ATHLETIC CAMP

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 3, 5 January 1939, Page 5

ATHLETIC CAMP

TIMARU GATHERING

SUCCESS OF^VENTURE

"WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE"

In the words of Mr. J. Gilmore, captain of the Kiwi Amateur Athletic Club in Wellington, the camp for athletes conducted at Timaru during the Christmas and New Year holidays, was a wonderful experience. Mr. Gilmore has been actively associated with the coaching done in Wellingtdn by the American coach, Mr. A. L. Fitch, who directed activities at Timaru, and he said today that although as a re-, suit of this he had learned much from the American before he went south he had returned to Wellington with added knowledge of the sport, physical training, and athletic coaching methods.

Mr. Gilmore stated that, although originally a coaching school had been planned by the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Sub-centre, the idea really developed into a conference of athletes. This change was made when Mr. Fitch and the South Canterbury officials met and decided that a wonder^ ful opportunity would be missed if the athletes attending the school were coached only in the particular events in which they competed. As a result the representatives from Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, West Coast, Canterbury, Inyercargill, Otago, and Nelson attending the school received coaching in all phases-, of athletic training. The men were of the right type to pass on the knowledge they had gained on their return to their respective centres, and,'if they did that, much good to a greater number than actually attended the sdhool would come from the venture. A NATIONAL SERVICE. In his opinion, continued Mr. Gilmore, the South. Canterbury Amateur Athletic sub-centre had rendered a service, in the promotion of the school, to the sport in New Zealand as a whole. It was to be hoped that the holding of such a gathering. of athletes I once a year would become a feature of athletics in the Dominion. City athletes could learn a great deal by attending, j but the value of such an assembly, under the direction of good coaches, was even greater to the athletes in country districts. Some of the athletes from the smaller centres who attended at Timaru, said Mr. Gilmore, had known very little about methods when the school opened? there were some who even did not know the v correct starting position. Describing briefly the programme at the school, Mr. Gilmore said that Mr. Fitch showed motion-picture films of athletes every morning, and- whenever any question was asked about the style /of athletes seen in the pictures or one of the audience was not sure on any point, the machine was stopped and the section of the film required was put through again. After that, the athletes adjourned to the cinder track, and they were divided up in to sections, to each of which Mr. Fitch allotted an experienced New Zealand athlete, the coach, himself working in a , supervisory capacity and visiting each of the sections in turn. V. P. Boot, the Empire Games and New Zealand hijlfcmile champion, and H. W. Wilkins, the New -Zealand broad jump .champiap? w:e,re among those who were assisting. Mr. Gilmore mentioned that Wilkins's style impressed Mr. Fitch, who was unable to fault it. Other well-known competitors who were present were Anderson (Canterbury), Joyes (Auckland),' and Opie (Otago). All had been good mixers and showed a willingness to help. SEVENTY ATTENDED. About seventy attended the classes, said Mr. Gilmore, and of that number about forty slept in the school building, which was loaned for this purpose, the others coming along each day. Miss S. Oliphant was among the women athletes who took classes, and also Miss K. Callinan (Canterbury), the present New Zealand women's sprint champion. Mr. Gilmore said that Mr. Fitch had recommended some alterations to Miss Oliphant's style. It was considered tnat although she might lose a little pace meantime, she would make up for this by improved performances later. The visiting athletes competed at two meetings, at Waimate on Boxing Day and at Timaru on New Year's Day, and did quite well. Mr. Gilmore spoke highly of the organisation and control of these meetings, and said that the efficient management of them was something of an eye-opener to athletes from the North Island. Me. Gilmore made particular reference to a very fine win by Boot in the half-mile at the Timaru meeting in the fast time of lmin 55sec. Boot's performance, said Mr. Gilmore, was sensational. He had to run around a field of 36 runners, and not only that, twice he was thrown out of his stride by being jostled. His run- under the circumstances was truly great. There was no doubt about Boot's form. In training on the Timaru cinder track last week he ran three-quarters of a mile in 3min 6sec. On his performance in the south, said Mr. Gilmore, if Boot should be beaten in the special,mile event at the Basin Reserve on Saturday by the visiting Victorian, G. Backhouse, the time should be a New Zealand record, or very near to it.' /There were juniors at the school of definite promise, said Mr. Gilmore, and they had registered performances emphasising the truth of Mr. Fitch's contention that with proper training and coaching along sound lines New Zealand should be in the front rank of world athletics. Among the juniors who stood out were Shaw, a lad of 17, who was doing 4min 30sec for the mile; Wilson, of Auckland, a real stylist who, in Mr. Gilmore's opinion, should win the national 440 yards junior title at Auckland, and Leonard, a South Canterbury boy of 16, who won the open 100 yards at Timaru on New Year's Day in 9 4-ssec, off seven yards. ___________