On the 11^th August Andrew Alderson wrote an article in the NZ Herald that discussed the possibility of reform at High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ). A summarised version of his article is shown in the table below.

For those wanting to read the article in full, here is the NZ Herald link. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12105378

Whenever I hear news that Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) or Sport New Zealand are about to undergo reform my spirits soar in the hope that something better is about to occur. Swimwatch readers will be aware that the appointment of Gary Francis caused one such burst of optimism. Alas it was not to be.

The business of sport is full of reforms that are cons designed to consolidate bureaucratic power or to convince gullible shareholders that better days are ahead. Swimming has had both of these.

The 2011 Moller Report was an example of the first. Brian Palmer and Bronwen Radford fell for Miskimmin’s ruse and naively agreed to a course of action that ruined the sport for a generation. With barely a nod towards democracy Miskimmin and his subordinates consolidated their autocratic grip on power. Remember when Moller told the SNZ General Meeting that all his reforms had to be accepted or none at all. Remember when he demanded that Brian Palmer be sacked from his position as Auckland CEO. Mind you he was probably right about that. In my opinion the Palmer and Radford legacy in swimming will forever be tainted by their capitulation to the 2011 Miskimmin con.

The appointment of Gary Francis is an example of the second type of sport’s con. It was a classic Clayton’s reform. Preceded by the big announcement and introduced by a series of information meetings, it has all the appearance of reform but nothing has changed. The SNZ centralised program continues on and the random selection of young swimmers remains much as it was before. A pampered few continue to cost millions of our dollars. A cossetted and babied minority live like royalty while the rest of the sport starves. The joke that passes as administration in swimming has stayed exactly the same; the same cars, the same $100,000 salaries, the same unnecessary junkets, the same bloated staff numbers, the same chronic waste. The only visible change is the added cost of the Francis’ salary. I suspect the current investigations into rowing, football, cycling, netball and HPSNZ will be similarly cosmetic.

The centralised training policy imposed by Miskimmin in all these sports is the problem. And that is not going to change. Miskimmin will employ every con available to preserve that feature of New Zealand sport. That policy is the foundation of his iron grip on power. As swimming has shown, centralised preparation is riddled with waste and fails to yield results. But it does very successfully concentrate and consolidate bureaucratic power. That’s what Miskimmin likes and that’s why it is not going to change.

The Miskimmin emphasis on centralised preparation has had an unfortunate side effect. The concentration of power and inflated salaries for little real responsibility has attracted the particularly incompetent to careers in sports management. Average high school students go off to study “Sport Management” in some regional polytechnic.  They emerge with a “trade certificate” – they call it a degree, but it is not – and then arrogantly set off to wield disproportionate power over organisations whose Boards are amateur part-timers and don’t really care about results. As a consequence the average sport in New Zealand is badly managed. Duncan Laing was right. Learning management along the lamb-line or boning room of your average freezing works produced a better manager than the business babble bullshit that passes as management in SNZ.

Just look at some of the decisions that these so called managers have made recently. Rowing New Zealand told Eric Murray he couldn’t come back to New Zealand for the birth of his child because soldiers at war had to stay in the field. The way the sport treated Emma Twigg showed a similar disregard for common decency. The decision of SNZ to deny me access to the results of an investigation into a complaint about my coaching was also wrong and dictatorial and disregarded all acceptable management standards. Those responsible for a decision like that should be doing something else in life. Instead SNZ pays them well in excess of $100,000 and sends them on junkets to Japan.

And finally, centralised training combined with poor management has produced a pampered class of athlete babies. The recent string of complaints about being yelled at are a typical product of the cosseted class that results from the fawning treatment athletes are being educated to expect. It is certainly not the way to win Olympic medals. That is a game for tough men and women, something Miskimmin’s empire knows very little about.

There is much more that could be written on the subject of Miskimmin’s folly. Why was Lauren Boyle’s world championship only worth $60,000 when Steve Johns is paid more than twice that every year? Why are 41 people paid over $100,000 in HPSNZ? The slippery slope just goes on and on.

 The 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships have come and gone. How did the New Zealand team perform? Steve Johns has told us it is simple. Funding for swimming depends on winning medals. So let’s look at how much funding New Zealand earned on this occasion. The three tables below show how each of the three pool swimmers performed. The open water swimmers have yet to swim, so they are not included in this report.

Lewis Clareburt

Daniel Hunter

Ali Galyer

According to Steve Johns the link between money and medals is simple but winning medals perhaps, not so simple; not for Steve Johns anyway. This team has returned empty handed. As I have often said that is not the fault of the three swimmers. This barren performance has been a long time in the making. Swimming New Zealand was told over and over again that this would be the result of policies they were following, of money they were wasting. But they ignored our counsel and in 2018 the result is in plain view.

But before looking at the results Swimming New Zealand must be ashamed at a team of just three pool swimmers making it to the Championships. Only two of those were from New Zealand. Ali Galyer had every right to be there but in every other way she is American. Certainly the New Zealand domestic program could only deliver two swimmers to the Championships. Four years ago New Zealand sent a team of eight pool swimmers. That’s a 300% drop in team size. Swimming New Zealand has won the double; it has lost quality and quantity.

