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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 15, No. 6. April 24, 1952

For the Booby Prize—A Tie — Canta and Vic Twosome for Last

For the Booby Prize—A Tie

Canta and Vic Twosome for Last

Jubilee Tournament was a success as a piece of organisation if not from the trophy point of view. Nevertheless Vic had its unexpected triumphs and a couple of unexpected defeats. This Tournament was not a rout—as it sometimes has been—and none of the functions were a shambles which they sometimes have been. Echoes of any disputes have not reached Salient and we can safely congratulate the organisers who are now the tiredest men and women in Wellington.

The weather did not promise well and the rowing suffered from the wind but apart from the chill at the swimming Wellington did our visitors well in preserving the drought. The only storms raged round the Tournament committee frantically searching for billets (finally allocated at 2 o'clock in the morning), searching for the trophies (with rumours of insurance claims pending), wearing Graham Patchett thin with the essential trivia in addition to the major tasks of Ways and Means.

Owing to the fact that the local Press covered the events very fully and gave us publicity Salient has no need to publish long lists of results. This coverage was certainly better than it has been for some years, particularly in the reporting of preliminary arrangements and for that Victoria can be thankful.

It is worth noting that athletics were our weakest spot this year and tennis our strongest. Even our famed shooting team found that their expectation of higher standards was more than justified.

Why Basketball?

The team which we entered in the women's basketball had done some intensive training to try and redeem our reputation in this sport. Their defeats emphasised the high standards achieved at the other colleges.

It is about time that the question of basketball at Easter Tournament was investigated. This is a winter sport. It is the only winter sport-apart from Drinking Horn—which is contested at Easter. This is an anomalous position and although it may be of advantage to Victoria not to allow other colleges to have a longer training time (although we doubt it) basketball should properly not be part of this Tournament.

Swimming

Why a special word about swimming? Well mainly because of the ducks. The swimming was well organised and very entertaining in spite of the chill of the evening. Several people remember the constant repetition of the introduction of ducks and ask why. Surely something else could be tried.

This year the dance after Tournament appears to have had no aftermath even if at one stage the South American way seemed to be leading up to an interesting riot.

Athletics

The writing was on the wall for our athletic chances when the inter-faculty sports featured so much lack of enthusiasm and interest. The newspaper report of the one entrant race (Mr. T. Beaglehole—no less!) even caused comments in the city.

The news that Ikar Lissienko was not available did nothing to brighten the scene. The report that the athleics controller handed to Salient minced no words and obviously hinted that training was necessary. The Athletics Club have the excuse that it is difficult to train invisible men and women. Are the clubs doing enough to encourage new students to take an interest in college clubs?

Do You Read Newspapers?

If you read newspapers you will have read their excellent coverage of tennis, rowing and Drinking Horn. This last was given the attention it deserved. Reports did fail to make it clear that speed was the essence and not quantity which caused fears that "Mother of Five" would be writing to the Press any moment.

Bal Reddy starred as the tennis hero, well deserved after his performance and we had the unusual spectacle of Victoria cornering the final.

Least well reported was the shooting probably because Trentham is a long way out of town during Easter week-end when so many other events are being reported. Perhaps the team may care to let Salient have a fuller story including the mistaken target tragedy. That is all that remains for the full record.

All the competitors deserve congratulations and the organisers deserve some sort of special award which they are certain not to get. Do the executive feast them after it is all over?