By David

Just one day after Swimwatch finished telling Miskimmin, Layton, Renford, Villaneuva and Lyles that their Millennium Institute was a waste of money, just one day after Miskimmin told New Zealand he’d built another “Millennium Institute” lookalike in Cambridge for Triathlon and Cycling – Australian Swimming makes a decision that exactly reflects the Swimwatch private enterprise model. After years of putting all their eggs in the Canberra Australian Institute of Sport basket, Australian Swimming has decided to decentralize.

The Australian announcement is vastly significant to every individual sport in New Zealand. It is a clear rejection of Miskimmin’s Sport New Zealand policy and dreams of a centralized sporting empire. Take a minute to read what the Australian’s have done.

www.swimming.org.au/article.php?group_id=14246&id=2

However for those who are busy here is a summary of what Swimming Australia announced.

1. Working in partnership with State Institutes of Sport, Swimming Clubs, Schools, Universities and Facilities, Swimming Australia will establish 15 Podium Performance Centres to deliver strategic initiatives linked to the Australian Sports Commission’s Winning Edge plan and targets. I do not think 15 is enough but it is a start and their announcement carries the prospect of more to come.
2. One of the 15 will be based at Australia’s National Training Centre in Canberra, replacing the previous AIS swimming program. Australia’s centralized version of the Millennium Institute has gone.
3. Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson said the Podium Centre Program is another step towards the vision of Australia being the world’s best in and out of the pool by 2020. “There is no doubt that it is a combined effort to produce world’s best coaches and athletes and that’s where this program will excel, forming clear partnerships with swimming clubs, and high performance coaches to achieve our vision.”
4. Swimming Australia Director of High Performance Michael Scott said the Podium Centre Program is designed to capitalise on Australia’s existing strengths of producing world class athletes through a strong club system.
5. Michael Scott said, “In establishing the network of Podium Performance Centres Australia acknowledged that the traditional strength of clubs and coaches has meant that there will always be swimmers, not based within the formally identified network, who achieve world-class outcomes. These athlete and coach units will continue to be well supported through our Individual Podium Program.”

Please, oh please read the next three words slowly and carefully. In order to win at the sport of swimming – “AUSTRALIA IS DECENTRALIZING”. Isn’t it just too bloody ironic for words? While Australia decentralizes to improve their performance, Peter Miskimmin and Sport New Zealand continue to pour millions into centralized follies such as the Millennium Institute. At the same time as Miskimmin and his disciples are boasting about the benefits of the centralized delivery of sport, the world’s second best swimming nation is spreading its coaching coverage over 15 centres nationwide – with more to come.

For ten years Swimwatch has preached the philosophy of what Australia has done today. For ten years we told Miskimmin that diversified, private enterprise is the way to win. For ten years we highlighted the independent private enterprise character of the successful American and French programs. I even travelled to Wellington just to deliver a written submission proposing the decentralized delivery of elite swimming to the Moller inquiry.

And I was ignored. For ten years Miskimmin did not listened. For ten years Sport New Zealand and Swimming New Zealand said I was just causing trouble. For ten years they banned their employees from talking to me. I know of one Swimming New Zealand employee who was disciplined for talking to me at a National Swimming Championships.

Even today Swimming New Zealand proudly announce on their website that Donna Bouzaid has visited 32 swimming programs, visiting 78 swimmers (aged 18 and under). The Swimming New Zealand website tells me this was for the purpose of “assessing their overall program including their season plans, and dry land programs” and identifying “the support they would like from SNZ.” Well I know of a 33^rd program that coaches a 79^th swimmer who is the national open 100m short course breaststroke champion, 17 year old Jane Ip. Donna missed her and her program – I wonder why? Sadly people have told me that’s the way Donna Bouzaid works; nice in Wellington but always with a cautious eye on her political masters in Auckland. Time will tell.

But, back to Australia. And now after all that fighting, after ten years of struggle – the Australian’s have decided to decentralize. The Australians have seen the light. They have had a “road to Damascus” moment.

The real bugger is that if Miskimmin had listened, if Miskimmin had known anything about swimming at all, New Zealand swimmers could have had a ten year head start on what the Australians are just starting today. We could have been beating them senseless by now. Instead we are going to have to wait while the Australian’s beat us at swimming again. Eventually, tired of losing, Miskimmin will be thrown out and someone new will put in place a decentralized elite sport delivery structure – ten years too late.

Right now, every New Zealander should recognize that Miskimmin is spending your millions putting in place a program that the Australians are just about to scrap. Miskimmin is building an empire of “barns and bigger barns”, a monument to futile excess. We are buying new what the Australian’s are throwing out. Australia’s failed policies of the 1960s are Miskimmin’s 21^st century dreams. A yesterday man, always late, always behind.

Just look at triathlon, cycling and swimming; all being bribed down the “one stop national shop” path. Remember, last week Graeme Maw, Tri NZ High Performance Director said, “Things like centralization, getting athletes and coaches concentrated together really bringing that intensity of expertise, is probably our step forward.” Well Graham Maw, Sport New Zealand may have convinced you there is merit in that argument. Clearly the Australian’s do not agree.

At Miskimmin’s expense, we have just been witness to a schadenfreude moment. It is good because it brings the reform of swimming, the implementation of numerous decentralized club-based elite training programs in New Zealand one step closer.