RADIO PROGRAM
a January 20, 1938

PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR HEALTH

"Body Building Sports - Swimming and Fencing"

Allen -- We have with us tonight Herbert G. Allphin, coach of the varsity swimming

Herb -

Jim -

Herb=

Allen-

Herb=

team and teacher in our department of Physical Education. Swimming has
become a very popular sport at the University. We also have Jim H. Raport,
instructor, who has popularized fencing to an unusual degree among both men
and women students. At first glance, perhaps, we do not think that there
is a great deal of similarity betwoen fencing and swimming, and I am going
to ask Herb and Jim to tell us their notions of the similarity between
these two sports. Herb, how would you compare swimming with fencing?

Well, Dre Allen, I would say that swimming compares with fencing first in
rhythm. The fencer lunges forward with his woapon to make a touch, while
the swimmer extends first one arm and then the other in gliding through
the water. Timing, of course, is important in both of these body building
sports. |

Yos, and we have the three weapons in fencing, the foil, the epee or duel-
ing sword, and the saber, while in swimming we have the three basic strokes,
which are the crawl, side and breast.

Another thing - relaxation is very important in both sports. The fencer is
relaxing all the time except when he is actually making a lunge; while the

swimmer emphasizes relaxation all the time with the exception of the final

stroke. Both fencing ond swimming are dependent upon tonic starts.

Well, these are interesting comparisons, and I am sure that most of us had
not thought of such likenesses between swimming and fencing. But you know
everything has a history, boys; suppose you give us @ little of the history
of swimming, Horb.e I imagine swimming started with the amoeba, didn't it?

I belicve your statement about the amoeba is correct, Dre Allon. Now,
jumping from the amoeba to the cave man, historical pageants usually por-
tray savego man first swimming by using a stroke which is related to tho
crawl in its simple fundamental coordinations. Professor James E. Dunlap,
archacologist of the University of Michigan, hes found considerable evi-
dence that swimming methods somewhat liko the modern ones were used 3000
years agoe I had the good fortune to visit the British Museum during the
summer of 1936, and in the famous Nimrond Gallery there is a bes-relicf
taken from the Palace of Nimrond, tho date of which is about 880 B.C. It
shows a fugitive escaping from a soldier by swimming 4 river with an over-
arm stroke. But getting back to the United States - do you know that Ben-
jamin Franklin was the leading aquatic instructor of the late 1700's? He
gave considerable instruction in swimming and he advocated the broast
stroke. From this broast stroke, English swimmers ievised the side overarm,
and in the later 90's the Cavill brothers from Australia introduced the
crawl. It is now called the Australian Crewl. And the crewl right now,
Dr. Allen, is the fastest swimming stroke on record. The time on the 100
yard dash in early 1900 was about 67 seconds. Champions are now swimming
it in under 53 secondse