By David

A “disaster” is defined as a calamitous event, especially one causing great damage or hardship “Response” is defined as an answer or reply, as in words or in some action.

Well, swimming in New Zealand has had the disaster. With the exception of Lauren Boyle it’s never been much worse than in 2014 in Glasgow and Brisbane. Twin disasters, half a world apart and within a month of each other; who would believe it was possible? But we stood and watched in awe as it happened before our very eyes.  And this week we got the response. Renford and Villanueva gave us their wisdom from Swimming New Zealand’s Mount Sinai, 17 Antares Place, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0632. And according to dan Cooper of New Zealand Radio Sport this is what Christian and Luis had to say.

Swimming New Zealand’s staying composed over a generally below-par performance at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships. Swimming NZ CEO Christian Renford says they’re not going to start sounding alarm bells. He says they need to take in multiple considerations like a few injuries and illnesses they had while the programme was on. Christian Renford says as with every other year, they’ll be undertaking a full review as to where exactly they can improve on.

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High performance director Luis Villanueva says what happened in the buildup to both events needs to be put under the microscope. “We need to review what we are doing in preparation with some of the swimmers, some of the swimmers that haven’t performed well this year, and see how can we help them to be better prepared next year.” Villanueva says the review is urgent, considering they’re into the second half of their four-year cycle leading up to the 2016 Olympics. He says a thorough review will focus on what went wrong in the lead-up to both events. “We need to think about how to do it better next time. It’s just that if you are not able to perform at your best in a competition like this it’s because your preparation wasn’t as good as it should be.

Far be it from me to question proclamations made from this most sacred of places by these most spiritual of men. But have you ever read such a pile of rubbish in all your life? I can only hope Villanueva is well advanced in his plans to return to Spain and Renford has put the sale of his Sydney home on hold. Let’s take a closer look at what they had to say; Renford first.

“Renford says they’re not going to start sounding alarm bells”

I’m afraid the parlous condition of Swimming New Zealand is well in need of sounding alarm bells. The patient is in need of life support and the medical staff have no idea how the machines work. The London Olympics were two years ago. The Rio Olympic are in two year’s time. And right now swimming in New Zealand has demonstrated it is worse than it has ever been. From what I’ve heard Boyle thinks the organization is a joke. Certainly she disappeared to Spain to complete her preparation for Glasgow and Brisbane. And Synders fled to Los Angeles, a year ago, to train with US coach, Dave Salo.

“multiple considerations like a few injuries and illnesses”

I do hope no one falls for that pathetic line. In my experience blaming injury and illness is usually the gutless way weak sporting people try and excuse poor results. Unable to face the reality of their shortcomings they blame a sore finger or a night time cough. Unfortunately the excuse is likely to be repeated and sold for all its worth. Miskimmin, at Sport New Zealand, is so committed to this swim team he is likely to encourage the full state PR machine into action; selling the injury and illness propaganda. Renford needs to face reality – his swim team lost; was beaten out of sight and his organization, the Mazda gang, was responsible. No excuse will alter Renford’s failure or excuse the fiasco of this month.          

“as with every other year, they’ll be undertaking a full review”

A full review? What a pathetic joke.

Is Renford really telling New Zealand that the disasters of Glasgow and Brisbane came after several “full reviews”? Wow, well they clearly don’t work. If all these previous reviews produced the Glasgow and Brisbane result, what on God’s good earth leads Renford to think another review now is going to produce a different result. The message clearly is that Swimming New Zealand reviews don’t work.

Besides I don’t think whatever Swimming New Zealand does will resemble anything like a “full review”. What this will be is a frantic effort to find excuses; to paper over the cracks; to hide from reality; to justify the next $2,000,000; to protect a crumbling empire. This will not be a searching inquiry into what went wrong. This will not examine the core issues. Is Miskimmin’s centralised policy of elite swimming delivery working? Is there a better and more effective way of delivering successful swimming results? Would a diverse and democratic federal structure deliver better competitive performances?

