I am very conscious that Swimwatch has been accused of too much negative criticism. That opinion is not without merit. Criticism, on these pages, has been strident and frequent. My defence is only that there is much to be strident about. The sport is badly managed. The sport is struggling. No one enjoys being negative. However I am acutely aware that bad things happen when good people say nothing. If criticism is justified then it must be aired. To stay silent would only encourage the steady decline that has characterised recent New Zealand swimming history.

But today I am really annoyed. I am insulted beyond belief. You see, in my email today I received a copy of the Swimming New Zealand Freestyler newsletter. To call it lightweight and useless would be high praise. When it arrives I see it announced in my inbox as, “SNZ Newsletter March 2018 Best viewed in your browser”. I am filled with anticipation. Perhaps this time Cotterill, or the Board or Johns or some office bureaucrat will include some news in the newsletter. Perhaps someone will discuss real swimming issues. Just maybe Swimming New Zealand will use the Newsletter to involve the membership in the management of the sport.

But, no, it never happens. All we get is meaningless froth and bubble. And the sad fact is there is a lot of important news to report just now.

Probably most important is the following story published today on the SwimVortex website.

https://www.swimvortex.com/athlete-reps-send-fina-safe-sport-message-facilities-rules-do-count-when-wrs-are-set/

SwimVortex reveals that they recently asked the FINA Athletes’ Committee the following question.

Effectively what the SwimVortex question is asking is, was Swimming New Zealand wrong to sign Lauren Boyle’s 1500m record application and was FINA at fault in approving an improperly submitted application?

The Athletes’ Committee reply was clear. They said;

You would think that Swimming New Zealand would be interested in that reply. After all it does mean that the leaders of the Athletes’ Committee, people of the stature of Penny Heyns, Camelia Potec, Kirsty Coventry and Aaron Peirsol, disagree with Swimming New Zealand and FINA over their declaration that facility rules governing the dimensions of pools and athlete safety do not apply when a world record is set.

It may have taken three years but world opinion is beginning to agree that both FINA and Swimming New Zealand were wrong to overlook the safety rule. In my opinion the callous disregard Bret Layton showed for the truth, for the rules and for member’s safety is being exposed. Swimming New Zealand should get onto the right side of history and use their newsletter to correct a very bad mistake. Or as an athlete, I know well, said to me today, “Don’t the grey old bastards recognise their day is done.”

The newsletter should also be telling us about progress with the Gary Francis’ Targeted Athlete and Coach position. Remember how Steve Johns teased us about the new position and then a month later the appointment of Gary Francis was announced and then, on the 9 February 2018, Francis sent out an email that said;

That was five weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing since. Darwin’s theory of evolution took less time than the Francis and Johns’ version. When are these meetings going to be held? Are they going to be held? What has Francis been doing for five weeks?

While I’m on the subject of Gary Francis let me send a message directly to him. If he wants to discuss my swimmer’s training and competition plans then he asks me first. I hope he would not wander off to Raumati and start discussing training with their swimmers without clearing it with Jon Winter first. Well I’m no different. You clear it with me before you discuss training or competition with any swimmer of mine.

And finally the newsletter should be used to clarify two classic Swimming New Zealand failures. First is the “on-again-off-again” medley qualifying rule. I’m betting that ridiculous condition probably cost the sport 50 odd members; swimmers who qualified in an individual event but couldn’t do the medley time and have decided to give the whole thing away as a waste of time. I agree that medley training is an important part of swimming but to make it a condition of entering a championship is a quick and certain way to destroy the sport. Can you imagine Tom Walsh being required to run a mile in under 4.30 before entering the shot put?

The Swimming New Zealand rule has now been withdrawn. However it is too late. The damage has been done. We need to know who had the idea in the first place. Who was responsible and have they been called to account for the damage they caused? My guess is it will be a typical Swimming New Zealand cover-up. Sweep it under the carpet and it never happened.

And second how did the Oceania team fiasco ever happen. The team got selected then half of them refused to go and the team got unselected and finally a new team was announced. What a circus. Getting into a New Zealand team these days is more bureaucratically complex than getting out of the old Soviet Union. There are long lists and short lists, “A” times and “B” times. The qualifying conditions for the Commonwealth Games occupied eleven pages. And then only two swimmers made the cut so Swimming New Zealand picked whoever they wanted anyway. In the first Oceania Championships I by-passed Swimming New Zealand and entered directly with the meet organizers. That was probably a bit too casual but at least we all turned up to swim.

There is a lot that the Swimming New Zealand newsletter could be used to explain. There is even more that the newsletter should be used to explain.