Twenty-two years ago, Jan Cameron convinced Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) to begin a disastrous experiment into centralised training. For twenty years appalling management, led by Bruce Cotterill, spent money like drunken sailors. $25million was thrown into employing foreign coaches and administrators. Australia, the USA, Great Britain, China and Spain – we had them all. A disgusting, them and us, culture became characteristic of the sport. Special stages were built at the National Championships for “centralised” swimmers to sit above the provincial masses. Team meetings excluded Commonwealth Games medallists, not in the centralised fold. It was a dark, dark time in New Zealand swimming. Cotterill and Cameron turned the sport into a wasteland. New Zealand coaches were abused or ignored. New Zealand swimmers went to six Olympic Games and returned with nothing. Cotterill and Cameron, in my opinion, spent twenty-five million dollars and in return –  

“He who was now living is now dead

We who were living are now dying”

SNZ was told. Repeatedly Swimwatch pleaded for those in power to understand their futility and waste. And all we got in return was abuse. It was a nightmare, a hole that had no bottom. There would be no end. The sport was lost to a pinstripe suit and an overpriced leather briefcase with a label.

But then Cameron died and Cotterill left. Nick Tongue, Steve Johns and Gary Francis took their place. Two years ago, the new team announced that centralised training would end. We could argue all night about whether their decision was based on principle or lack of money. However, the reason does not really matter. The destruction was about to stop.

Swimwatch said repairing the damage would take time. Lydiard thought about five years. I agreed with that. Repairing Cotterill’s wasteland was not a five-minute fix. And do you know what, we were both wrong, so very wrong. You see the New Zealand Swimming Championships have been held this week. Swimming is on the way back.

Good signs abound. The times are good. Eight FINA A times in the finals. The swimmers are an interesting mix of the “old” and the “new”, forever unsullied by the disaster of their sport’s recent history. Winners come from all over the country and one from Australia.  Ten clubs are represented by winners in the finals. With the exception of one, the winners are all products of domestic programmes. They swim faster in finals than in the heats. And the competition is close behind. Three male swimmers under 23sec in the 50m. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Even a really good swimmer like Fairweather has a Neptune teammate close behind. New Zealand swimming is no longer Lauren Boyle on her own. Quality and depth are on their way. Swimming has a long way to go, but as sure as can be, it is getting there. And getting there faster than I thought.

And ’tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

And so, Tongue, Johns and Francis have turned the sport around. They have provided space and opportunity for New Zealand coaches and swimmers to grow. Competition in sport works. And guess what, as long as SNZ stays away from that autocratic centralised control, it looks like New Zealand coaches and swimmers know what they are doing and are going to do a pretty good job of getting a result. No matter how long the winter, spring has followed.

But beware, there is danger in the Owen Glenn waters. As swimming improves, and it will, Sport NZ will come knocking again with a carpetbag stuffed with money. They will be offering to buy their way back into the sport. The price will be a return to centralised training. Do not sell them the sport again. Sport NZ’s thirty pieces of silver cost swimming dearly. SNZ was Judas Iscariot once. Do not make the same mistake a second time.     

The table below shows the winner of each event, their club and the time they swam.

EVENT	WINNER	CLUB	TIME	STANDARD
1500 Free M	Clarke	NSS	15.37.70
400 IM M	Clareburt	Capital	4.14.36	FINA A
50 Back M	Gray	NSS	25.27
800 Free W	Thomas	Coast	2.28.65	FINA A
200 IM W	Gasson	Coast	2.12.13	FINA A
50 Fly W	Ouwehand	Phoenix	27.00
400 Free M	Clareburt	Capital	3.52.05
100 Back M	Dell	Pukekohe	54.11
100 Breast M	Gilbert	Evolution	1.02.86
400 Free W	Fairweather	Neptune	4.04.37	Plus Thomas FINA A
100 Back W	Gasson	Coast	1.01.57
100 Breast W	McCarthy	Hamilton	1.10.74
200 Free M	Clareburt	Capital	1.48.38
100 Fly M	O’Connor	Capital	53.63
200 Free W	Fairweather	Neptune	1.57.80	FINA A
100 Fly W	Gasson	Coast	58.91
200 IM M	Clareburt	Capital	1.59.42	FINA A
200 Back M	Follows	NSS	1.58.80
50 Fly M	Gray	NSS	23.77
400 IM W	McCarthy	Hamilton	4.45.49
200 Back W	Godwin	Heretaunga	2.12.66
100 Free M	Clareburt	Capital	49.63
200 Breast M	Gilbert	Evolution	2.17.02
100 Free W	Littlejohn	St. Pauls	55.43
200 Breast W	Gasson	Coast	2.31.67
50 Back W	Ouwehand	Phoenix	28.44
800 Free M	Clark	NSS	8.06.49
50 Free M	Gray	NSS	22.42
200 Fly M	Clareburt	Capital	1.57.42
50 Breast M	Gilbert	Evolution	28.93
1500 Free W	Deans	Neptune	16.27.34	FINA A
50 Free W	Littlejohn	St. Pauls	25.70
200 Fly W	Gasson	Coast	2.12.03
50 Breast W	Gasson	Coast	31.91