World-Class Times By U.S. Swimmer

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30978, 7 February 1966, Page 15

World-Class Times By U.S. Swimmer

The world record-holders and Olympic medallists in the United States women’s swimming team took a back seat at the Centennial Pool on Saturday night as their less celebrated teammate, Judy Humbarger, turned on a dazzling succession of world class times before a crowd of about 1050.

Miss Humbarger, whose powerful build belies her 15 years, smashed the New Zealand women’s records for 110 yd and 220 yd backstroke, established a national best time for 220 yd medley and fired the fuse that led to the American team bettering its own Dominion mark for the 4 x 110 yd medley relay.

Swimming the backstroke leg of the relay event, Miss Humbarger was timed at Imin 10.5 sec, which was only I.Bsec outside the world record established last year by the 12-year-old South African prodigy, Karen Muir.

The time bettered the record swims of lmin 12.2 sec and lmin U.9sec Miss Humbarger had achieved in Auckland and New Plymouth repectively earlier in the tour. In the 220 yd backstroke the 15-year-old Indiana schoolgirl sliced 6.ssec from the New Zealand record and was 4sec outside the world mark. But the performance which gave her possibly her biggest fillip was her win in the 220 yds medley. Close To World Record She trounced two of the greatest medley swimmers, Mary Ellen Olcese, the world record-holder for 440yds, and Sharon Finneran, the Olympic silver medallist, and returned a time only 2.4 sec outside the world figure of 2min 33.95ec, held by another American, Claudia Kolb. There is no New Zealand women’s record for the distance at present, but with the event being introduced to the national championships programme this month the New Zealand council is almost certain to recognise her time. The race was robbed of local interest through the withdrawal of the Canterbury champion and New Zealand junior record-holder, Tui Shipston, who went down with measles 48 hours before the carnival. Her best time of 2min 45.75ec indicated that she would have given Miss Finneran (2min 43sec) a good tussle for third place.

Enthusiastic Crowd The six American girls were In lively form for the Rothman* carnival and the Centennial Pool’s biggest crowd since the new stand was onened was quick to appreciate the visitors' abilities.

Wonderfully fit—there was no huffing or puffing at the end of anv of their races—the Americans disnlayed stronger, faster strokes than their Christchurch rivals. It could be said the' anart from Cynthia Goyette, the breaststroke swimmer. the Americans’ styles were purely functional; none had the aesthete appeal of Dawn Fraser swimminer crawl.

Rut it could he said also that Miss Goyette’s time was the least ‘mnresyive of all the visitors’ performances—a vivid commentary on the tvoe of swimmine that has carried the United States to the ton of the tree tn world swimmine.

This was noticeable particularly in the 220yds breaststroke event. In which Misses Humbarger and Olcese were stroking at twice the rate of their Canterbury rivals as thev surged down the last length. Miss Humbarger won clearly, but Miss Olcese oushed her so constantly tha f she. too. finished well inside the New Zealand record of 2m*n Msec, established by Miss M. Macrae four years ago. Miss McMillan Fourth There was further evidence of rugged power in the displays of the crawl swimmers. particu’arlv Jane Barkman and Dolores Pfeiffer, who were first and second in a 220vds event. The New Zealand women’s chamnion. Alison McMillan, a smooth mover by comparison, made a brave showing in losing third place to Miss Finneran by only two yards. But her time was 2sec slower than the Canterbury record she established in December.

Both relay events were won handsomely by the Americans, after brilliant efforts by the first leg swimmers. In the medley relav Miss Humbarger’s fine backstroke effort inspired Misses Goyette, Olcese and Pfeiffer to clip half a second from the time established by an American quartet in Auckland. The approximate split times were Humbarger. lmin 10.5 sec. Goyette, lmin 26.55ec. Olcese, lmin 23.55ec. Pfeiffer, lmin Bsec.

Kathryn Harris (lmin 28sec) swam resolutely for Canterbury in the breaststroke leg and Jennifer Halsey (lmin 20sec) made up Byds against Miss Olcese on the butterfly section by way of celebrating her sixteenth birthday that day.

