Clamour At Carnivals Will Be Welcomed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31098, 29 June 1966, Page 10

Clamour At Carnivals Will Be Welcomed

'THE council of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association is looking for people—people to cram themselves into three of the country’s indoor swimming pools next month to acclaim the Dominion’s Empire Games swimmers as noisily as they wish. The council's aim is to simulate the conditions likely to be encountered by New Zealand swimmers at Kingston in August. Leading officials know only too well that New Zealand swimming carnivals are sedate, dignified affairs compared with many overseas meetings. They are proud of this, too, but they have been quick to realise that New Zealand swimmers need experience of the clamour and distractions of an international meeting to round off the most complete preparation any Dominion swimming team has had. “We aim to give them the worst circumstances for them to produce their best,” said Mr G. S. Brockett, deputy-chairman of the council.

“If they come through these tests we can truthfully say they are versatile competitors fit t«J f fleet any

situation,” added Mr A. J. Donaldson, the cou cil’s chairman. Messrs Donaldson and Brockett are hoping for strong public support for the special carnivals at Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, so that as tense and noisy an atmosphere as pqssible will be created. It is only by roughing up conditions that the swimmers will be fully prepared for international competition, they reason.

This unique series of meetings, which start at Auckland on Saturday, will provide each of the games swimmers with the opportunity to compete twice each night against local competitors. At Dunedin the squad will spend three days assimilating 55yd pool conditions before taking part in the final carnival. In their training at the Mt. Eden pool in Auckland, the swimmers have been introduced to atmospheric conditions likely to be encountered in Jamaica. With the pool water heated to a temperature of 82 degrees, the swimmers have become used to the high humidity they will experience at the

Games; Kingston has an average humidity of 73 per cent and an average dry temperature of 92 degrees. The swimmers have thus been conditioned to produce effort in unfamiliar conditions. The 10 days they have in Kingston before the start of the Games will be used to extend this programme. UNLUCKY The unluckiest table tennis player in Canterbury this season, beyond all doubt, has been H. P. Holt, of Selwyn. Selected for Canterbury to play against Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast, he gave a good account of himself and was most unfortunate to miss a trip to Invercargill for the quadrangular tournament. Selection was made on victories in the inter-club competition, which is a fair way to do it But Holt, whose victories have not been as great in number as those of C. W. C. Tilby and K. Ward, who made the team, has a better record than either of them in inter-provincial competition. Holt’s form is often affected on inter-dub night by the amount of heavy work he has had to do during the day; and to discard on this basis is a little unfair.