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Show Radcliffe Girls Must Learn to Swim to Get Degree DISTRESSED but lordly upper classmen at Itadcl!ne are demanding de-manding of all and sundry why, and why again, the pool le so crowded this spring. They never seem to be able to get a quiet swim any snore. Ie wasn't that way when they" art freshmen, they declare. Then the pool sras used throushout Ita six weeks period, but, there were breathing breath-ing spells when not more than half a dozen were enjoying Ita cooling waters. To-day It la full from morning to night and enthusiasm la at a pitch never before reach id. To Miss Elizabeth Wright for tw -nty yeara physical director of the RadcllfTe rymna'lum. thla result la due in tha main. Ever since the pool In the basement of Hemenway Gymnasium Gymna-sium waa opened aha baa et riven to persuade the council to make ability in swimming a requirement of the degree. de-gree. "Yes." aald Mlsa Wright "for six years swtromlrig has been a nominal reqclrrment But It is hard to Insist ' on glrle learning to swim when the' pool la open only six weeks each year. When the endowment fund drive Is over we may hope to have It In use for a longer period. But, of tourse, that would necessitate an increaalng number of Instructors If It were open at the eame time as the srmnsslum, aa well as another Janitor to manage both the furnace and the regulation of the water. "But we have had a real step forward for-ward this year. The council hae elated that every girl must be able to swim tn .rder to get her degree. On the strength of that we have made the conditions aocnewhat more severe, although we allow four years for their completion." The requlrementa aa they now atand Include: (1) Floating on the face for a quarter of a minute; (2) frosting on the hack for half a minute; li) entering enter-ing the water by dive or plunge head foremost: 14) swimming twice the length of the pool (a dlatance of 12 feet t in good form with any standard etroke; e swimming the length of the pool In good foma with any standard stand-ard back etroke. be sinners must have three periods a week. Thla year at least two freshmen learned enough In the first five weeks to be able to fulfill ful-fill all requirements aa well aa demonstrate demon-strate two other strokes. Mire Wright declares "any average girl should be able to get contra of her breathing and learn enough about floating, changing from back to breast and swimming on the back to be at home In the water as well aa start on a aide stroke In the six weeks period." The method followed In giving Instruction In-struction la that originated by the Mlseee Sheffield. In thla rhythmical breathing wtth the head submersed la Insisted on aa a first step, followed by a front float and a back float Confidence Confi-dence la gained by land drill In earning earn-ing to a standing position from either float and by pra tire In changing from back to breast and vice versa. When the final atage of back aad side stroke la reached It le found that the girls have l ot the usual tendency of beginners begin-ners to hurry their strokes, but take them with ease and confidence. Diving lessons are begun as soon aa the pupil -is far enough advanced aad sufficiently sure of herself to go into deep water. . Great Interest In swimming baa been aroused thla spring by a course In Ave lessons given by a member of the Red Cross Life Saving Instruction Corpe. It .waa announced that only twenty-four twenty-four could, be accommodated, but thirty-three enthusiasts turned out Aocerdlngly the Red Cross kindly allowed al-lowed their representative. Robert I Miller, to give three extra lessons la order that more might enjoy the In-struct In-struct loo. Oa the last day a demon- ' strati on of reauat ita tlon waa given for the benent of the whole college. Half strong! girls can still be ob-atrved ob-atrved In the pool dally trying out on a friend the break of "tha front etrangle bold." the "over arm carry" or the "saddleback carry." By the end of the course nearly all could break from the various holds possible to a droarr.lng man, carry a person their own welaht the lenath of tha pool In several different ways and lift a person their own weight In shallow water and carry hlro ashore. They were also expert In fetching erelght from the bottom of the pool end in applying artificial respiration. The interest has apread llk- wildfire, and many who did not take part thla year are already planning for next. The annual spring ewlmmlng meet between the classes baa taken place for twenty years. The Interest this year la augmented by the fact that tha class of '21 la to present to the college a silver cup In memory of their classmate, Ellen Randolph Ran-dolph Bart I a. tha youthful winner of last year's meet who died in Paris thla winter. Thla will ba competed for . annually. Besides the winner of the whole meet each winner of aa Individual Indi-vidual event ie awarded her daae numerals. t I sn i ' - ,' . . CeerrlcM. isa. br TW Xew Ten, M |
