Jeanette Laws

Jeanette Mary Barker (née Laws, born 1933/1934) is a New Zealand diver who represented her country at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In more recent years she has competed in international masters swimming and diving championships.

Jeanette Barker

Personal information
Birth name	Jeanette Mary Laws
Born	1933/1934 (age 86–87)
Spouse(s)	Peter Stanley Barker
Sport
Country	New Zealand
Sport	Diving
Achievements and titles
National finals	Diving champion (1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956) Tower diving champion (1954, 1955)

Early life and diving career

Born Jeanette Mary Laws, Barker was born in about 1933,[1] and educated at Napier Girls' High School.[2] She started diving when she was at intermediate school, and competed in both swimming and diving until she was 15 years old, when she decided to concentrate on the latter.[3] After she left school, Laws spent two years living in Auckland and Dunedin where she received specialist diving coaching, while working in accounting.[3]

Representing Hawke's Bay, Laws went on to win the New Zealand national women's diving championship five times—in 1951 and then in four consecutive years from 1953 to 1956—as well as the national women's tower diving title in 1954 and 1955.[4] At the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Laws finished fifth in the women's 3 m springboard, and fourth in the women's 10 m platform diving events.[5][6]

Later life

Later in the 1950s, Laws retired from diving to marry Peter Barker and raise a family.[3][7] She ran her own swimming school for eight years, and returned to competitive swimming and diving in the 1980s, competing at six FINA World Masters Championships.[3]

FINA World Masters Championships results for Jeanette Barker

Year	Meet	Location	Age group	Event	Rank
1986	1st FINA World Masters Championships[8]	Tokyo	50–54 years	Women's 50 m freestyle	13
				Women's 400 m freestyle	18
				Women's 50 m breaststroke	13
				Women's 100 m breaststroke	9
				Women's 200 m breaststroke	8
1988	2nd FINA World Masters Championships[9][10]	Brisbane	50–54 years	Women's 50 m breaststroke	21
				Women's 100 m breaststroke	17
			50–59 years	Women's 1 m springboard	4
				Women's 3 m springboard
				Women's platform
1990	3rd FINA World Masters Championships[11][12]	Rio de Janeiro	55–59 years	Women's 50 m breaststroke	21
				Women's 100 m breaststroke	6
				Women's 200 m breaststroke	7
				Women's 1 m springboard
				Women's 3 m springboard
			50–59 years	Women's platform
1998	7th FINA World Masters Championships[13][14]	Casablanca	65–69 years	Women's 50 m breaststroke	6
				Women's 100 m breaststroke	6
				Women's 1 m springboard
				Women's 3 m springboard
				Women's platform
2002	9th FINA World Masters Championships[15][16]	Christchurch	65–69 years	Women's 100 m freestyle	23
				Women's 200 m freestyle	11
				Women's 50 m breaststroke	12
				Women's 100 m breaststroke	11
				Women's 200 m breaststroke	8
				Women's 1 m springboard
				Women's 3 m springboard
2004	10th FINA World Masters Championships[17][18]	Riccione	70–74 years	Women's 100 m freestyle	10
				Women's 50 m breaststroke	12
				Women's 200 m breaststroke	6
				Women's 1 m springboard	4
				Women's 3 m springboard
				Women's tower

References

1. Hurndell, Shane (9 January 2006). "Fall doesn't spoil 72 year-old Jeanette's triathlon". Hawke's Bay Today. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
2. "Swimming titles". Gisborne Herald. 3 March 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
3. Brooker, Michelle (Spring 2018). "Diving in at the deep end". Summerset Scene. pp. 8–11. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
4. McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Swimming – national championships". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Wellington: Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
5. "Jeannette Laws". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
6. Jeannette Barker at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
7. "28th movable conference of the Manchester Unity (I.O.O.F)". Hawke's Bay Photo News. June 1959. p. 38. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
8. "I FINA World Masters Championships – Tokyo JPN – July 12–16 1986: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
9. "II FINA World Masters Championships – Brisbane AUS – Oct 10–15 1988: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
10. "II FINA World Masters Championships – Brisbane AUS – Oct 10–15 1988: diving results" (PDF). FINA. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
11. "III FINA World Masters Championships – Rio de Janeiro BRA – Aug 6–13 1990: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
12. "III FINA World Masters Championships – Rio de Janeiro BRA – Aug 6–13 1990: diving results" (PDF). FINA. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
13. "VII FINA World Masters Championships – Casablanca MOR – June 19–30 1998: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 29 May 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
14. "VII FINA World Masters Championships – Casablanca MOR – June 19–30 1998: diving results" (PDF). FINA. 29 May 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
15. "IX FINA World Masters Championships – Christchurch NZL – Mar 21 – Apr 3, 2002: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
16. "IX FINA World Masters Championships – Christchurch NZL – Mar 21 – Apr 3, 2002: diving results" (PDF). FINA. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
17. "X FINA World Masters Championships – Riccione ITA – June 1–13, 2004: swimming results – women" (PDF). FINA. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
18. "X FINA World Masters Championships – Riccione ITA – June 1–13, 2004: diving results" (PDF). FINA. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2019.