Papamoa Surf Club is looking to secure a rare hat-trick of titles at the 2015 New Zealand Pool Championships to be held at West Wave Aquatic Centre in Auckland from today until Sunday.
Last year, Papamoa held off second-placed Mount Maunganui to take out the Paul Kent Memorial Trophy for the second year in a row. Standout performers included Madison Kidd, Ariana Moffatt, Liam Moffat, Naomi Davoren, Ben Johnston, Natalie Peat and Jacob Hales, who all set national records.
In the well-performed Mount Maunganui team that rode Papamoa all the way, Libby Bradley, Kane Sefton, Isabella Akroyd and Daniel Barron also set national records.
The two Western Bay clubs are favoured to go head-to-head again but there will be stiff competition. This year's event is the largest yet, with 134 different events to be contested across 480 races. A record 567 athletes, from 10-year-olds through to Masters, have entered this year's championships, up 87 on last year's numbers. There are 168 entries from the northern region, 195 from eastern, 133 from central and 40 from southern, with 31 competitors from China and Australia adding an international flavour to the event.
But this is no stock-standard swim tournament. The championships feature events, ranging from manikin carries and obstacles, to line throw and rescue medleys, that are all based around saving people's lives.
