Wairarapa deserves plaudits, say national swimming officials

Two leading Swimming New Zealand officials liked what they saw on a two-day visit to the Wairarapa.
Jan Cameron, general manager of performance and pathways, and Trevor Nicholls, youth and age group programme manager, met with administrators, coaches, swimmers and supporters from Featherston, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton to gain first-hand knowledge of the direction the sport is taking here.
And according to Cameron, who herself has competed and coached successfully right up to Olympic level, the local swimming community deserve plaudits for their passion and organisation.
"It's typical of what you find in country areas, there are a lot of volunteers doing an absolutely huge job to provide opportunities for youngsters to develop their skills," she said.
Cameron doesn't need telling of the many high-class swimmers who have come out of Wairarapa over the years. She was, in fact, coaching at the North Shore club about a decade ago when a youngster from here named Jolie Workman shifted north to join her squad and went on to attain national honours.
"She (Workman) was the perfect example of a swimmer who had been given a good, solid grounding in the sport & she had lost nothing at all by being taught to swim in a country area," Cameron said.
"What matters is not where you are taught but how you are taught, and Wairarapa has done well in that respect."
Cameron said the "crux" of her present role was to ensure coaches were given the opportunity to upskill both themselves and their swimmers by having the right policies, procedures and strategies in place.
"I know that sounds rather grand but really what it means is that the national body wants certain standards to be met, and that they are willing to assist in those standards being achieved," she said.
Cameron anticipates once she and Nicholls have completed their current travels they will have upwards of 100 coaches in their network and she is "very excited" at the prospect of working with them to further lift the profile of New Zealand swimming on the international scene.
"It's a big challenge but when you think of the enormous amount of swimming talent we have in this country it's got to incredibly rewarding, doesn't it?" she said.