more appreciation and satisfaction, both personal and from the public, in winning against a field ot chaps of similar abilirv. (10. With racing against people of similar qualification the tendency would be for all swimmers to extend themselves even more than if circurustanees were otherwise. ((1) The programme gets peppy and interesting right from the jump. (12; The whole scheme simplifies the work of the people who have to drawup the nominations for the paper—the programme itself. (13) Last, but not least, it’ gives everyone a very definite check on lhe