In the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships combined, New Zealand swimmers have won one Bronze medal. Well done Cotterill. Well done the Swimming New Zealand Board. Well done Steve Johns. I do hope you are proud of bringing a fine sport to its knees.

I thought it might be interesting to compare how the New Zealand 2014 Pan Pacific Games team performed in comparison to the 2018 team. The table below shows how far down Swimming New Zealand has brought us in four years.

Four years ago New Zealand swimmers competed in 10 finals and 7 “B” finals. This year the team managed 5 finals and 3 “B” finals. Four years ago New Zealand swimmers won 2 Silver medals and 2 Bronze medals. This year there were no medals of any sort. Four years ago the average place of a New Zealand swimmer was 9^th place. Four years later that has slipped to an average of 11^th. Take a bow Swimming New Zealand. That sure looks like a great result for four years work.

Probably the most positive quality of New Zealand’s performance was the percentage of PBs. From 16 swims the team recorded 5 personal best swims, a not spectacular, but better than normal 31%.

It is probably worth remembering that in four years from 2014 to 2018, the Swimming New Zealand Board has been given in excess of $4,000,000 by the New Zealand tax payer. That’s you and me. We gave the Board, that’s Cotterill, Brown, McKee, Tongue, Tootill and Perry and the CEO Johns $4,000,000. We were entitled to expect them to spend it wisely. We were entitled to expect a return on our investment. Instead they delivered no Pan Pacific medals compared to four medals last time. There is not a commercial company in New Zealand that would tolerate that performance. The shareholders of a properly run company would demand accountability. Resignations would be expected from any Board that delivered Swimming New Zealand’s 2018 results.

But this lot have no honour. They will trot next door asking High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) for their 2019 beneficiary handout as though this year’s performance was all part of a well-designed master plan. Cotterill will write an Annual Report that will tell us about another group of juniors about to stun the swimming world; and sadly he will get away with the lie. If HPSNZ was really doing what is best for swimming they would turn Cotterill and Johns away without a cent – nothing at all. HPSNZ must see that the $4,000,000 they have spent has been wasted. There is an old expression that says, why pour good money after bad? Why indeed?

Denying Swimming New Zealand any money at all would probably result in a mass of resignations. Wouldn’t that be a good thing? The decks would be cleared, dead wood would be discarded and responsible people could begin the process of reform.

There may be some who consider what is written here to be too harsh. But before passing judgement, go back to the table that compares where we were four years ago and where we are today. Nothing I say could be as harsh as that tragedy.

The World’s tallest fountain in Eyad’s previous home town of Jeddah

Some readers will recall a previous post written by Eyad. The post discussed his thoughts before leaving Saudi Arabia. Here in chapter two he discusses his early days getting settled in New Zealand. As you read, remember that amazingly Eyad’s English education was gained listening to pop-songs on his iPhone.

CHAPTER TWO

“Come on, wake up” were the first words I heard from David on my first morning in NZ; waking me up to go for training. I know I just had a very long journey but there is no time to rest, I have got to start working for my dream. Thank you David for saving me from sinking recklessly in sleeping, I now realize it isn’t going to be a soft start.

Training after training, hour after hour, day after day and my only friend was the pain I felt of my achy muscles after training. Ashamed to perform poorly at the nationals, but motivated to prove those who said “YOU CAN’T DO IT” wrong. My passion, my constant reminder to rise not fall, the choice of living not dying got me through it all. Tears were dropped and feelings got hurt, but only to make me miles stronger. People talk to me and say I should see a therapist. Should I listen to those people’s advices or should I shut their voices and immerse my head under water. I choose the silence I get when I dive into the pool over hearing extra noises, and I never regretted this decision.

Ironically, the same water helps me to forget my concerns, is the same water causing my pain. Isn’t that funny! I’m the one treating the pain with more pain. Maybe I am an old fusion guy who believes in ‘treat the fire with fire’. Or maybe just a fool who does not understand that pain is not normal. People should live with no pain, isn’t that true? Well, I don’t want to be normal.

I will never forget that morning when David said “Don’t blame anyone if you did not swim fast, you have a problem and you have the remedy, all for a price and NO ONE but you will pay it”. Yes David, you are right! I’m the one who should go through that fight. Not the fight against achieving my dreams or the fight in the pool at any race, but the one inside my head. I should forget about all the disappointments I had back in Saudi Arabia. Disbelieve everyone said I wasn’t good. And execute what I am meant to do what I have trained for.

But wait; there still one more disappointment I needed to experience. It’s the nationals next week and training has become easier. Did my dream just have gotten easier to achieve? Or am I just getting over confidant after all those long weeks of doing 70 kilometres a week? No, It’s a bit a hesitation mixed with traces of fear from the competition. Remember last time I swam in it I ended with disappointment texts from everyone I looked up to. Everyone I wanted to make proud, made them disappointed. I am sorry for what’s going to happen next.

Yes I had let them down again. God help me because my anger won’t.