Of course no Swimming New Zealand review is going to look at these crucial issues. Miskimmin would never allow it. Like every other review conducted by that tragic organization, this one will fail. The real problem, the central issue, will never be addressed. If Swimming New Zealand was prepared to debate this most fundamental question then, no matter how much they might dislike the author of Swimwatch, they would seek out his opinion. After all, these pages have been most vocal in proposing an alternative solution. What say we are right? What say a federal structure of powerful regions is better? What say, resourcing the club coaches of New Zealand is a superior way? What say trusting us to do our job works? We will never know. Miskimmin, Layton, Renford, Villanueva and Lyles will never ask. Their life is justifying the status quo. Sadly New Zealand swimmers pay for their incompetence.

Villanueva says what happened in the buildup to both events needs to be put under the microscope

Villanueva is in no position to examine anything. New Zealand people financed his plan, paid for his high altitude camps in Arizona and Spain, funded his pre-meet tour of Mediterranean coastal resorts and it didn’t work. Villanueva’s plan failed. Extravagance on this scale does not come with second chances. Villanueva was given free rein and a bucket of money and returned empty handed. When that happens the only honourable thing is for Villanueva to quietly resign and catch the next flight to Barcelona. Failure on this scale, at this cost, demands no less.

“if you are not able to perform at your best in a competition like this it’s because your preparation wasn’t as good as it should be.”

Actually it does not mean that at all. It may mean the policy Villanueva and his bosses, Layton and Renford, are following is doomed from the start. Jan Cameron tried the same centralized delivery system and couldn’t make it work. And she was a far better manager than Luis Villanueva. The guy who sits on the right hand of God could try and win a swimming race using Miskimmin’s model and would fail. The policy will not work.

Swimming in New Zealand has to trust Duncan in Invercargill, Jones in Ashburton, Mahan in Christchurch, Labara in Dunedin, Francis in Wellington, Winter in Paraparaumu, Nicholls in Palmerston North, Benson in Hastings, Hardgrave-Booth in Napier, Meade in Gisborne, Fitch in Hamilton, Daniela in Tauranga, Miehe and Judith Wright in Auckland, Girbin in Whangarei and even Wright in west Auckland and a score of others I’ve missed, but I’m sure you get the idea. New Zealand coaches need to claim back responsibility for the performance of the nation’s national team from those who have not been able to deliver. We will do better than the Mazda gang. It would be difficult to do worse. We will not let down the country or its swimmers.

By David

In our last Swimwatch article, An Open Letter to FINA, I posted a comment referring to some of the less intelligent observations made about the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre. I resisted the temptation to turn their efforts into a separate blog. That would have been given them way too much oxygen. No, down towards the bottom of the comment’s page was more in keeping with their lack of accuracy. After all the discussion and debate it is difficult to understand how people like Bone and Fitch can’t understand that this is about safety and fairness. Right or wrong, do they suck up to a wanting organization because that what they always do? I don’t know.

However for every odd ball there are observers who do get the point; who do understand the issues. Here are three emails received today; one from New Zealand and two from overseas.

Correspondent One:

“On 22 June 2003 a Policy document was approved by the then SNZ Council “To provide clear guidelines for the allocation and safe management of SNZ national competitions.

It opened with the following, categorical statement:

“All SNZ national competition facilities shall adhere to the FINA minimum facility standards and SNZ minimum facility standards.”

And then followed up with:

“SNZ may waive certain standards for pools if they do not materially interfere with the running of the competitions; compromise the health and safety of competitors, officials or spectators; or expose SNZ to undue legal or financial risk. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis by SNZ Council.”

There then followed a list of suitable pools in which the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre was clearly labeled – “Pool does not meet FINA Minimum standard but is approved by SNZ for designated competitions.”

The Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre was ruled by Swimming New Zealand as a FINA non-compliant pool back in 2003 and it has not changed since then.”

