The visit to his homeland by Jack Lovelock. New Zealand's most famous track athlete, aroused great enthusiasm, and wherever he appeared to give exhibition runs the attendances were excellent. Lovelock gave we New Zealanders much good advice—good if it is assimilated! But just how genuine is the desire for New Zealanders to improve—physically? It may not be a typical example, but on asking twelve different persons if they had been doing the excelent physical exercises broadcast by Station 2YA, the answers were all in the negative, although the reasons for not doing the exercises were as far apart as the Poles. Sufficient was it that a dozen people, chosen haphazardly, didn't see fit to devote ten or twelve minutes a day to improve their physical make-up. Was Lovelock on the right track when he emphasised the enthusiasm of the Youth of the European nations who have to thank compulsory training for their splendid physique?

But New Zealanders, like their kin in the Old Land, take sport haphazardly—in other words, purely as a recreation. Only a very small percentage of an enormous sport-loving community take the trouble to make any attempt to specialise or to excel.

New Zealanders Overseas.

One sports administrator who has not forgotten his visit to New Zealand is Captain Evan A. Hunter, honorary secretary of the British Olympic Association, who toured New Zealand with the British athletic team two seasons ago. In a letter to the writer he expressed the hope that: “Jack Lovelock will have a nice time—I fear Jean Batten has rather taken his thunder—still she, too, is marvellous, and New Zealand should and no doubt is very proud of both. Give Jack my regards, and tell him not to have too many oysters, or drive trotting horses at Christchurch as I did—and enjoyed doing!”

Captain Hunter is also secretary of the Dominion Students’ Athletic Union in England. New Zealanders are prominent in this organisation as the notepaper reveals. The President is A. E. Porritt, M.A., M.Ch., F.R.C.S. One of the honorary vice-presidents is Hon. Sir James Parr, while J. Lovelock and M. McG. Cooper fill two of the three vice-presidential chairs. Cooper was selected as captain of the Oxford University Rugby team against Cambridge this year. Lovelock is secretary of the athletic committee, W. E. Henley, secretary of the Rugby committee, and J. E. Giesen the secretary of the Lawn Tennis committee.

“Learn to Swim.”

The success attained by local “Learn to Swim” weeks has decided the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association to sponsor a Dominion-wide movement.

Mr. W. P. Sommerville, Wellington, and his one day's catch in the Lake Taupo District, North Island, New Zealand.

It is staggering to learn the number of people in New Zealand who cannot swim, but much of this may be traced to the lack of suitable swimming baths in the suburban areas. Wellington is one case where bathing facilities have been most conspicuous by their absence. The impetus given natatorial sport by the erection of the up-to-date Riddiford Baths at Lower Hutt has not been lost on the citizens of Petone and Karori. Baths now grace these localities, and good work is being done in teaching the younger generation. But learning to swim in a modern swimming bath lacks the “colour” of mastering the “dog paddle” down at the “old swimming hole”!

Wrestling in New Zealand.

Wrestling, not the one hold per hour, perhaps, of forty years ago, but the modern style which enables the contestants to wrestle every night in the week and travel in the meantime, has consolidated its place in the hearts of New Zealanders who have been rolling up in their thousands to see two American matmen in action. Each year has seen something new introduced into the mat sport—be it a new hold or another method of disabling an opponent by the use of a forearm or a well-applied pair of feet. Apart from its appeal to the spectators, there is also the undoubted value of wrestling to the business world. This is revealed by questionnaires returned by radio listeners. A survey of the most popular “listening night” gave Monday as the choice—and Monday is “wrestling night” even if it be no longer “washing day.” The number of radio sets sold—indirectly—to wrestling enthusiasts must reach into thousands with consequent financial return to hundreds of workers. Wrestling is truly an industry!

Presentation to Jack Lovelock.

Success should reward the efforts of the New Zealand British Empire and Olympic Games Association in its endeavour to make a public testimonial presentation to Jack Lovelock. Over a period of thirty years New Zealand has had representation at Olympic Games without material success on the track. And Lovelock did more than win an Olympic title—he won the admiration of the sporting world for his attitude to sport. This attitude, laudable in every respect, has called for many sacrifices by the young medical student, and New Zealanders are given the opportunity of expressing their feelings in a tangible manner.

Visit of English Soccer Team.

Prospects are bright for New Zealanders to see a first-class English Soccer team next winter. Plans, according to English newspapers, are already well advanced, and a survey of likely players is being made. The team, it is suggested, will tour Australia and New Zealand. Such a good-will tour would go a long way in consolidating the round-ball code in the Southern Isles. The finest exponents of soccer to visit New Zealand were the members of the Canadian team, but they fell below the class of good English amateur teams.

Schoolboy Representatives for Overseas Sport.

The suggestion made early in December that a team of New Zealand schoolboys should be chosen to represent the Dominion against other schoolboys from England, Canada, Australia and South Africa during the Coronation festivities in the Old Land is a good one. Financial arrangements will have to be made in New Zealand if the tour is to be gone ahead with, but what school or college could not raise a large sum to send its best bowler or batsman away to represent New Zealand?

The honour of representing New Zealand at sport during the days at school falls to few lads. Unless it be at swimming, where there seems to be more frequent occurrences of the schoolboys being up to representative standard, the only opportunity given in recent years was in the Secondary Schools’ Athletic team to the Melbourne Centenary. It is passing strange that a team of Secondary Schools’ Rugby players has not been sent abroad ere this. About twenty-five years ago a team of Maori Rugby footballers was sent to Australia from the great college—Te Aute. This team amazed Australians by the display of the type of football for which the Maori players are noted.

The Springboks.

Before long New Zealanders will—one and all—be talking nothing else than Rugby football. Next season will see the invasion of these isles by the Springbok team from South Africa. Memories of the scoreless Test match at Wellington—it started to rain and never eased—are still retained by those privileged to attend, and it seems that all Wellingtonians and half the other New Zealanders were at Athletic Park on that great day in 1921!

The average New Zealander would not allow any weather conditions to interfere with his attendance at a Rugby Test match between the sworn rivals, South Africa and New Zealand.

Visit of Australian Swimmers.

The Otago Centre of the New Zealand Swimming Association showed commendable enterprise when it arranged for a tour of its province by a small but select band of Australian watermen. Accompanying the team as manager is Mr. Dudley Hellm-rich, renowned as one of the world's best swimming coaches. The land that has produced Cavill, Beaure-paires, Charlton, Ryan, Fanny Durack, and Claire Dennis—all famous in international swimming—owes much to the painstaking efforts of Hellmrich. His stay in New Zealand should prove of material assistance to swimmers.