First championships for infant sport

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 6

First championships for infant sport

An infant sport in New Zealand, synchronised swimming, will have its first national championships at Queen Elizabeth II Park today. The championships have attracted 21 entries in three grades from all parts of the country', but unfortunately the two New Zealand representatives last year, Anne Breekveldt and Sally-Ann Jenkins have retired, leaving a gap in the open section.

Misses Breekveldt and Jenkins represented New Zealand at the world championships in West Berlin last August and performed creditably. Their knowledge and experience has not been lost however. Both will be at the championships as judges.

In November the Pan Pacific championships, including teams from the United States, Japan and Canada — three of the top countries in the sport — will

be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park. This week-end the national selectors will be present, gauging standards of competitors with a view to naming a team later in the year for the Pan Pacific contest.

The championships are in three divisions — junior (un to 15 years), intermediate (15 to 18 years) and open (over 18) — and points are accumulated from two exercises, figures and routines. Figure exercises will be completed this morning and the routines, which are performed to music, will be this evening.

There are five entries in the open section, four 4 them — Cherry Kitchingham Janine Ramsey, Catherin Heagney and Petra Ekens — from Wellington, and th other, Karen Gunby fror Southland. Other entries ar; from Bay of Plenty, Auck[land. Taranaki and CanterI bury.