So SNZ have a policy document, a book of rules that says about the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre, “Pool does not meet FINA Minimum standard”. Can anyone then explain to me how Renford and Meehan can sign a record application that says, “In my opinion all FINA Rules have been met.” Both those things simply cannot be true. Is someone telling porkies in order to get a record; in order to cover up a decade of neglect? “All FINA rules have been met”, “Pool does not meet FINA Minimum standard. I’d love to hear Renford explaining that to the bosses of FINA.

Correspondent Two:

I think that many do not fully understand concerns about the lack of safety and technical non validity of this pool. The general swimming community has and will continue to rely on the ability of Swimming New Zealand to be aware of and to enforce the rules for FINA pool compliance. They put their trust in SNZ to get it right. This situation is quite different from the situation surrounding many of the other rule applications for the sport where an individual carries the responsibility of compliance. Rules pertaining to swim strokes, turns and starts are learnt as soon as a person becomes a competitive swimmer. To disregard these rules usually means a DQ for a swimmer. Such rules, as you know, are widely circulated and are enforced at the grass roots and upwards in the swimming world. But technical standards are not really thought about; a pool is just a pool to most.

Of course pool depth standards, water current circulation concerns etc are no different from the requirements of FINA for competition swimming such as the stroke, turn and start rules in so far as they all attempt to provide a relatively level playing field for those competing. Championship meets and their rules must be enforced by regional and national organisations to provide this level playing field and to care for the safety of all swimmers, as individuals may be unaware of these rules.

Most of our pools in this country are very shallow, at least at one end of a pool. Most swimmers train in this type of pool. Swimmers in general accept the shortfalls of these pools as these facilities are usually the only ones readily available. Swimmers have become accustomed to shallow pool swimming and consider that they cope well adjusting their dives and turns to minimal water depth. As a result there appears to be complacency in the swimming community to pool design, required FINA standards and the safety needs of pool users. (We in New Zealand are often just grateful to have a local pool nearby to be able to use). However, it does not excuse Swimming New Zealand from not observing and enforcing FINA standards.  Looking after our swimmers including our best swimmers is that organisation’s primary role. In my opinion SNZ should be apologising to Lauren Boyle for not having addressed the inadequacy of the Wellington pool long before her excellent world class swim there in recent days. Certainly they as an organisation have been well aware of the shortcomings of this pool well before Lauren’s recent award swimming there.

As the swimming community requires and relies on SNZ to observe FINA’s rules for the sport, it would also be helpful if this organisation  was proactive in publishing a list of complying FINA pools so that every coach, swimmer and club is aware of the pools that comply in this country.”

No comment from me is required. I endorse all this correspondent says – especially, “However, it does not excuse Swimming New Zealand from not observing and enforcing FINA standards.  Looking after our swimmers including our best swimmers is that organisation’s primary role. In my opinion, SNZ has failed in that duty.

Correspondent Three:

“The Wellington City Council swim schools have a policy that pupils are not allowed to dive into water that is 1.2m or less. That applies to all their pools. Shame it doesn’t apply or is enforced to those who hire the pool! All pools have a Health & Safety rep who can verify this ruling and the main council office has a Health & Safety officer (couldn’t find out his name but who knows the rule book inside out). Just a thought.”

I wonder if SNZ are in violation of Wellington City Council rules when they use that shallow end? I’m off to contact that Health and Safety officer to find out. SNZ, Layton and Renford – fix that pool.

By David

Swimwatch has just received the following comment. I have no idea who it was from. It was posted using a nom de plume. And so Swimming New Zealand if you want to know who him or her is there’s no point in caling me. I have no idea. However the comment does say many of the things I’d like to say but have never had the skills to put them in writing. Here goes. (Note the following words aren’t mine; the comment can be found on this post.)

“Good grief Emily – where have you been?  Or are you an apologist for SNZ? Nobody that I have read either here or in the various international media that are following this is suggesting that these times are somehow an official record.  What they do tell us though is this:

A bloody good coach who knew he was seeing something special unfold took a real time record which when you check back showed one of two things.  Either,

1.  The world’s best swimmer over this distance was consistently swimming the outbound lap (about) half a second quicker than the inbound lap.

