Swimming Record-Breakers

Gisborne's young swimmers of today are faster and fitter than ever before.

Anybody who is disposed to question this flat statement of fact should spend a few moments reviewing club and provincial performances for the season now concluding.

In this period, Olympic and Gisborne club members, mostly teenagers or younger, have broken no less than 34 club and provincial records.

These are in addition to innumerable school records which have gone by the board.

"Photo News" has kept a list of broken records for the season. On this and the next three pages are pictured the record-breakers with their achievements in concise form.

Tony Pickett 50yds Freestyle, 26 2-5 sec.
Intermediate: 100yds Freestyle, 58 1-5 sec.
Olympic Club 220yds Freestyle, 2 min 29 4-5 sec.

Ray Clough 50yds Freestyle, 26 4-5 sec.
Intermediate: 100yds Medley, 1 m 21 sec.
Gisborne Club 220yds Freestyle, 2 m 39 2-5 sec.
440yds. Freestyle, 5 m 52 2-5 sec.

Young divers are pretty good, too. These two, Richard Swindell and Lesley Clapham, earned high praise for their diving at club and provincial contests. More will be heard of them.

Tony and Ray (previous page) are promising material for national honours. Tony is the faster swimmer, Ray has the better contest temperament, and already holds the North Island secondary school title for 66 2-3yds freestyle.

One of the most promising young swimmers is Judy Buckingham (centre in picture at left, with Joan Knight and Hilary Cresswell), who smashed the ten to twelve years records for 25 and 50 yards in the very fast times of 15 sec and 32 3-5 sec. Many consider her the most promising competitor of the year. She is Gisborne Club member.

Joan Knight (above). Under 14, Gisborne Club. 100yds Backstroke, 1 min 28 sec.

Judy moving at a fast clip.

Joan in action, freestyle.

Olympic foursome which attended H.B.-P.B. championship meeting includes three record-breakers, Janice Cording, Lesley Pickett, and Philippa Page, with Dianne Haache (left).
Janice, second from left, holds intermediate 50yds and 100yds freestyle records in 32 2-5 sec and 73 3-5 sec. Lesley broke the 12 to 14 years 50yds and 100yds backstroke records in 41 3-5 sec and 93 2-5 sec, and the 100yds freestyle in 79 2-5 sec. Philippa, left, is new holder of 25yds and 50yds freestyle records in 15 4-5 sec and 35 2-5 sec.

Gisborne club foursome includes Margaret Coupe (left), youngest of the record-breakers, who set a new club time of 19 sec for the 25 yards, under 10 years.

Her companions are:

(1) Ann Dodd, under 14 years 50yds and 100yds breaststroke in 50 4-5 sec and 1 min 51 1-5 sec.

(2) Mavis Donnelly, 12 to 14 years 100yds in 1 min 19 2-5 sec.
(3) Eleanor Melville, intermediate breaststroke 50yds and 100yds in 42 1-5 sec and 96 2-5 sec.

Margaret has nice style in water

Sandra Boyd (Olympic), who shares the intermediate 50yds freestyle record with Janice Cording in 32 2-5 sec.

Tony Royds and Stewart Robertson (Gisborne Club) have four club records between them for the season.
Tony lowered the senior 100yds breaststroke time to 1 min 19 3-5 sec.
Stewart, a big chap for his age, invariably towers far above his fellow competitors in the 12 to 14 years class. He broke three club records this season: 50yds, 100yds and 220yds in 29 1-5 sec, 67 1-5 sec, and 2 min 58 sec.

Among the seniors, these four have broken club records this season. They are

This list of records refers only to those broken this season in club meetings, and is compiled from sources which may not be complete. Tony Pickett's 100yds and 220yds freestyle times are also Hawkes Bay records.

(1) Ron Knight (Gisborne): 100yds breaststroke, 100yds medley in 1 min 10 sec, and 220yds backstroke in 3 m 3 4-5 sec. Ron is now at Otago University.

(2) Roger McLean, also away at college (Olympic): 220yds backstroke in 2 m 57 2-5 sec, and 440yds freestyle in 5 m 26 sec.

(3) David Green (Olympic): 220yds breaststroke in 3 m 23 sec, and possibly also the 100yds breaststroke.

(4) Barry McLean (Olympic): 100yds freestyle in 59s.

Macrae Baths, where swimmers train and perform, is well-known cradle of Gisborne proficiency in the water. A start has been made at last with the construction of new baths of more modern specifications at the Intermediate School, which, if made available for general use, could well result in a further increase in the standard of local swimming and diving.

Previous article Issue contents Next article

The Gisborne Photo News

No 33 : April 4, 1957

Swimming Record-Breakers