SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 23378, 22 September 1939, Page 4

SWIMMING

NOTES AND COMMENTS PREPARING FOR SEASON'S ACTIVITY ' / [By Hooker.] With, the Kiwi and Dunedin Amateur Swimming Clubs holding their annual meetings next week and the St. Clair Surf Life Saving Club meeting the following week, activity in _ swimming circles is beginning to quicken, and while naturally everything is uncertain concerning competition there is good reason to believe that in the meantime clubs will at least endeavour to catry on their ordinary routine as far as is possible.

J. D. O’Driscoll, who won the New Zealand half-mile championship in Auckland in 1935 on his eighteenth birthday, and gained several places in the distance events in 1936,_ has not done much in the way of serious comEetitive swimming since then, but he as played water polo with the Dunedin Club, and in 1933 was a member of the Otago team that won the New Zealand water polo championship at New Plymouth. In the ordinary course of events it was O’Driscoll's intention to re-enter championship swimming this year, and already he has begun training operations and has been showing encouraging form.. Another champion who has made an early start is Miss Islay Purdie, and it will not occasion surprise to those who followed the Kiwi girl’s swimming at all closely last season if the coming season finds her producing the fastest times of her career. Jim Durand, successful breast stroke exponent and diver with the St._ Clair Club, niay re-enter in the coming season. He is putting in solid work on the breast stroke at the present time.

With' the New Zealand intermediate and junior championships set down for decision in Dunedin this year there will be more than the usual amount of interest in the efforts of Otago to retain possession of the War Memorial Shield, which has been held by the province for the last four years, two of them in conjunction with Southland and Bay of Plenty respectively. Many of the junior and intermediate swimmers who will be contending for places in the team have already beguntraining, and one of the most promising juniors is Miss_ Joan M'Culloch, who is expected to give a very good account of herself in diving and* back stroke events. Miss R. Smith, already winner of the New Zealand intermediate girls’ diving championship twice, is still eligible in this class, and the Kaikorai girl must take a Jot of beating. She will have competition in. -the intermediate division this year from Mies i Mavis Strong, winner of the New Zealand junior girls’ diving championship last year.

During the “ Learn to Swim ” campaign conducted in Otago earlier in the year many hundreds of children qualified for special certificates that were to bo issued by the Otago District Committee of Swimming and Life Saving to those who swam 10yds or more. These certificates have now come to hand, and will be forwarded to the various schools for distribution in the course of tho next week or two.

outstanding breast stroke swimmers 'in the Dominion at present are undoubtedly J. C. W. Davies (holder of tho New Zealand men’s 220yds title) and W. H. Dyson (runner-up in the national 100yds and 220yds breast stroke events), and since both will be competing in Dunedin in the coming season in the ordinary course of events some fine racing should be seen between them. Both nave already begun their training operations.

The annual report of the Kiwi Amateur Swimming Club, which is to bo presented at the annual meeting next week, makes reference to a championship record of which any sports organisation would have good reason to. be proud. Representatives of the Kiwi Club last season won 10 New Zealand titles in the senior, intermediate, and junior divisions, gained eight seconds and four thirds at the Now Zealand championship meetings, and at the Otago championships 28 firsts, 21 seconds, and 13 thirds were obtained. Three members of the club broke New Zealand records, and several of the younger members established records at the primary schools’ championship meeting.