By David
For years Swimwatch has been discussing the disaster that is the Cameron era. A month ago the Ineson Report confirmed most of our concerns. To say, “We told you so,” would be extremely bad mannered. Between the time we began reporting her shortcomings and Ineson telling New Zealand we were right, millions of dollars have been thrown in Cameron’s direction. Millions of dollars have been wasted. We have won nothing – no Danyon Loader, no Antony Moss and no Paul Kingsman, nothing.
A month has gone by since the Ineson Report was published and nothing has changed. Swimming New Zealand created a committee – big deal. In every other way Swimming New Zealand are acting as though Ineson never existed. They are treating SPARC with contempt. Cameron and Byrne are still there; still making decisions. Coulter is still President, when any decent human being would have acknowledged his or her failure and resigned. But then Coulter’s behavior is not the product of a decent human being.
And now they have reverted to type and have attacked. While the New Zealand swim team leaves for the World Championships without their uniforms, while the Regions plan ways to take back their sport, Cameron, Coulter and Byrne plot ways to get even with David Wright and Rhi Jeffrey. But that has always been their way; especially Cameron.
Whenever she has been crossed or things have not gone her way, she knows only one response – attack and destroy. A generation of swimmers and parents has experienced the Cameron wrath. One parent called the Deaker radio show and complained about Cameron’s behavior. That was the end of one of New Zealand’s best backstroke swimmers. The current President of the Bay of Plenty Center has always spoken out strongly about the Cameron ways. One wonders whether her son’s selection problems have been the price paid for her honesty.
Cameron has always ignored Swimwatch. I guess my controversial past has offered her that option. But now that our readership has reached 1000 per day and includes a regular from FINA HQ in Lucerne, we can be ignored no longer. And so last week Swimwatch was attacked. Swimming New Zealand published proposed rule changes that included two new rules that were reported to me as the Wright and Jeffrey rules.
The Wright Rule says that no coaches can be on the pool deck during a Swimming New Zealand meet, coaching their team, unless they are members of Swimming New Zealand. Swimming New Zealand know that I have not joined the organization. They also know the reason I stay on the outside is because they have a punitive rule that says no one can criticize Swimming New Zealand. With the best will in the world I imagine Swimming New Zealand would view Swimwatch as a breach of that rule. Faced with a choice between freedom of speech and Swimming New Zealand membership, I chose freedom of speech.
Cameron, of course, recognized the Achilles heel. Force me to join Swimming New Zealand and I could no longer write for Swimwatch. If I did write, I would face suspension and disgrace. Alternatively I could refuse to join Swimming New Zealand and would be banished to the bleachers. It was classic Cameron. Instead of fixing her own performance problems there she was on the attack; trying to destroy another life. What would I do?
I could join Swimming New Zealand and ask my daughter Jane (who is no longer a registered swimmer) to write Swimwatch stories for me. Swimming New Zealand would regret that option. Jane is a far better wordsmith than her father. My criticism would be Mary Poppins in comparison. I could run the risk; join Swimming New Zealand and face their wrath. After all freedom of speech, restriction of trade and compulsory unionism are pretty well established laws on which to mount a legal defense. Compelling Swimming New Zealand to spend a few thousand on another waste of time might be fun. But the option I like best is to continue writing for Swimwatch and sit in the stands with my two way communication head set talking to Assistant Coach Kimberly on the pool deck. After all the New Zealand All Black coach does that all the time. The view would be better. The communication just as good. I could set a new trend in worldwide swim coaching. Even Scot Talbot might join me in the stands.
The second rule, the Jeffrey Rule, is another classic from the Cameron case book. It says that every swimmer who is a member of a foreign federation can no longer swim for a Swimming New Zealand club in domestic competitions. He or she could only be accepted as a visitor. This is clearly aimed at preventing Rhi Jeffrey from swimming for West Auckland Aquatics. The really funny thing though is that Rhi is not currently a member of US Swimming. Cameron took aim at Rhi, the Olympic Champion, the swimmer with the pink hair and strong opinions – and, would you believe it – she missed. So, Rhi will be swimming for West Auckland Aquatics at the next Winter Nationals. And there’s not a damn thing Cameron can do about it; try as she might.
However she may well have scored a bull’s eye on the likes of Hayley Palmer, Lauren Boyle, Michael Jack, Michael Mincham, and Cara Baker. They all have or are training outside New Zealand and have probably joined the Australian or American swimming federations. It will be fun to see if Swimming New Zealand insist they all swim as foreign visitors. Any New Zealand record that Lauren Boyle sets from now on will be suspect until her membership of US Swimming expires.
The important point of all this is fiddling while Rome burns. There goes Coulter, Byrne and Cameron, up to their arses in SPARC reports, lost uniforms, excessive spending and poor swimming results; spending their days plotting how to get even with a swimming coach and American swimmer from West Auckland Aquatics. They really are a most pathetic bunch. Oh, and before I forget, every effort should be made by New Zealand’s swimming regions to kill off these ridiculous and personal rules. They are not worthy of a national sporting organization.
