SWIMMING

Evening Star, Issue 23702, 9 October 1940, Page 5

SWIMMING

NOTES AND COMMENTS [By Hooker.] Canadian Claims World Record. Joan Langdou, the young Vancouver swimmer, recently claimed the world’s record for 50yds women’s breast stroke after swimming the distance in ’34 4-ssec at the Kelowna regatta. Catherine Kawls, of Miami, Florida (U.S.A.), holds the accepted mark of 35 9-10 sec. Miss Langdon will be recalled by members of the New Zealand team at the British Empire Games in Sydney, and it is worthy of note that at an international carnival held at Dubbo after the Carnes Mias Winnie Dunn, the Otago and New Zealand breast stroke champion, finished within a foot of Miss Langdon in a special invitation women’s 110yds breast stroke event. Otago President's Fine Record. Mr W. A. Jenkins was elected president of the Otago Swimming Centre for the tenth successive year when the annual meeting was held on Monday night, and the strong position of the centre to-day, financially, trom tlie point of swimming competition, and in other phases of activity may be traced to the wise lead always given and the sound judgment shown by Mr Jenkins in his direction of affairs. Recognised as one of Otago’s outstanding sporting administrators, Mr Jenkins, himself a swimmer of no mean ability in his younger days, has been a member of the Swimming Centre almost from its inception 34 years ago, and he gave many years of service as nandicapper and also as starter, a position he holds to-day. In that capacity he is rated with the best in the Dominion. He has frequently been referee at national championship meetings, and also is a member of the Otago Centre’s panel of diving judges. During his terra'of office Otago has not only taken pride of place in competitive swimming as holders of the Yaldhurst and Memorial Shields, but also as the holder of the water polo trophy, a national senior championship meeting and an intermediate and junior fixture have been held here, a country club’s championship meeting has been successfully inaugurated, and fwo visits of Australian teams have been sponsored by the centre. With so many clubs, especially in the country, affected by the war, a strong lead will be required from the centre in the coming season, and at such a time Hr Jenkins is undoubtedly the right man in the right place. Kiwi Club Fixtures. The Kiwi Club has been holding handicap series of swimming and diving competitions for some Weeks past, and at its club hour on October 17 it is to stage its first parents’ night of the season. This should attract even more interest than usual because, in addition to the demonstrations and exhibitions that are to be given by members of all divisions, later a film will be screened ot well-known club champions in action. This was taken for the club by Mr D. Freeman', and some of the slow-motion shots of the breast stroke exponents and of the divers are particularly fine. The value of such a film is realised by swimming coaches, and it will form the basis of a film library being built up by the Kiwi Club.

The first fixture of the year to be arranged by the club is an intermediate and junior carnival on November 21, and the visit to Timaru for the dual meet with the West End Club will be made towards the end of December. Well-earned Tribute. The work of the treasurer (Mr F. E. L. Forrester) was deservedly eulogised at the annual meeting of the Otago Centre on Monday night. The swimming controlling body is ouo of the soundest financially in Otago, and its present position reflects the work Mr Forrester has done with the cooperation of his willing helpers on the centre. With clubs already feeling the pinch from enlistments and other causes due to the war, the future will not be easy for swimming organisations, any more than for those of other sports, but it is satisfactory to know that the governing body lias the sinews of war to carry on its activities with vigour and to foster and encourage the younger swimmers, which will undoubtedly be the main plank of its policy in the near future. In this work Mr Forrester has shown himself a keen advocate of the policy of encouraging the young idea. Promising Divers. For so early in the season some promising performances were given in the junior and intermediate diving competitions held by the Kiwi Club last week, and the winner of the junior event, Shirley Hunter, showed herself to be one with some natural ability for the event. The ex-New Zealand junior champion, Mavis Strong, won the intermediate event, and the experience she gained in New Zealand intermediate championship competition should stand her in good stead this year. Maureen M’Kechnie, who was runner-up in the intermediate event last week, has made considerable advance since last season, and should be reckoned with in interclub competition this year. Country Clubs’ Championships. The conference of''country clubs took the best way out of the difficulties that have arisen through petrol restrictions by ■recommending the holding of the country clubs’ championship meeting at Dunedin, aud this will now take place on Saturday evening, January 25. The conference held at Balclutha at the time of the last country clubs’ championships recommended that this season’s gathering should be held at Alexandra, but the position has changed so much since January that the country clubs themselves felt that Dunedin as the venue would probably be the most suitable for everybody. For the meeting to be held in a tepid pool, without the risk of unfavourable' weather, is an advantage which will probably be appreciated by the country swimmers. Added interest will also be given by the introduction of junior boys and girls’ events, and because of the improved standard it was decided to substitute a 100yds ladies’ breast stroke event for the 75yds, and a 75yds intermediate boys’ breast stroke for the 50yds. Johnny Weissmuller’s Time Beaten. Otto Jaretz, of the Towers Club, is credited with beating the world’s record for 100yds free style, according to a bulletin, dated September 1, received by the writer from the famous New York coach, Mr L. de B. Handley. The performance was put up at a carnival in the Lincoln Park lagoon, Chicago. Jaretz sprinted the route in 50 3-10 soc, shading the tabled mark of 51sec, set in a 25-yard pool by Johnny Weissmuller in 1927, and later equalled by Peter Pick under the same conditions. It is open to question whether the performance will be recognised, however. A.A.U. officials present said the new record might not be accepted because of a slight cur- ' rent in the lagoon, and even the least doubt concerning the merit of the feat will cause the record committee to reject it. Water Polo Activities, With club teams so badly affected by the war, it is certain that water polo activities in Otago this season will be on a restricted basis, but the Match Committee is determined to keep alive interest in the game, and games will be arranged to take place in the centre’s hour on Tuesday night. With a view to retaining the keenness of the younger players, the Kiwi Club has decided to select four teams, and whatever games they play will be counted for the “ Kiwi and House Banner,” a trophy which has long been in the possession of the club, but which has not been competed for in recent years. Danish Star’s Fine Effort. The new American one-mile record of 23inin 15sec, hung up by Miss Mary Mooremaii Ryan, of Louisville, Kentucky, in the national championships at Portland, Oregon, lends special interest to the latest exploit of Miss Ragnhild Hveger, of Denmark, holder of nearly all the world’s free style records for women. At a recent meet in a 50-metre pool at Helsinger, near Copenhagen, the Danish marvel did the finest swimming of her brilliant career, smashing to pieces the universal standard for 1,500 metres and on the way cracking the listed mark for 1,000 metres. She covered the full distance in 21min 10 l-osec, wiping out her record of 21min 45 7-lOsec, set in 1938, and she passed 1,000 metres in 14min 9 l-ssec, clipping her bracketed time of 14min 12 3-10 sec, made in 1937. These figures indicate that had Miss Hveger continued fur 120yds more she would have completed the mile in about 22min 45sec, eclipsing her international record of 23min XI 5-10 see. An amusing sidelight was provided by a 1,500-metre contest for men conducted at the same gala. Miss Hveger had obtained official permission to start in it, but the men refused to swim if she took part, so she was obliged to engage in her record attempt against the watch. Paul Peterson, the Danish champion, won the men’s event in 21min 45 l-10sec, which denotes Miss Hveger would have beaten him by approximately 50yds had she opposed him.