Brisbane gold aim of swimming coaches

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 64

Brisbane gold aim of swimming coaches

After discussions with the New Zealand Coaches' Association and the national selectors. the swimming committee of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Assciation has formulated a plan primarily aimed at winning medals at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane next year. While unable to match the finance available to the Aus-

tralian Swimming Union to prepare its swimmers for the Games, the N.Z.A.S.A. is grateful of $12,000 received from the Sports Foundation to assist the leading swimmers and divers. The swimming committee, in conjunction with the Coaches' Association, has organised two camps in the May school holidays, one in Christchurch and the other in Dunedin. Attendance at the Christchurch camp will cost each swimmer $5O. but in Dunedin all costs have to be met by the swimmers. However, in spite of financial aid. swimmers still have to contribute considerable amounts for the honour of representing their country. At the end of the Christchurch and Dunedin camps, trials wall be held and a New Zealand team will be chosen to compete in California. Some of the swimmers will have to find more than $5OO towards the cost of the trip. The next project will be in July when a team will be selected to swim at the Australian winter championships. This will be chosen after the national winter championships and each selected team member will

be required to pay $250. In August two more camps, one in Wanganui the other in Timaru. will provide incentives for the next level of New Zealand competitors.: Attendance at either camp will cost swimmers $l5O. The Sports Foundaton grant will defray costs for the New Zealand team at the pre-Games meeting in Bris-' bane in October but 4he balance of the air fare has to be met by the N.Z.A.S.A. and! this total's about $6OOO. A similar programme has been planned for 1982, but this will governed by further financial assistance being available as the $25,000 budgeted by the N.Z.A.S.A. will have been spent. ( Emphasis will be placed on the New Zealand championships in March, then the May camps. A team will' compete in the world cham-! pionships in Equador andi attend a pre-Games camp 1 before the Commonwealth: Games. j In spite of a very evident' lack of finance, the swimming committee is confident' that the coaches and their 1 swimmers will maintain the I good reputation which the sport has established at re-i cent Commonwealth Games. I