Many readers will know the horrendous story of Lia Thomas. She is the person who swam on the Penn University’s men’s team before deciding that he wanted to be a girl and swim in Penn’s women’s programme. He went through a year of chemical treatment to bring his testosterone levels down and began competing as a girl.

Penn obviously didn’t care that she had the physical advantages of 21 years of male testosterone treatment. Penn were winning dual meets, thanks to the bucket of points won by Lia Thomas. Their coach had deviously found a way for a woman to take male testosterone for 21 years and then “legally” compete as a woman.

It was a farce – that’s true. But it was more than that, it was cheating on every woman competing in world swimming. I have no objection to transgender men or women taking part in any field of endeavor – lawyer, high court judge, doctor, accountant, street cleaner, whatever. All that is good and proper. But what transgender males to females CANNOT do is compete in strength athletic events like swimming, track, boxing and weightlifting against natural born women. Women have had to fight too hard for equality in sport to have some selfish coach and arrogant swimmer come along and start cheating on their gender. It should never be allowed.

But at this years NCAA Women’s National Championships, the NCAA to their eternal shame said, “That’s fine. Lia Thomas can swim. We must be fair to those who want an alternative lifestyle.” The fact the NCAA were cheating on half the world’s population was of no concern at all. The NCAA condoned a new and devious form of testosterone treatment. Their decision ranks right alongside the East German drug programme. In fact, it is probably worse.

There are two aspects of Lia Thomas’s participation in the NCAA Championships.

1. How did she perform?
2. What was the effect on genuine female swimmers in the event?

The table below summarises Lia Thomas’s performances. She won the 500, was fifth in the 200 and eighth in the 100. That is way, way worse than I expected. As the week went on her swimming got worse and worse. I can only assume the pressure of the negative spectator reaction and determination of her legitimate female competition to stick it to the cheat got to her. Certainly, she folded in a most spectacular fashion. And my reaction to that is well done, Virginia, Alabama, Stanford and a few other legitimate women swimmers. You took a stand and proved who was boss in the water. Women’s sport is proud of your swims. As they say in Scotland, “sent him home to think again”.    

But there was also damage done to women’s swimming. For every final Lia Thomas made, a genuine female swimmer was bumped down from the A to the B final and another swimmer was excluded from the finals altogether. The effect of this was reported in America as follows.

Just interviewed a swimmer from Virginia Tech, her teammate was crying earlier because this was her last NCAA competition and she placed 17^th in the category Lia Thomas was swimming in. I saw her crying earlier on the phone with her Mom, wasn’t aware that’s what she was upset about until now.

Her last NCAA championship, she makes the B Final but because a cheat is allowed to swim, she misses out on what was legitimately her place. The whole sad saga is a bloody disgrace. While gray haired old bastards and their 300 staff lounge about in their four story 140,000 square foot Indianapolis facility making decisions that cheat on women, equality is still a distant hope.

So, I’m glad a few tough women gave cheats like Lia Thomas and her Penn coach a kick in the bum, that said, “You do not walk in here and take what is rightfully ours”. But I am sad that so many good female swimmers were badly hurt in the process. The NCAA, Lia Thomas and her coach must never be forgiven for their 2022 terrorist attack on legitimate women’s sport.

Freedom of speech is important. I agreed with the American Supreme Court when it allowed satire to be published in the Hustler magazine. Indirectly that decision led to the expansion of America’s porn industry. California film producers argued that a bit of porn was simply their expression of free speech. Tolerating some pornographic abuse of that principle is a small price to pay for the liberty to say it.

But even freedom of speech does have restrictions. These include, but are not limited to libel, slander, incitement, copyright violation, trade secrets, and perjury. A person may not incite action that would harm others, such as shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre. Justifications for these restrictions include the harm principle. Thanks to three years studying Political Science at Victoria University I learned the harm principle was  proposed by John Stuart Mill in On Liberty, which says “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

It is worth repeating that again. “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

That seems pretty clear. Authorities can use their power to “prevent harm to others”.

Now read this rubbish that was published on Facebook’s Kiwi Swimming this week.