Miss Barkman broke 30sec on the first leg of the 6 x 55yd freestyle relay and her fellow swimmers carried on confidently tn heat the Canterbury team by 7yds,

Three Canterbury records fell during the carnival. Miss Harris lopped 3sec from her own under-14 mark for 220yds breaststroke; David Bowman lowered the junior boys’ 110 yd backstroke figure by Isec and Lindsay Furness and Alan Kindred were both inside Furness's record for boys’ 220 yd freestyle. A diving display, In which R. L. Hodge and Miss Helen Hutton played a leading part, and relay races embellished the programme. The freestyle relay team of Kindred, Furness, Mark Hindle and Brian Mustchin, which will represent Canterbury in the senior and junior events at the national championships, encountered strong competition from a scratch combination of R. Genet, B. Doherty, R. Rough and N. Williams. The Canterbury team won by only 2ft after an exciting tussle. The 8 x 55yd inter-club relay also provided spirited competition, with a searing last lap of 27.8 sec by A. N. McPhail bringing Christchurch home first ahead of Elmwood. Abbreviations used in the results are:—U.S.A., United States; W., Wharenui; S., Spreydon; St. A., St. Albans; S.P., Sockburn Park; F.. Fendalton; E., Elmwood. Results were: Invitation Events 220 yards freestyle.—J. Barkman (U.S.A.) 1, D. Pfeiffer (U.S.A.) 2, S. Finneran (U.S.A.) 3. Times: 2:19.2. 2:20.7, 2:25.2. 220 yards backstroke.—J. Humbarger (U.S.A.) 1, M. E. Olcese (U.S.A.) 2, J. Wright (S.P.) 3. Times: 2:32.5 (a New Zealand record), 2:34.4, 2:54.

220 yards breaststroke.—C. Goyette (U.S.A.) 1, J. Barkman (U.S.A.) 2, K. Harris (W.) 3. Times: 2:59.3, 3:1.7, 3:9.3 (a Canterbury under-14 record). 220 yards medley.—J. Humbarger (U.S.A.) 1, M. E. Olcese (U.S.A.) 2, S. Finneran (U.S.A.) 3. Times: 2:36.3, 2:40.7, 2:43. 4 x 110 yards medley relay.— U.S.A. (J. Humbarger, C. Goyette, M. Olcese, D. Pfeiffer) 1, Canterbury (J. Wright, K. Harris, J. Halsey, A. McMillan) 2. Time: 4:56.5 (a New Zealand record). 6 x 55 yards freestyle relay. —U.S.A. 1, Canterbury 2. Time: 3:10.5, 3:16.1. Open Events 220 yards freestyle.—Race 1: P. Shand <F.) 1, G. Adams (S.) 2, P. Parkhouse (W.) 3. Time: 2:42.1. Race 2: B. Mustchin (W.) 1, B. Doherty (W.) 2, S. Hollander (S.) 3. Time: 2:23.4. Race 3: Miss R. MacKenzie (E.) 1, Miss J, Nielson (W.) 2. Miss P. Hood (W.) 3. Time: 2:40.4. Race 4: L. Furness (W.) 1, A. Kindred (W.) 2, N. Williams (W.) 3. Time: 2:16.2 (a Canterbury junior record). 110 yards backstroke. —Race 1: L. Jeffs (S.) 1, Miss B. Albertson (S.) 2, Miss C. Whiting (S.) 3. Time: 1:22.2. Race 2: D. Bowman (W.) 1, C. Kinder (S.) 2, R. J. Wilson (S.) 3. Time: 1:12.8 (a Canterbury junior record). 110 yards breaststroke. —Race 1: Miss M. Richardson (St. A.) I, Miss C. McPhail (S.) 2, Miss A. Kinder (S.) 3. Time: 1:36.8. Race 2: W. P. Brown (S.P.) 1. J. Edmonds (S.) 2, M. King (W.) 3. Time: 1:20,1. 110 yards butterfly.—O. Noonan (S.) 1, B. Mustchin (W.) 2. Miss M. Slade- (St. A.) 3. Time: 1:14.8.

4 x 110 yards men’s freestyle relay.—Canterbury 1, The Rest 2. Time: 4:17.

6 x 55 yards freestyle relay —Christchurch 1, Elmwood 2 Sockburh Park 3. Time: 2:57.5

4 x 55 yards under-14 free style relay.—Wharenui A 1 Spreydon 2, Elmwood 3.