MONSTER SPORTS PAGEANT

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 4

MONSTER SPORTS PAGEANT

NATIONAL FITNESS RALLY IN CITY

DETAILS OF PROGRAMME Expectations that the national fitness rally which is to be held at Rugby Park on Saturday, September 28, would be one of the biggest functions ever staged in Southland were expressed to a reporter yesterday by the area recreation officer (Mr Lloyd Woods). Several of these rallies which had been held in the north under the auspices of the Internal Affairs Department had been outstandingly successful, he. said, and the department had reason to believe that the coming Invercargill rally would be the biggest one to date. “It is not just a matter of pageant and publicity,” Mr Woods added, “but a case of national necessity for organization and drilling. During the first year of the war the sports associations have carried on at our request, and they have done remarkably good work of national importance in keeping the nation fit. Nobody appreciates more than we do the difficulties under which the sports clubs have laboured, and it is a tribute to untiring initiative and industry on the part of numerous officials that the many obstacles have been overcome. Now, however, there is a need for more than scattered groups. The Minister of National Service pointed out recently that the nation’s safety* depended on national organization, and as we make a transfer from the scattered peace-time organization of training through the spoils clubs to the national organization of the Home Guard and the Emergency Precautions Scheme, it is fitting that we should review the excellent work that the sports bodies havp done. We know that we shall have their continued co-operation in the training work ahead.” HOPES OF GOOD SUPPORT It was hoped, Mr Woods added, that every sports body would be represented at the rally, and he knew that there was no sporting organization in Southland so lacking in patriotic fervour as not to be there. “Of course you cannot expect every sport to have/its unit at full strength,” he said, “as many overlap. For example, a large number of footballers are also cricketers, but we do expect that every person who takes any part in sport, male or female, old or young, will be there in some unit or other. To avoid confusion, we have suggested that all winter sports parade as units, and those competitors who do not take part in winter sports can parade in the summer units.” The first part of the programme would be the parade, all units passing the reviewing base where a salute would be taken. Units would march in column of threes, and as many units would not be used to marching, the drill had been simplified to include only two left wheels and an eyes right salute. White lines would guide units in their, marching. All teams entering for the sports competition would march in those teams.

The sports competition would be something new to Invercargill The most important feature was that it enabled all sports teams to compete at the same events with equal chance of success. The programme was drawn up as a general test of physical strength and fitness, and it would be interesting to see which team won. The events would be as follows: —In the march past, teams would be judged for their marching (10 points) and for the impression of strength and fitness they gave (10 points). After the parade they would proceed in turn to the various events, every team always competing against itself. This was similar to the Olympic competition for the pentathlon. Certain standards were set, and points were scored for every performance better than the standard. The standards set for men were: 100 yards, 15sec, with one point for every l-ssec under; 75 yards hurdles (three hurdles each 3ft high), 15sec, with one point for each l-ssec under; broad jump, 13 feet, one point for each extra three inches; shot putt, 15 feet, one point for each extra foot; throwing the football, 10 yards, one point for each extra yard. , Entries had already been received from many football teams, including country clubs, from swimming clubs, from schools, from the Y.M.C.A. and from many more, said Mr Woods, and it certainly appeared as if the idea was being taken up with a zest and that all teams would be represented.