Charlie’s Story
Anyone who knows me knows I love swimming. Most of my colleagues think I'm obsessed and most of my friends are swimming buddies. What is less obvious is that I am not actually very good at swimming, or, shall we say, I am only just learning to swim properly at the age of 33....
Reflections
Seated at 36,000 feet above the Pacific… a perfect opportunity to reflect on another summer of open water swimming in New Zealand. The sport continues to grow phenomenally. New Zealand’s biggest open water swim series, The State Ocean Swim Series saw record numbers of swimmers. The State Epic Swim New Zealand championships in Taupo also had a fantastic turn out. From a personal perspective the amount of new comers taking to the open water and experienced swimmers seeking new challenges provides encouragement for the sport....
Swim or Hibernate?
As the Northern Hemisphere emerges from the winter darkness the Southern Hemisphere enters its ‘cool’ time. For many of us winter does not conjure up excitement when it comes to swimming. Extra time under covers, hot soup and additional clothes are more ‘realistic’ images. One therefore can seriously pose the question, is winter the time to keep swimming or to enjoy some well-earned rest time? Winter swimming is the perfect time to hit the pool and revise and improve technique, connect with a swim group and add that social element to your swimming. It is a super time to build fitness ready for spring. We can...
La Grande
On Saturday 22 Feb the 4th round of the State NZ Ocean Swim Series was held in the historic French and British settlement of Akaroa. Nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano the village is only 75km from the city of Christchurch but with is quaint sleepy galleries, craft stores and cafes set on the harbour front you feel miles from anywhere and instantly chilled and relaxed. The date of the 22 Feb was also significant in that it was the 3rd anniversary of the Christchurch earthquakes that claimed 182 lives. A minute of silence was held in remembrance. The day started extremely promising with...
Epic Round-Up
Each January at Lake Taupo, New Zealands best gather for the Oceania 5 and 10km Open water Swim Championships. Swimmers of all ages and abilities are invited to share the weekend with the elite swimmers in what has become known as Epic Swim. Epic swim events include 500M, 1km, 2.5km, 5km and 10km. Five minutes after the elite 5 and 10km swim race has begun the Epic swims start and swimmers of all ages get to enjoy Open Water competitive swimming in one of New Zealands most beautiful and the largest fresh water lake....
Water Safety in New Zealand
The closure of over 300 NZ school pools in the last decade is a sad reflection of the times. A pool will always lose when it comes to accounting based decision making because it often takes up a significant amount of zero's on a budget. Unfortunately there is no column for social impact on an accountants report; health and well-being from obesity through to drownings are all actual outcomes for closing a school pool. ...
Dealing With The Masses
It is one of the most voiced concerns open water swimmers raise when discussing open water swim racing; the mass start. It can be a daunting, scary, physical experience....
NZ3 The Kiwi Triple Crown
Oceans Seven has created a massive amount of interest in New Zealand’s contribution to the Oceans Seven; Cook Strait. At present open water swim legend and Cook Strait swim guide guru Philip Rush fields a phenomenal number of inquiries about the swim, I believe he is now taking bookings for 2016 and beyond. Cook Strait is an amazing piece of water, the tides are completely opposite at each end of the strait making currents impossible to accurately model and predict. The weather can best be described as knarly. Every form of wildlife imaginable calls Cook Strait home or at least transits through, you honestly have...
Lessons Learnt
Autumn has arrived in the UK and spring has blossomed in New Zealand. Phases of training will be changing for the open water swimmers in each hemisphere. In the UK it’s almost time to head indoors for a few months of focus on technique and building the fitness ready for next year. In New Zealand it’s time for swimmers to start heading to the open water. Before you change training phases it’s a good time to take stock and to plan your next round of swimming. There are plenty of lessons learnt. Why make mistakes yourself when others have taken the time to make them...
ASSISTED
Let’s start with some clarification: I do not consider myself a marathon swim expert. I have a reasonable amount of experience in many different forms of swimming. I do love swimming. Any kind of swimming. I have been involved in swimming my entire life. I enjoy sharing my swim knowledge. I enjoy seeing people achieve their swim goals. I enjoy learning from other swimmers and coaches alike. Hearing about others swim experiences and different perspectives on swim technique and performance is part of the learning process. I don’t care if you swim in a costume, in a wetsuit, want to learn to swim, swim a...