“The vaccine pass and covid restrictions look set to be lifted or amended in mid April the media reports today, by April 12. Good reason to delay NZ Swimming champs which finish just prior, rewrite the meet info and extend World champs and Commonwealth Games qualifying period so the NZers in Aussie don’t have to trial in NZ, but at Aussie trials if they wish. As it stands Swimming NZ says the meet will be held under current Red Light settings even if all restrictions are lifted. This means if mandates are lifted and unvaccinated cant enter, that will raise human rights issues.”

Two features appear obvious from this garbage. One, the author needs to take a course in written English. The writing is so bad, English must be his second or third language. Misrelated participles and capital letters missed all over the place. It’s a mess. Second, the genius behind the post clearly knows nothing about swimming. Some New Zealand coaches have recently been concerned about the welfare of their 13-year-old swimmers. Their time would be better spent in Wellington looking after the author of this stuff. He really does need help.

Incidentally this guy is a fine one to preach to Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) about “human rights issues”. The last time he had anything to do with human rights, he was fined $18,000 for mistreating a work colleague. His idea of human rights included emailing her 100s of times a week, sending her private information to the university newspaper and pouring coffee over her.

But let’s take a closer look at the practicality of his ridiculous post. This Wellington clown is asking SNZ to delay the National Commonwealth Games Trials by a couple of months so we can find out more about Jacinda’s Covid plans. He clearly has no idea how the preparation of an elite swimmer works. Let me explain.

Two dates were important in planning this Trials’ season. One was when did the pools open after the Covid lockdown (6 December 2021) and the other what date did the Trials begin (4 April 2022). We had 17 weeks to fit in the 4 training periods required to swim well on the 4 April 2022.

In Eyad’s case we decided on the plan shown in the table below.

And for the past 15 weeks Eyad has followed that plan. This week he is in week 1 of the Short Speed and Taper period. One of Lydiard’s famous quotes is, “Any coach can have his athlete swim fast some time. Good coaches can be given a date and deliver a fast swim on that date”.

For 17 weeks Eyad has followed a plan aimed at the 4 April 2022. With two weeks to go the plan is nearing completion, the fuse for competition has been lit. On the 4 April 2022 the bomb will detonate.

Except our Wellington clown says, “No, no, no change all that. Wait another 8 weeks”. What an idiot. He is prepared to sacrifice 15 weeks of preparation aimed at the 4 April 2022. The result of the clown’s raving would be a New Zealand trials with dozens of slow swims. Why? Because for 17 weeks we aimed for the 4 April 2022 and ended up racing sometime in June. No one can hold a peak that long.

Do you think that qualifies as “harm to others”? Of course, it does. Perhaps the clown is right, it is a Human Rights issue. 17 weeks work ruined because the Wellington clown lobbies to get the meet moved. Perhaps we should consider asking the Human Rights Review Tribunal to use its power “over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

Even if all we got was for his page to be put to sleep, swimming in New Zealand would be a far, far better place. Or perhaps the best option is just to ban his page from our computers. Yes, I think that sounds like a good idea.

A few months ago, I published a piece in Swimwatch that warned National’s new leader about the ambition of his deputy, Nicola Willis. I won’t repeat the arguments I made. But mark my words, women with her background and training are ambitious and lethal. Anyone who thinks Willis will be content walking one step behind leader Luxon is dreaming. Willis wants to be leader of the National Party and will happily do whatever it takes, even a knife in the back, when the time is right to make sure she gets the top job. Collins is a rabid Doberman. Willis is a rabid Doberman as well. She just killed the neighbour’s Labrador and has covered herself with its skin to disguise her vicious intent.

Rather nice, rather pathetic, sugar bunny, Luxon has no chance. One day Willis will eat him alive. That’s how they roll, in the National Party. Luxon may have industrial training in Air New Zealand and Unilever, but he is not equipped to handle a graduate from the Samuel Marsden Collegiate School playground. I know. For six years my daughter, Jane, went to the same school.

When Jane was seven, she asked me, “Why do the girls pray for peace and goodwill in chapel every morning and then tear each other apart in the playground at lunch?” Because that’s the way Marsden is. Willis learned at New Zealand’s best gladiatorial school.

