By David
About two years ago I was coaching in the United States. We held four or five swim meets each year in our team’s 50 meter pool. You are probably aware of the huge importance of liability insurance in the United States. Any accident can be reason enough for a suit worth many millions. The significance of insurance was highlighted by the decision of USA Swimming to provide cover for all swimmers, coaches and clubs in the country. Maintaining our club’s insurance cover was critical. Whenever we held a swim meet it was essential that our facilities and operation complied with all FINA and USA Swimming standards. Any failure would result in the immediate suspension of our insurance and the suspension of the Club.
About six months ago Swimming New Zealand introduced “David’s Rule”. This rule says that only coaches who are members of Swimming New Zealand can be on the pool deck at Swimming New Zealand meets. They said the rule was necessary to protect swimmers; to ensure their safety. I actually agree with that view. The problem is that the new rule, read in association with Swimming New Zealand’s Code of Conduct, prevents me coaching West Auckland Aquatic swimmers at national meets. The Code of Conduct says no one who publically criticizes Swimming New Zealand can be a member. With the best will in the world it would be difficult to deny that I criticize the organization. This article alone would be enough to have me condemned to a public trial and summary deportation. You see the problem? I can’t continue to write for Swimwatch and be a member of Swimming New Zealand. Without being a member of Swimming New Zealand I’m not a safe person to attend their swim meets.
About a month ago Swimming New Zealand distributed a proposed change to their rules. If the change is approved every swim meet in New Zealand will require Swimming New Zealand’s authorization. A meet that does not receive Pelorus House approval will not have its results validated. Swimming New Zealand said the reason for the change was to ensure all swim meets were run in accordance with acceptable standards. Swimmer safety would improve, they said, when all meets received the Swimming New Zealand stamp of approval. I thought the proposal was simply a ploy to strip more cash out of the regions. Very soon there will be a charge on all regions wanting their meets approved by the Wellington office. Swimming New Zealand denied that accusation, of course. Their concern, they said, was always the safety of New Zealand’s swimmers.
About a week ago Swimming Auckland took delivery of eight “state of art” starting blocks. Their most obvious feature is a raised vertical back-plate foot rest that provides swimmers with additional traction. They say the new blocks can improve a swimmers start by as much as 0.3 of a second. The improvement however comes at a pretty hefty price. I’m not sure of how much the all up cost to Auckland will be, but I’m guessing there will very little change out of $80,000. Fortunately we have administrators in Auckland who believe it is their responsibility and duty to provide swimmers with the best facilities possible – irrespective of the cost.
And so we have a series of facts. Proper facilities and operational procedures are critical in the United States to maintaining insurance cover and avoiding suspension. Swimming New Zealand is so concerned about the safety of New Zealand’s swimmers that they won’t let me coach my West Auckland Aquatic Team at their swim meets. Swimming New Zealand is so concerned about safety that they are demanding all meets in New Zealand are pre-licensed by the national body. And Auckland Region has just spent a huge sum on giving swimmers the best possible chance to perform well in the West Wave competition pool.
Do these four facts have anything in common? Well, the answer is a surprising, yes. And on Monday this coming week I will be highlighting the connection by asking the Manager of the Auckland Team to file a protest on my behalf contesting Swimming New Zealand’s right to hold the Age Group Championships in the Kilbirnie Pool. Actually I don’t care that the Age Group Championships are being held in Kilbirnie. The meet could be held in a muddy pool just outside of Te Puke and it wouldn’t worry me. The reason for my protest is to prevent the World Championship Trials scheduled for later in the year being held in the Wellington Pool.
You see the problem is, the Kilbirnie Pool does not comply with FINA facility rules. FINA requires pools to be 1.35 meters deep from the wall where starting blocks are being used. Kilbirnie is only 1.25 meters deep at this point. The pool is too shallow. Asking the nation’s best swimmers to start in a shallow pool is dangerous and grossly unfair. Some of these guys are over two meters tall. Asking them to dive into a shallow pool is impossibly irresponsible. Every swimmer I have coached has a tale to tell about scraping backs, knees or feet on the bottom of the Kilbirnie Pool. Good swimmers have a “normal” dive and another one they use in the Wellington Pool.
And so we have an organization called Swimming New Zealand who won’t let me onto the pool deck to coach my swimmers because of the danger I represent to all the nation’s swimmers but are intent on holding the Age Group Nationals and World Championship Trials in a facility that fails to comply with the sport’s minimum standards and poses a real risk of serious injury. We have an organization called Swimming New Zealand who is currently claiming to be the sole arbiters of what constitutes a safe swim meet but are intent on holding the Age Group Nationals and World Championship Trials in a facility that fails to comply with the sport’s minimum standards and poses a real risk of serious injury. In the United States, Swimming New Zealand would lose its insurance cover and would be suspended instantly for holding the swim meet planned for next week in Wellington. While the Auckland Region has spend $80,000 giving New Zealand’s swimmers the best possible chance of success, Swimming New Zealand is intent on holding the Age Group Nationals and World Championship Trials in a facility that fails to comply with the sport’s minimum standards and poses a real risk of serious injury. That is the common link between these four factors. The real danger here is not me or the New Zealand swimming Regions. The real danger is Swimming New Zealand. And on Monday we will protest their irresponsibility to ensure that a real safety issue is properly resolved.
