The Olympic Games and the Duke of Westminster's Appeal

THE OLYMPIC GAMES. 33 3. Professional Instructors . . £1,050 may be looked for. The returns already to hand 4. Diving and the installation of diving stages suggest that this plan is capable of showing imporlr 5. Time Tests-Candidates and officials' ex- ant results. penses 200 The amount estimated is to cover the ooet. Badges 95 including t ravelling expenses, &c., of seven pro- 0. Administration e"-"Penses for management fessional instructors whose services would be and five District Committees and Loco.I retained during several months each year. Com· Committees . . 200 petent instructors are available, and all that is In drawing up a scheme for the improvement of la.eking is the wherewithal to meet the bilL swimming, the Amateur Swimming Association had Item 4.-The improvement in diving presents t wo specific purposes in view. First, swimmers of problems that are not so easy to solve. The art known ability should be looked after with a view is practically restricted to towns in the South of to possible improvement. Also there should be a England, and even there the available places are thorough scouring of the country for p otential few. Two reasons are responsible for this, viz. :- champions, who would require only a few hints from the cost of proper diving stages and the necessity an expert, together with practice, t o develop the · for sufficient depth of water. The height of latent speed or stamina. The second object was t o t he stage and the depth of the water neoeesary commence a new era in swimming. It was recog- preclude the use of covered-in swimming baths ; nized that hot-house methods a.re not possible. open air ponds that fulfil requirements and which Record breakers are not manufactured t o order. are accessible to populous centres are difficult to But if the standard of swimming could be raised all find. Steps are being taken to overcome these round, the field of !!election would in later years be difficulties. Meantime nothing is included in the very much wider, a.nd the doing of it would be of estimate for this branch of the sport. great benefit to the rising generation. I tem 5.-This pa.rt of the scheme in intended as an I tem 1.-Scholarships. Education and bath innentive to swimmers and divers of different authorities throughout the country have recog- ability. The tests cover three grades, for which nized the advantages of teaching swimming to t he rewards are respectively Gold, Silver, and their scholars, nnd in most of the large towns Bronze badges. The main expense is brought this is done during school hours. A recent pro- about by the cost of bringing the candidates to nouncement by the Minister for Education fore- the common centres in which the tests will be shado,ved a more sympathetic attitude on the held. In order to minimize the cost, it has been part of his department, and there is every pro- decided that each of the five districts, which com- bability of more time and attention being devoted prise the Association, shall conduct tests. Only to swimming in the future. those who justify the outlay will have their e:ic- The A.S.A. decided to take advantage of these penses refunded. .Tb,{ ' cost of candidates and factors and endeavour to get hold of the more officials for all test,, 'is•ostimated to be £200, whilst promising out of the thousands of boys and girls the badges for successful candidates are estimated whose school days finish each year. The scholar- at £95. ship pa.rt of the scheme is intended to achieve this Item 6.-Administration. The a.mount (£200) is obJect. The best swimmers will be taken in expected to cover the whole of the expense neoeesary hand an.d a continuation of their swimming to. carry out the scheme. The meetings of the education li'rovided for. management and District Committees (which In devismg ways and means, it was reco!rnized involve considerable cost in rail fares) a.re included that the maintenance of the scholarships co;;'i'd not together with all stationary, printing, and p<>stages. be effectually managed from any central fund, and There a.re no charges for clerical work included. that they must be instituted and maintained the necessary work being done entirely by honorary entirely by local effort. But in order to set the officials. necessary machinery to work, some outlay would It will 'be seen from the details set forth above be unavoidable. It is for this preliminary work exactly the sums that have been specified and the only that the scholarships figures in the estimate purpose for which ea.eh is to be devoted. In order That this innovation will be successful is already to compute the ammmt that would be required amply proved. Local authorities apprecil\te the by the A.S.A. up to the time of departure for advantages that will accrue, and have requir.:ced:;c.__ - ~etlin, "t- will- be- necessa.ry to take -the amount - -9------little-~ersua.sion-to-gra.nt-the-nec-ess!ll'y"free a.tliliig already spent, or likely to be spent this year, as fa.cilit1es. As a definite means of ensuring more approximately £500. In 1914 and 1915 the full and better swimmers in the future, this pa.rt of the estimated amounts would be required, whilst in scheme must be successful. 1916 only a portion of the money could be spent, Item 2.-An arrangement whereby it may be possible as the swimming season is only properly opened for amateur swimmers, expert in the various out at the time of the year when the Games take strokes, to give demonstrations at schools and place. other entertainments is intended to supplement the sohol~ali8,;g Imitation plays an important .part in the · of swimmers, and it is suggested to make use of this fact. To carry out this part of the scheme necessitates railway fares, and £100 has been inserted in the estimate to cover this e:icpense. Item 1.-When the scheme for the improvement of swimming was first mooted it was felt that there might be, in various parts of the country, swimmers who with some attention from expert professional instructors could be developed into championship form. Steps have already b~n take~ .to find out swimmers of more than average ability, and who have not passed the age when improvement NATIONAL AMATEUR WRESTLING ASSOCIATION. 1. The development of a higher standard of teohni· cal efficiency. . 2. The utili-iation of much of the fine raw matedal as yet unused. 3. An improvement in physical training and preparation. These objects are attainable by the following means:- . (a) By providing effl.oient instruction, facilities for more frequent competition, proper applianoes and. improved conditions for pract.ioe, and by obt-llia a