The gladiatorial schools of ancient Rome taught physical strength and fighting skills. The giant Greek Milo of Croton, for example, was said to have carried a bull on his shoulders every day. He also apparently burst a band wrapped around his forehead by inflating his forehead veins. A man named Carpophorus was agile enough to battle lions, and once killed 20 animals in a single fight.

Marsden’s gladiatorial playground is about getting ahead with cunning and deception – of always being in the “in group”. And believe me Marsden teaches these skills with equal dedication and ferocity as any training given to the killer of 20 Roman lions. Willis has been trained to kill lions. What chance does sugar bunny Luxon have in the face her attack?

The answer is none. Already he is making stupid tactical decisions. Simon Bridges has just resigned as the National Party’s finance spokesperson. And what does Luxon do? He gives Willis more power. He promotes her to finance spokesperson. The premier portfolio and Luxon has just given it to his most dangerous challenger. The oldest trick in the book and Luxon has fallen into the trap.

Not only does he promote Willis to National finance spokesperson he raises her status with this oratorial gem.

“Nicola has an incredible intellect, prodigious work ethic and proven ability to hold the Government to account as we’ve seen her do on housing. She will build on National’s track record as the best economic managers to help Kiwis get ahead.”

That sounds like a speech introducing a new leader. It looks like a speech introducing a new leader. And it walks like a speech introducing a new leader. Then, I guess it must be a speech introducing a new leader.

The boy from Christchurch Boy’s High School is out of his depth. Willis has got his number and Luxon is running scared. He will flee in vain.

Look how well Willis orchestrated the internal coup against Simon Bridges in favour of the ill-fated Todd Muller. Willis has already dined on the blood of one National leader. And she enjoyed the experience. Bridges is said to feel betrayed by her and that relationship is never going to recover. You bet Bridges feels betrayed. An Auckland, “westie” from Rutherford College was never going to be a match for a Marsden trained killer.  

You would have thought sugar bunny Luxon would have recognised the danger. Once a killer, always a killer. But no, Luxon promoted and pampered the ruthless, trained and completely amoral lion killer. Remember she too prayed in the Marsden Chapel and then tore friends and enemies apart in the playground. And all the time she hid behind that expensive private school façade of respectability. Nothing changes.  

Willis will soon be eating Luxon’s bleeding sugar bunny carcass. Then watch out. This Willis gladiator will make Judith Collins look like Mary Poppins on her way to Sunday school. Ruthless? The best is yet to come.

I thought Swimwatch readers may be interested in the progress of the only refugee swimmer competing in New Zealand – Eyad Masoud. His story puts into perspective the pampered, simpering, anguish we have heard recently from some New Zealand coaches and commentators. Eyad’s story is what real difficulty looks like. The other lot don’t know how lucky they are. Spoilt brats do not do swimming any favours.

They rip into Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) without a care in the world for the destruction they cause. Believe me in comparison with the National Federation where Eyad came from, SNZ is brilliant right now. Eyad has experienced more good will from SNZ in four years here than he did in 21 years in Saudi Arabia.

For example, because of his nationality, Eyad could not swim in any Saudi public pool. I managed to get that changed, but he still had to park his car well away from the pool and walk. Unless I was in the car, he was denied access to the pool carpark. In the 14 years before I arrived, he had been coached by 14 different coaches. Not because he wanted 14 changes but because the coaches were instructed to avoid foreign (Syrian) swimmers. He could not compete in Federation run meets. He was restricted to school and university competition. That limited him to about 6 races a year. The Saudi Federation made it clear he could never be selected in a Saudi national team. The boss of the Federation was a Mormon New Zealander married to a lady with a Māori background. But he was quite happy to enforce blatant racism. In addition to all that the very real spectred of being caught up in the incredibly sad Syrian war was a constant presence.

Here is a story from my time in Saudi that illustrates the tiptoeing over broken glass people like Eyad had to endure. When I first heard Eyad was going to be denied access to the pool carpark I went to the guards at the gates and demanded that Eyad translate every work I said.

“You bastards do not stop my swimmer using the pool carpark. Open the bloody gates now or I’ll drive Eyad’s car through the f—ing things.”

I could tell from Eyad’s soft Arabic that his translation was far from literal. But, on reflection, Eyad had much more to lose than me. We eventually agreed that as long as I was in the car access would be allowed. Eyad on his own – no way.  

