TAIHAPE SWIMMING CLUB.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3427, 5 March 1920, Page 5

TAIHAPE SWIMMING CLUB.

ANNUAL AQEIATIC SPORTS.

GREAT SPECTACULAR SUCCESS.

i(T¢nual aquatic_,.s”pol"iS held by ‘Q the aihape -Swinlming Club were an unqualified successffrom a competition and a display point’of view,_.all..d,,t_rhc Club earned sincerest congratulatioiis from that viewpoint. Viewing the public appreciation of the ‘Club’s elforts from the attendance of ‘those other than competitors, the function was disappointing, and the noticeable absence of most of Taihape’s '.pxlblic men caused some visitors to .ask~wh‘ai; were Taihape peopleuinost interest-dd in? The Club certainly deserved patronage, for if the ‘community thought it imperative that swimming baths were a necessity, they were necessary for a purpose, and it is suggested that swimming ba‘ths encourage cleanliness; that should provide the equipment for culture of life-saving, and, in addition, they furnish one of the best means for physical culture. .Any person looking at the swimmers ,‘ as they strove to win the various L events, whether they were men or the merest striplings of boys, could not help noticing the muscular development of losers as well as of winners. The best muscular development, combined with approved method, ‘always won, excepting. of course, the inevitable impossibility of exactitude in handicapping. The swimming displays, also ‘the diving displays, provided entertainment that it was thought many more people of this town would have enscouraged by -their presence. The programme should have induced a ‘ larger attendance, for it was better than expected. The arrangements were . perfect, only that there was a little too much delay between events; the spectators’ side hid been well considered, and those who were present, by their applause, tcstified to ‘the officers’ and committees’ splendid eiforts. The competitors were attracted from a very wide area, from Wellington in the South to Hamilton in "the North. The Handicaps provided some _very exciting finishes, but, unfortunately, the best swimmer, Hall, seemed to be just handicapped out of everything, When the Hamilton man did win the 75 yards 7 race, however, he received by far the? greatest ovation of the day, tcstifyingi the'public’s apprehension of the hard luck he had previously experienced. E. Hall was without doubt the best siwmmcr present, but Bellis managed to secure two good wins for Taihape, the! 25 yards dash, and the 50 yards‘! Jr--Ladies’ Bracelet. Taihapc has much} i promising talent, and_it only needs for '. muscular development to be kept upi by careful practice for greater local .1 success in the future. The judges ex-‘i perienced difficulty at times in de-‘ ciding which had reached the bar first, 1 and in one case it was decided that three bands were put ddwn at thel same moment. E. Hall’s luck went! awry all day, for he lost the biggest,‘ event after judges had conferred.‘ Local youths and boys provided excel-‘ lent exhibitions, and much sport.~ Amongst the boy swimmers, Hall, Shanley, Healy, and McLennan stood out prominently, I Hall adding another championship to his credit. Perhaps the‘ most promising boy is McLennan, but schoolboys must see that the laurels do not all go one way. In the handicaps, the midget, G. Hall, seemed to have the same ill fortune among the boys that his namesake from Hamilton had amongst the adults, he was just too heavily weighted by the handi-cappers. ' However, the boys did well and provided a fairly scientific display. The diving events brought ou'f large ontries, and it is hardly conceivable how ‘ I judges of some of-tliem could select a, winner, particularly was this the case‘ in the Novelty .DiVe. One disclosure‘ this dive made was /that neither Taihape nor visiting divers lacked the: humorous faculty, for they elicited: much laughter. In the diving proper! G. Knox proved the most successful,i { winning both the Header and the High Dive. It may be mentioned that! amongst the dozens of male compteti-i tors -only one young lady had the temerity ‘to enter the lists on behalf of her sex, despite the fact that she had! never ‘taken part in any similar com-‘ petitions, and understood them onlyi from their life-saving purpose and value. This seventeen-year-old lass commenced excellently in the Header, but was well beaten by Knox, and it may be said that the High Dive yesterday was, from the rules of lifesaving, as good as it will be seen in larger competitions. The three placedi divers were all good, and it seemed out of place that the lad McLennan| should not have been amongst the, prize-takers. In life-saving, the highdive is an important item for it is very seldom hio'h~diving is dissociated ,{ from -Stfihming. Therefore the Taihapf_. lub would be well justified in giving greater encouragement, say, to introducing two grades, and making the prize more worthy. The extra 1* races for school boys made it plain that thßTe"is ample oncoming talent to make the annual aquatic sports more and more interesting. it only remains for the public "to give that encourage!

