Blodgett May Be Site For International Meet

Harvard's Blodgett Pool will probably be the site of the second Women's International short-course swimming meet January 6-7, the AAU announced yesterday.

Men's Swimming Coach Joe Bernal stressed that Harvard has not signed any formal agreements, but most probably will host what he called yesterday the "women's prelude to the Olympics."

"It looks to be one of the most important meets in the Northeast and in the world right now. It puts together two of the great swimming powers, East Germany's girls and the U.S. girls," he said.

The national teams of East and West Germany, Russia, Canada, Holland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Norway will compete, plus the American team and club teams that make the qualifying times.

The AAU will finish selection of the 24 members of the American team in about a week and will announce its decision by the end of the month, Bernal said yesterday. No Radcliffe swimmers have qualified.

Former Harvard Head Swimming Coach Ray Essick, director of the National AAU Aquatic Administration helped land the meet for Harvard. "Ray Essick gives us a little bit of a head start since he knows the facility and the program we will put on here," Bernal added.