Did I just say anger? Why you wonder? I will tell you my secret. My anger is my weapon against my will. Yes I am a nice person and can’t show anger to people around me but I definitely can against my self. Is that where I want to be? Is this why I came here? HELL NO.

Then what am I going to do about it? I know I need to get rid of that fear that I had, that hesitation of not being good enough. Because I am good and I should make people fear me. I am going to prove my self-wrong this time. Everyday is a new challenge, every breath has a purpose and every nice rule must be broken when my surrounding becomes only water. I am not turning into a savage monster; I am unleashing and guiding the mongrel existed in me. Wait and see what’s going to happen because the next chapter will be interesting.

Maybe when you read this you might think I am turning into a psychopath. Mate, give me a night to hang out. I will shout you a glass of beer and make this thought disappear.

I thought you might be interested in the torturous route required to write a recent Swimwatch story. Here is a self-explanatory exchange of emails and the final story. It may be worth typing the name of the sender plus Massey University into Google before you read further.

 There is a very good article written by Dylan Cleaver in this morning’s New Zealand Herald. Here is the link:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12103270

Cleaver argues that the Miskimmin and Sport New Zealand policy of pouring millions into winning international medals is reaching a tipping point. Most resources and effort are going into the top. The base is becoming weaker and weaker. Soon it will fail under the burden of its own weight.

I agree with that view. The evidence is pretty overwhelming. A recent Sport New Zealand survey (Active New Zealand) found that the number of young New Zealanders playing sport had dropped by 7.7% between 1998 and 2014 and has fallen again between 2004 and 2018. Miskimmin’s policies are not working. The financial emphasis on elite medals is hurting the grass roots of New Zealand sport.

In the Wellington information meeting Steve Johns admitted that elite sport was their funding priority. Here is what he said.

That obsession with money and therefore medals has led Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) to thousands of bad decisions. Twenty five years and $35million dollars have been spent for what – one Bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games. Does that sound like an acceptable return to anyone? Believe me, every Millennium Swim School learn-to-swim instructor does more to promote the health of New Zealand swimming in one Saturday morning swim lesson than Cotterill and Johns have managed in two decades spending $35million.

While I agree with Cleaver, I actually think it’s worse than he says. He argues that overfunding elite sport at the expense of the base is causing damage because the base is gradually rotting away. I would go further. The millions spent at the top is bad for sport at that level as well. Overfunded sports become greedy, conceited, arrogant and dishonest. They act like royalty and deliver pauper’s results.

We saw the shambles that preceded the Commonwealth Games. Not enough accommodation was booked to house the Games training camp. A swimmer withdrew because of injury and an unqualified swimmer was added at the last minute. What a mess.

And the Pan Pacific Games, about to begin on Thursday, are heading in the same direction. For some reason Swimming New Zealand decided a month-long training camp in Japan was a worthwhile use of their resources. What a chronic waste. The swimmers would have been better off spending another two weeks in their own beds, training with their own coaches, in their own pools and eating their own food.

And then Steve Johns was off on a paid junket to sign a contract with the Mayor of Kobe, Japan confirming that SNZ would use the Kobe pool as their training centre before the Olympic Games. That was a glorious waste of taxpayer’s money, that’s you and me because we paid for it. The signing could have been done for free, on a computer.

And now I read that Emma Robinson has withdrawn from the team because of illness. That is not Emma Robinson’s fault or Swimming New Zealand. But it is another sign of the black cloud of misfortune that follows around behind everything that Cotterill and Johns touch.

In previous posts I have mentioned the arrogance that comes with HPSNZ’s overfunding of Swimming New Zealand. The table below repeats some of these examples.

But it’s not only swimming that demonstrates the arrogance of Miskimmin’s money. Rowing is a classic. Just consider their high-handed and disgusting treatment of Tonks, Twigg and Jenkins, behaviour that is clearly the product of too much money and inflated egos. Like swimming they have lost sight of the fact that this whole deal is about a holistic approach to the people involved. But to Rowing NZ’s High Performance Director, Alan Cotter, it’s about keeping Miskimmin happy enough to sign next year’s five million dollar cheque.  

Basketball is no better. Sadly that sport has lost New Zealand’s best player, Steve Adams, because of the way he was treated as a junior. And all power to Adams. The lessons he is teaching the sport are long overdue. I hope they have enough brains to learn.

And so I agree that the disproportionate resources poured into elite sport is seriously eroding the health of the base. The fanatical push for medals combined with the shallow and badly trained mass of bureaucrats that prance around as sport’s managers is catastrophic for elite sport. Some of the most seriously inflated egos in this world belong to your average swimming pool manager. I exclude the Millennium Pool manager. He is brilliant. Most pool managers rule over their domain like third world dictators. Matching them for ego though is the CEO of your average New Zealand sport. For some reason the career of sports management has attracted those who can’t make it in real management jobs. Instead they run around pandering to every HPSNZ whim, pleading for next year’s funding. If you want to find out the cause of the problems in sport and in SNZ in particular – just follow Miskimmin’s money.