In short, the prospect of Eyad exploiting his swimming talent was nil. And so, when I came back to New Zealand Eyad applied to be a refugee here and came too. But his swimming career still faced problems. Eyad simply lacked the fitness and techniques that swimmers here are taught from about 7 years of age. He had talent, more than you could imagine, but none of the skills necessary to nurture that talent. We had to start from the beginning. And so, in the past four years, we have been through a 1000 stroke correction lessons, dozens of tough aerobic sets like 100×100 every Saturday and main sets of 2×3000 or 4×1500. Only the most conscientious would survive. But survive Eyad did.

Lydiard always said a transformation like Eyad’s, even for the most talented, would take four or five years. I think Lydiard may well be right, again. Overnight success takes four years.

We are halfway through Eyad’s 2022 summer season. Here is how things have gone. His racing plan was to swim 28 races. In Saudi that would have taken five years. So far Eyad has swum 19 races, 7 (37%) have been in personal best times. The table below shows Eyad’s personal best long course times swum this season

So far so good. The American Swim Coaches Association taught me to look for an annual improvement of 3% – or 1.5% per season.

Eyad now has three big weekends coming up – two at the Auckland Championships and the third at the New Zealand Open Championships. In these meets he will be focusing on his best events, the 50 free and fly and the 100 free. I wish him well. He has come from a long way behind and has earned all the success in the world.

Sadly, there are occasions when Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) is its own worst enemy. Today is one of those occasions. SNZ has folded to the pressure of its small town, amateur and ignorant fringe. SNZ has reversed the decision to exclude coaches from the pool deck at the National Championships. Coaches will be allowed on the pool deck and will be counted in the 100-person limit.

I am distressed about the decision to reverse the original ruling. SNZ has folded to its lunatic fringe. People like Dave Crampton have scored a victory over knowledgeable people at SNZ who should know better. People who do know about swimming, but in this case are wrong, like Horst and the Waterhole coaches have scored a victory that weakens New Zealand swimming.

The original decision was made because of Covid regulations. As was pointed out at the time, a beneficial by-product of the decision was that it provided every coach with the opportunity to teach their swimmers independence. One of the huge differences I noticed between coaching for 15 years in the UK and in the USA was the gulf in maturity between their swimmers and ours. In the UK and USA size and numbers has forced independence. In New Zealand size and numbers has encouraged dependance and immaturity. The lunatic fringe actually promotes the idea that running around after their 13-year-old swimmers is a good thing – a sign of good coaching.

New Zealand has not won a medal at the Olympic Games since Atlanta in 1996. That’s a 26-year drought. And one of the reasons for that is because we send children off to do adult’s work. They stay children because of neanderthal coaching ideas like those promoted on this occasion by teammates, Horst and Crampton.

However, on this occasion, SNZ must share in the blame. SNZ made the right Covid decision. Their rule was also going to mature the sport. The prospect of medals at future Olympics improved by the decision SNZ had taken. And then like a loaf of wet bread SNZ folded. Believe me medals in Paris just got a little further away after the weakness shown by SNZ today. SNZ acknowledged that the lunatic fringe who, remember, have failed to win anything for 26 years, were right. That is not the way to reverse a very bleak history.

What swimming in New Zealand learned today was that if Crampton and Horst scream loud enough Johns, Francis and Tongue will fold. Leadership is about being better than that. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Leadership is about always doing what is in the best interest of the organisation you are serving. Leaders get paid to make the difficult decisions. But many leaders don’t really know how to lead; they waste time trying to satisfy the agendas of others – rather than focusing on the goals and objectives of the organization and people they serve.

On this occasion the leaches and loafers attempted to slow down the momentum of SNZ. And SNZ let them win. Leadership is not easy and handling criticism is an unwritten rule in the job description. It happens often and if you lead to win, you should expect criticism and know how to handle it. 

On this occasion SNZ failed the test of leadership. Sadly, it is not Johns or Francis or Tongue who will pay for the failure. It is the 13-year-olds SNZ has savagely let down. Swimming in New Zealand just got a little poorer today. Thank you, Horst and Crampton. Your legacy will not be forgotten.