Swimming Northland Awards 2017

Swimming Northland Annual Awards

The Bay of Islands Swimming Club had six award winners at the recent Swimming Northland Awards presentation for the 2016-17 season.

Three swimmers, who are all Kerikeri High School students, were the deserving recipients of awards. Archie White, aged 15, was the champion male breaststroker at all 3 distances: 50, 100 and 200 meters. Twelve year old Emilia Finer won Junior (12 & Under) Swimmer of the Year for the second year in a row, and also was recognized for having the highest XLR8 points (age related swim speed points) at the New Zealand Junior Festival. Samantha Turner not only swims competitively, but, for the past few years, has also taught learn to swim classes and assisted in coaching the development squads at BOI Swim Club. Her hard work earned her the Nick Parr Memorial Trophy for service to swimming in Northland. The awards are great acknowledgements for the hard work these swimmers put in, training up to eight times per week in the pool plus dryland conditioning training. All are now preparing under the guidance of professional head coach Alex Bennett to swim for Kerikeri High at Swimming New Zealand’s National Secondary Schools competition in Hamilton in September.

The swim club is run almost entirely by volunteers, mainly swimmer parents, and the tireless hours they put in was rewarded as Denis Garner was honoured as Emerging Official of the Year and Beth Finer was Administrator of the Year. Carol Ludbrook and Denis received service awards as they have been volunteering their help for seven years.

The awards were a bright spot for the club, whose members have dwindled due to cold pool temperatures over the months the Kawakawa pool pump wasn’t working correctly. The club is now actively seeking members at all levels, from learn to swim to competitive swimming. Club members have also undertaken the project of replacing club pool equipment, as the lane ropes and starting blocks are getting very old and are in need of improvement. Members have been fundraising with raffles and barbecues and have also set up a givealittle page to speed the fundraising.