I seldom find myself agreeing with the CEO of Swimming New Zealand, Steve Johns. The organization is struggling. Membership recruitment, elite performance and financial results are poor and, since 2012, have been steadily trending downwards. No amount of spin can alter these facts. Steve Johns has not been at Swimming New Zealand for much of that time, but, the buck stops with the guy at the top. Steve Johns is paid a salary in excess of $150,000 and with the big dollars comes big responsibility.

But today Steve Johns has my absolute support. I don’t read the Facebook page known as NZ Swim. I find the opinions expressed their degrading and banal. I come away feeling dirty, in need of a shower. However a friend messaged me this morning recommending I read what she described as an “NZ Swim rant”. That was true. Here is what the post said.

Before delving into what is being said, I must say that in my opinion, the way it is written is awful. The second paragraph is a huge and complicated 63 words. Clearly not satisfied with that performance the next paragraph is a stunning and breathless 102 words. By the time I reached the end of that masterpiece I’d forgotten the point that began the sentence. If the purpose of writing is to communicate this is not the way to do it.

The first paragraph tells us the post is an “Open message to Swimming NZ CEO Steve Johns”. Why then the author feels the need to begin four of the remaining six paragraphs with Steve’s name is beyond me. Steve knows the message is for him. That was made clear in the first sentence.

The post suggests that Steve Johns has stopped talking to the author of NZ Swim. In addition staff members have said that Steve Johns is the only person in Swimming NZ’s Head Office that the author is permitted to talk to with queries. Both those actions I can understand and endorse. Last week I made a similar decision and blocked the author of NZ Swim from my Facebook presence; no posts, no messages, nothing. It’s the first and only time I have blocked anyone, but this guy is all too much.

The best advice Steve Johns gets in this Facebook rant says, “Perhaps its best if you don’t read my page or have anyone discuss it with you.” That opinion should have been directed at the entire country. As I have said before the re-posts are interesting – the opinions are best ignored. I am pleased the Facebook author sees it the same way.

Many opinions expressed on the NZ Swim Facebook page are superficial or wrong. That’s not surprising. The author has only been involved in the sport for five minutes, and it shows. I have mentioned before some of the trite questions the author has asked me. For example, how long is the West Wave Pool? Before assuming the title of swimming guru, a source of information about swimming in New Zealand should really know the answer to that question.

Certainly Swimming New Zealand needs to improve its communication. There is a most unfortunate veil of secrecy around much of what goes on in Antares Place. Minutes of Board Meetings used to be published. Cotterill and his mates stopped that. We were told to expect a report on why government funding had been reduced. That was never supplied. Better communication could have reduced the discontent over the allocation of tickets to championship meets. The number of national records broken and the Open Championship entries have been been embellished and spun.

However the solution to Swimming New Zealand’s communication problems does not lie with the NZ Swim Facebook page. In my opinion that would be far worse than Swimming New Zealand beavering on alone. Steve Johns would be better to circulate his staff and the members of the sport with a memo recommending that the NZ Swim Facebook page be blocked by everyone. That way, as the authors says, “There would be no need for this page at all.”