!ment- it deserves. It would be an *honour ’to the town to see its best {swimmers and divers wearing the ;bronze medal of the Life-Saving As- : sociation. In the extra race for small boys, Fookes the winner, and Wrightson, the runner-up, swam excellently, and their effort was most interesting. It will be hoped by all present at the sports that the financial success is as great as that of the exhibition but that seems out of the question from the lack of patronage‘ from those who Should extend encouragement, if only as a duty. A little music would have been very acceptable. Following are the results:— THE PRIZE LIST. MAIDEN RACE, .50 Yards: Ist Heat: Barrett 1. Kerr.2: 2nd Heat: Bellis 1, Cowie 2; Final: Barrett 1, Kerr 2.

SCHOOLBOYS’ HANDICAP, 25 Yards: Shanley 1, Peyton 2. «

DIVE, Neat Header: Knox 1, Shanley 2, McLennan 3.‘ DASH OPEN HANDICAP; 25 Ya:-ds.——lst Heat: Hall 1, Mcsweeney 2; 2nd Heat: M. M. Thompson 1, Horton 2; 3rd Heat: Lawrence 1, Knox 2; 4th Heat: J Bellis 1, Baker 2. Final: Bellis 1, E. Hall 2.

1 CIGARETTE RACE.——Lawrence 1. \Others had no smoke. 100 YARDS OPEN HANDICAP.—’lst Heat: C. Hegglun 1, W’. Cowclell 2; 2nd Heat: E. Hall 1, Dudley 2. iFinal: Dudley 1, E. Hall 2, CORFU DIVE.—- Lee 1. Others lfdiiled to find the buoy. I SCHOOLBOY CHAMPIONSHIP; (Local).——G. Hall 1, F. M. Healey 2. Two entrants. 50 YARDS OPEN HANDI-.’}AP.——‘lst Heat: M. MT. Thompson 1; 2nd Heat: G. W. Knox 2; 3rd Heat: E. Hall 1. r4’th Heat: D. Horton 1. Final: D. jHorton 1, M. M. Thompson 2. 3 HIGH DIVE.—Gr. W. Knox 1, Miss M, Y. Lee 2, VMcLennan 3. LADIES’ BRACELET, 50 Yards, Club Handicap.—lst Heat: Coxv-Jell 1, Hay 2; 2nd Heat: E._ Bellis 1, Knox 2. Final: E. Bcllis 1, D. Hay 2. NOVELTY DlVE.———Kerr I_, Hall 2 S SCHOOLBOY’S RACE (extra) Hanclicap.—Shanley 1. Hall 2. DIVE, Boys Header.—McLennzln 1, Shanley 2. SMALL BOYS’ RACE.——Fook3s 1, Wrightson 2. 75 YARDS OPEN I’.-lANDTCAP.---Was Won by E. Hall, of Hamilton, from scratch. The most p')pulal- win of the day. RELAY RACE; teams of foul=——; Raetihi 1, Marton, T.mn=_aruuu~; and: Taihape also competed

SWIMMING SOCIAL.

PRESENTATION OF PRIZES.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT.

’l‘he Taihape Amateur Swimming Club’s Social and Dance, held last night, in the Three Stars Hall, proved equally as successful as the sports held during the day. The committee apparently worked hard as everything Went ofl without a hitch. About 70 couples being present, and during the evening the President of the Club, Mr C. L. Dymock, presented the trophies Won by the different competitors. During the course of his remarks Mr Dym-ock expressed the club’s appreciation of the visiting competitors. The swimming was of first-class order. Mr Dymock also expressed the club”s appreciation of Miss Lee’s diving, stating that probably the performance wfiulcl arouse enthusiasm amongst the local lady members of the club. The President also appealed to the ‘parents of shildren for their moral support of the baths, stating that the Club were willing to do their best in the interests of the children, but would like the parents to take more interest. in Thf-In. In conclusion Mr Dymock wished, on behalf of the club, to thank the BorOllgh Council for the c6nside.v:ai‘:ion received from them, also Mr Jamicson. the borough foreman, who had put in a lot of his own time attending to the emptying and filling of the baths. Dancing was then resumed. mul kept up until the “Wee Sma mots."