2.  This either means that she is not just the world’s best swimmer over the distance and that she was implementing the strangest race plan you could ever imagine, or there might just be something wrong with the pool!  Maybe a current?  No, that wouldn’t be possible in New Zealand would it?

Just as well he did because it seems as though nobody in Swimming Wellington could be bothered to do it!  If he was wrong where are the IOT split records from the turn end to prove that he was wrong?  Maybe Swimming Wellington doesn’t do that anymore or maybe they just might show what Jon Winter has already demonstrated.  Thank you Jon, the world of sport owes you a great debt.

Coaches the world over want to break a world record swim down to find out what makes the best swimmers in the world tick.  These splits will be pored over by coaches all over the world, and you know what?  There is only one inescapable conclusion and that is the same as has been said about this pool for years.  There is a current.

It was obvious to Clive Rushton and has been shown by him with a simple piece of scrunched up paper floating down the pool, and by endless and detailed splits and race results provided by the same excellent performance director over the years. Then there is the evidence of all levels of swimmers who talk of swimming uphill as they come back home in this pool.  And I well remember that awful strident Aussie accent of Jan Cameron’s many years ago screaming from the top balcony ‘turn the bubbles off!’

It seems as though the only people struggling with this right now are those who have the most to lose.  That is the very people who have for years figured that ‘denial is not just a river in Egypt!’ but a very sad place where they can go and suck their thumbs staring into space in a corner while the rest of the world looks on and realises that New Zealand is just the Wild West!

Wake up New Zealand. The world is watching and we don’t look very good.  Our Australian CEO has just made us look like a pack of dishonest country bumpkins.

The pool is dangerous because it is too shallow.  It does not comply with the rules and should not be used for competition from the shallow end.  The pool also has a current.  The only people in the world who can’t figure that out is Swimming New Zealand and their side kicks in Swimming Wellington.

Just when we should be celebrating our greatest swimmer since Danyon Loader in his golden era, we find ourselves caught up in a debate that comes because the custodians of the sport in New Zealand simply are not prepared to man up and admit that they have got it wrong and that they have played fast and loose with our children’s safety and well-being. There is nobody to blame for this other than Swimming New Zealand and those who for years have supported their inept behaviour.  For that you can read Sport New Zealand plus the one eyed apologists who continue to cover for the type of dishonesty and nonsense we see from CEO in a TV interview and various press reports.  At least you can’t accuse David Wright of standing idly by while this all happened.

Let me concede – the CEO may have been misquoted.  He may not have actually meant to say that the only thing that is wrong is David Wright (oh sorry, he did not mention him by name did he?) He may not have actually implied that David Wright has put in an official protest about Lauren’s world record swim (let’s be clear – he, that’s David, has not – he placed a protest about the pools lack of compliance two years ago and before this swim occurred he placed another about the pools current – nothing to do with Lauren’s outstanding world record swim), he (the CEO this time) may not have actually ignored the issue of the fact that the pool is 15 cms shallower (that’s 11%) than FINA allows as its minimum depth for a pool for the six meters under the starting blocks. He may not have said that, despite the evidence to the contrary, Swimming New Zealand is going to press ahead with a dishonest application to its governing body – that may all be the dreadful press in New Zealand misrepresenting him. Of course that can happen but he is not exactly racing out there to correct the impression is he?

Get over yourselves New Zealand.   Lauren Boyle is the real deal and she has been let down by the leaders of her sport and also of all sport in New Zealand and also by the Wellington Council. The longer you apologise for them and excuse their shameful behaviour the closer you come to one of your children becoming a tetraplegic and spending the rest of his or her life in a wheel chair or worse.  It won’t be my children though because they will never dive off those starting blocks ever again and I do not care what competition it might be that is running in the WRAC. My children’s health and well-being have been placed at risk by Swimming New Zealand one time too many.  I refuse to ever be an apologist for this wilful negligence again.

I say never again!”

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Again, the link to this comment is at the top of the article.