AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 86, 2 December 1931, Page 6

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

NOTES BY "FALSE START" j Quite an interesting programme of events will be run off by the Rotorua Amateur Athletic and Cyeling Club at the High School Grounds on Friday evening next at 6 o'clock. Cyeling racing will be in,troduced, and already there are several promised entries in this class. All officials and members should exert their efforts to recruit cyeling members, as this branch of the sport is always very popular to the public. The ladies will be seen in action in sprint events on Friday evening. It is to be hoped the committee will soon provide light field implements for the ladies, some of whom may be more suited in field events than in running. In several amateur clubs in New Zealand the ladies are deriving much pleasure in taking part in field events with midfield implements, the use of which is even less strenuous than running. The light javelin, "shot and crickct ball are the most popular field implements with the ladies. Miss R. Steele is acting as secretary of the ladies branch, and as she is an enthuisastic "sprinter," she will be the right person to boost along the sport. Miss J. Isdale, of Ngongotaha, is also joining up and is likely to do well in ladies' jumping events, particularly the high jump. Miss M. Black, of hockey fame, will also be a competitor. She should do well eithen in sprints or field events. j Experience in amateur athletics gives very beneficial results to hockey and basketball players. I Centre Championships. | The club is likely to build up quite a good team for the Centre Championships, usually held at Auckland. B'. Duncan has registered good figures in the pole vault, his best effort b-ing a shade under 10 feet. If he can reproduce his form he will be an asset to the club, particularly in view of the fact that 9ft 6in has on more than one occasion been good enough to win a New Zealand Championship. Another member joining up with the club is a fair exponent with the discus, which he is capable of throwI ing round about 100 feet. j Trainer Hayward is restricting R. Devin to quarters and 800's this season. | Boxing Day • | The forthcoming important funetion for local amateurs is the Boxing Day Amat ur Athletic Carnival, to oe held at Rotorua. This promises to be the "star" item of the Carnival Festivities. A programme of events will be published at an early date. | Olympic Games Art Union. A vi w which has probably been taken by quite a number in regard to the investment by the Olympic and | British Empire Games Association of practically the whole of the £13,000 collected by the art union, leaving | only th: interest on the capital available to send teams overseas, was

touched upon by Mr. A. W. O. Travers. The suggestion made by Mr. Travers was that at least £1000 of the money should have been s:t aside to assist in the financing of New Zealand's team to the Games at Los Angeles | next year. Some of the national associations probably will find it difficult to raise funds, and in view of the close approach of the Games and the fact that the appeal by the Olympic Games Association was made so recently, a little later on the public might have som.thing to say concerning the tieing up the whole of the £13,000. Field Events. | A scheme for the development of competition and an improvement in the genrral standard of performance in field events was put forward by Mr. H. I. Austad, one of the most energetic and practical members of the council. One had only to attend an athletic meeting, he said, to notice the paucity of competitors in this branch of the sport. In thinking the matter over, Mr. Austad came to the conclusion that the remedy lay in the schools, and the suggestion he made which was adopted, was that £5 should be made available to each of the five centres to provide a shot and as far as possible a javelin to the secondary schools of standing in the districts governed by the centres. The N.Z.A.A.A. looks to the centres for co-operation in this campaign, in firstly seeing that the schools are provided with these accessories, and, sceondly, in providing ample comne-

tition for the boys. j Evaps v. Rose. The secretary was instructed at a recent meeting. of the Auckland Centre to invite D. Evans and R. A. Rose to compete in Auckland this season, 6th February being the suggested date. It is hoped by the Auckland Centre that Evans will make an attempt on his New Zealand halfmile record of lmin 54 4-5sec., established by him at Wanganui last February. 9 I Training. Those who are taking up athletics I this season, and even those who are I entering on their second season, would be well advised not to try for records and a sucession of wins right away. In no sport is that advocated. Good style and correct methods should be the first goal. It is the same with swimming, rowing, tennis, and practically every pastime that could be mentioned. The first work is slow | work, the laying of a solid foundation for ultimate fitness, and the cor- : recting of faults in style or an im-

provement thereon. Runners, cyclists and field events men should take j I things quietly at the beginning of ! the season. They should do plenty of slow work and pay attention to correct action rather than speed, height or length. To model one's \ own style on that of a well known ! stylist is good, but care must be j taken not to follow too implicitly. i Every performer has an individual j style, and the natural development of 1 that style to its greatest use is the I line to follow. But that does not I mean that radical faults should go un- j corrected. j