MANAGEMENT OF SWIMMING MEETINGS The general management of swimming mem:wigs, especially those that are held in baths, has vastly improved during the last ten years. All unaffiliated clubs and managing bodies must obtain a permit from the Amateur Swimming Asso ciation before attempting to hold a race meeting, otherwise the amateurs who compete disqualify themselves from taking part in races held under the laws of the Association until suck time as they are re-qualified. It is, therefore, the first duty of the promoting organisation to apply for a permit. If granted, the fact should be stated on all entry forms, posters, advertise ments, &c., so that swimmers may be made aware of the fact that the meeting has been duly registered. The responsible official of a meeting is the secretary, and it is necessary that a trustworthy man should be selected. His acquaintance with swimmers and swimming in general should be as wide as possible.
It is advisable to definitely fix the date of the meeting some time in advance, and to secure the bath, so that after the pre liminary announcement there may be no need to change the venue or date. In the case of open water the tides have to be considered. Very great care should be taken to avoid clashing with another gala in the same district, as otherwise both may result in financial failures.
About a month before the gala the meeting shoold be well advertised, the preliminary announcements detailing the num ber and minimum value of the prizes for each open event, stating the date on which entries close, the amount charged as entrance fee for a race, and the price of admission to the baths.
Everything possible should be done for the comfort of competitors. It is a short-sighted policy to let them undress in any wretched ill-ventilated room so that more spectators can be accommodated, because the good-class men will abstain from entering the next season. It i4 not necessary to pro vide a drawing' room for them, but a decent dressing-room adds greatly to the popularity of any individual club's annual gala. The arrangements made for the accommodation of competitors at open-water meetings, particularly in the sea, are perhaps the worst ; they are sometimes required to undress in small cabins reeking with filth, down under dirty mackerel boats, the bottoms of which are covered with water, so that the clothes cannot be put down without being wetted; in antiquated and disused beach shelters or riverside toll-houses, in which all shades and denominations of insects delight to congregate, and even in open boats in dirty weather. This
sort- of treatment is certainly not calculated to inspire a love for the particular meeting at which it is meted out.
If teams come from a distance, they will'much appreciate being met at the station by one of the officials, taken to the baths so that their whereabouts may be known, and indeed, if funds permit, they may well be entertained at the expense of the club. These little courtesies are not soon forgotten, and once a club becomes popular, it can always rely on support from swimmers outside its own members.
The racing laws of the Amateur Swimming Association must be thoroughly understood by the club committee. The officials appointed should all be practical men. In the case of the judge, starter, and timekeeper, they should be men of wide experience, well versed in the racing laws, cool, and determined. It is sheer nonsense to appoint a man to a responsible position of this character simply because he happens to be president or vice-president of the club, without any other qualification. All the officials should be appointed some time before the gala, so that no difficulty may be experienced at the last moment. Every one of them should be notified, and their consent obtained.
The duties of starter and timekeeper should be vested in one official, unless the races are started by report of pistol, as in our opinion all scratch races in open water should be. In order to explain the system of starting and timing handi caps in vogue in England, we give the copy of a portion of the handicap for an open race held by the Liverpool Gymnasium Club.