What is the role of sport’s administrators? What is their purpose? What do they have in mind when they stand for election to the Boards of New Zealand or Auckland swimming? I imagine there are as many answers to those questions as there are people who have been elected to the Boards. The internet provides very little guidance into what administrators do, and even less information on what determines good and bad administration. The descriptions seem vague. For example:
| Sports administrators are responsible for carrying out administrative tasks across a wide range of functions within sports clubs and organisations. For instance, you could be focusing your efforts on marketing, fundraising, procurement, supply chain management or general administration tasks. Alternatively, you could be responsible for organising and scheduling sports events, managing budgets or overseeing the recruitment and training of staff.
No matter what area of sports administration you move into, you will essentially be responsible for making sure sports organisations, events and initiatives are run efficiently and cost-effectively. Consequently, part of your role will involve maintaining databases, managing admin systems and implementing project management processes to ensure everything runs as smooth as silk. |
On the basis of that definition the administration of New Zealand swimming is clearly not running to plan. “As smooth as silk” is not the first term that springs to mind when one considers the administration of the New Zealand national swimming organization. But I guess you knew that. The pages of Swimwatch have provided plenty of examples.
Of more concern in this post is Auckland Swimming. How are they doing their job? What grade have they earned? It’s a mixed bag is the answer. The basic administration, the registrations, keeping costs within budget and the application of the rules – all that stuff seems to be well managed and efficient. But there is a dark side. A side that is not working and is hurting the sport and those struggling to perform well.
For example the competition program is a disgrace. The table below shows the Auckland-based meets available to a senior swimmer in the eight weeks prior to the National Open Championships.
| May 7 | May 12th 2018 Golden Homes Swim Fest |
| 14 | |
| 21 | |
| 28 | |
| June 4 | June 8-10 ASA Opens |
| 11 | |
| 18 | |
| 25 |
Two meets in the eight weeks prior to probably the most important selection meet of 2018, the National Long Course Championships. Now that is inadequate. You don’t need to know much about swimming to know that competition in the weeks leading up to an important event is important. The ASA Open Championship three weeks before the Nationals is well placed – take a bow Auckland Swimming. The problem is the number of weeks with nothing at all.
My first book on swimming, “Swim to the Top” was edited and approved by world master coach Arthur Lydiard. This is how the importance of trial meets prior to a big event was described.
| After three weeks of trials, the season’s race programme should begin. It is impossible to achieve the ideal but in New Zealand a sample programme might look something like this — assuming that the national open championships are the swimmer’s peak event.
Week 1 Local inter-club competition Week 2 Local inter-club competition Week 3 Larger New Zealand centre championships Week 4 Local inter-club competition Week 5 Age group New Zealand national championships Week 6 Local inter-club competition Week 7 Open New Zealand National Championship The important characteristics of the racing programme are: • Improve the quality of races through the season • Race most weekends • Maintain a good mileage • Don’t taper • Don’t swim too many events • Spend time on starts, turns, finishes, steady aerobic swimming and getting the stroke plan right The tempo of the season should increase as the main event comes closer because the stresses of hard racing have to be learnt just like everything else. By starting with time trials and gradually improving the quality of racing, the main event will present no surprises, but will be a natural consequence of everything that has gone before. |
A good program requires six events prior to a major competition. That number is supported by the experience of some very good swimmers prior to setting national records. Here is another quote from “Swim tot the Top”.
| Always include at least six meets before a major event. I have seen programs ranging from one meet to 15 but the way these campaigns work is that it takes two meets for the swimmer to adjust into full racing mode and anything close to PBs is an achievement and a good indication of better things to come. There will also be times when things just don’t go right and a six-meet program allows for that and still leaves two or three for achieving those PBs.
Toni Jeffs toured Europe twice and broke New Zealand records in meets five and six; Anna Simcic broke her world record in meet five; Danyon Loader broke his in meet five; and Phillipa Langrell set her current New Zealand 800 metres record in meet five. Shorter tours would have seen New Zealand missing out on two world records and five current national records. So six is the minimum and seven is even better. |
So “six is the minimum” and what does Auckland provide – two. No wonder swimming in New Zealand is succeeding so wonderfully in falling further and further behind world standards. When Auckland administrators provide an inadequate competition program, when the most basic scheduling errors abound, the swimmers have no chance. “Swim faster”, the administrators cry and then back it up with a wholly inadequate racing schedule. It is a level of incompetence that beggars belief. And so the next time Willem Coetzee, Flo Hickey, Claudia Hill, Sandra Burrows and Brett Green are sitting around a board table moaning about swimmers not being what they used to be, they should pause for a moment to consider whether their part of the deal is being done properly.
Because when the best they can do is schedule two meets for senior swimmers in the eight weeks prior to the national championships they have no right to question the standard of any swimmer. They want Auckland swimming to improve and at the same time their incompetence makes it impossible for that to happen. If Auckland can’t do better than this the Board should step aside and let others, who can manage the place properly, have a go.
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