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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 18, No. 5. April 30, 1954

[Letter from Tourney]

The Editor, "Salient,"

Dear Sir,—We have just returned from an Easter Tournament in which we were unquestionably and crushingly defeated. One immediate reaction in for non-participants to blame teams. This criticism is neither wise nor Just. The weaknesses are obvious and may be condensed into two points—lack of numbers available to be drawn upon, and lack of facilities. There are over two thousand students at Vic. Of these, over half are part-timers who by choice or necessity let the Varsity and its sport take second place. Then there are a number of long-haired intellectuals or socialites who shudder at the thought of a hard training schedule or a tight scrum. What is left is a small group of enthusiasts who make the only material, good or bad, available for Tournament teams. If most Vic students were to devote a reasonable amount of their time to sport for the pleasure of just doing that and not thinking of the big returns from it we would inevitably enter stronger and better trained teams from the wealth of competition that would arise in the College.

The lack of facilities is painfully obvious to all Vic sportsmen. We lack a decent ground of our own. It is not encouraging for runners to have to train at awkward hours, on cramped grass stretches without a track, and with hostile park-keepers to avoid as well. Training Coll, had the use of Kelburn Park for two or three afternoons. We had it for two hours on Monday evening. And so it is with other sports many of them, furthermore, lack coaches. It is not a coincidence that Rugby, cricket and boxing with their better facilities and coaching are among the strongest sports in Vic This is a far cry from Otago University, which has magnificent grounds, ample coaching in all games, and a Thursday afternoon during which all lectures cease for sport.

The remedy [unclear: lies] in the hands of a number of groups. At the top level, the Council alone can grant us the necessary ground space. The big shots, too are largely responsible for the lack of coaching. But it rests with every student to take a bit more pride and interest in Vic and its sporting activities.

Yours, etc.,

Tourney"