JUNIOR SPORT - Swimmers in fine form

The Whangarei Swimming Club was the most successful Northland club at the Auckland Junior Swimming Champs at the weekend.
The team was one of the most successful in recent history, bringing home 13 medals, with Kadince Christensen winning seven golds, two silvers and one bronze and Maddison Eastwood clinching one gold and two silvers.
Kadince was the dominant 11-year-old boy at the meet, winning the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, the 50m and 100m fly, the 50m backstroke and the 200m individual medley, gaining second in the 100m backstroke and the 50m breaststroke and third in the 100m breaststroke. Maddison secured her win in the 10 years girls 200m breaststroke and was second in the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley.
The rest of the Whangarei club team, who all recorded personal bests, included Tessa Hepi, Katelyn Donovan, Brooke Eastwood, Courtney Eastwood, Melita Raravula, Stephanie Haynes, Tom Stevens and Hannah Leaming.
The Whangarei club now has four swimmers who have qualified for the 2008 NZ Junior Swimming Champs in Hamilton (Maddison Eastwood, Melita Raravula, Tessa Hepi and Kadince Christensen) and three who have qualified for the 2008 NZ Division 2 Champs in Wellington ( Christensen, Brooke Eastwood and Lizzy Cotton).
The swimmers are coached by Jacques Bonthuys and train six times a week.
The Whangarei club is based at the Whangarei Aquatic Centre, where it now has clubrooms after its original rooms were demolished to make way for the carpark. Club nights are Friday nights and a learn-to-swim programme is held Sunday mornings.
RIGHT: Whangarei swimmers Kadince Christensen, left, and Maddison Eastwood show off the medals they won in Auckland.