Swimming: Parents rally behind sacked coach

A group of angry Hawke's Bay parents are leaping to the support of sacked swimming coach Jon Winter.

Wellington newspaper The Dominion Post reported today that a strategy committee was established to keep Winter in the region, while parents spoken to yesterday quashed any suggestion of serious misconduct on the Olympian's part.

"We were just sick of what was happening, with Jon's sacking the last roll of the dice," committee member Peter Hamerlink said.

"We had to do something about that, it just shouldn't happen -- he's too valuable."

Hamerlink has a 13-year-old son who swims in Winter's junior team and said the committee had the full support of all the parents.

The committee includes nine parents and was formed about three weeks ago.

Anne March, whose son Luke is in Winter's Sundevils squad, said parents were "quite gutted" by his sacking.

"The children just love him, he's just like a magnet to them."

March has often travelled with the team as a manager and said Winter was horrified recently when he found two of the senior girls in the boys' rooms.

"He's absolutely top-notch. I would definitely not have any problems with him, there's definitely been no funny business with the kids and his ethics," she said.

It is understood that one of the accusations against Winter was that he put pressure on swimmers to choose between the surf lifesaving nationals and the swimming nationals at Wellington's Kilbirnie Aquatic Centre which were only a week apart.

Winter would not comment yesterday.

He has been told not to talk to the media as negotiations between the lawyers for the Hastings Swimming Charitable Trust and his legal team continue.

Winter was told at the beginning of this month his contract with the trust would end on May 24 though no official word has been given on the reasons for his dismissal.

- NZPA