Dropping bombs to build a pool
If you’re going to judge a competition, it pays to be an expert.
For those taking part in the Manu ‘Bomb’ Competition at Palmerston North’s Queen Elizabeth College on Saturday afternoon, Stan Karatea was that expert.
‘‘As a kid, I did many [bombs],’’ he said while having a post-judging sausage in bread.
‘‘They were all in a river though.’’
Saturday’s competition used the college’s pool, which community groups have big plans for.
Palmerston North is suffering from a lack of swimming lane space, with swimming clubs sharing the city’s pools with water sports, aqua fitness classes and learn-to-swim classes.
Pools are booked solid outside school hours, but the college’s pool is barely used outside term one.
Manawatu¯’s Almighty Outcasts Swim Squad coach Lin Tozer is working with the
college’s principal Chris Moller to try to create a community pool for the city.
The long-term plan is to get the pool heated and covered, which will cost $1 million, if there was enough demand.
The first step was the manu, or bomb, competition on Saturday, with people paying to either compete by jumping into the diving pool or having a splash in the separate six-lane 33.3-metre pool.
Competitors got three opportunities to impress the judges.
Tama Kawana-rogers, who won the over-17 section, and his brother Wiremu Kawana-rogers dropped some of the biggest manus of the day, the splashes towering over the trees.
They also pulled out the most moves, including the gorilla (close to an upside-down cannonball), staple (entering hands and feet first) and the classic manu, or bomb.
Tama Kawana-rogers said they got good through a lot of practice.
‘‘It’s what happens when you’re around rivers and there’s nothing else to do.’’
Under-10s winner TK Ngaki, 9, said he learned a lot from Tama and Wiremu Kawana-rogers.
Lileigh Marshall and Brayden Bell won the 11-13 age group and Venice Goulden won the 14-17 age group.
Karatea said points were given based on the height of a splash, height of a jump and style.
The trees around the pool, which worked especially well at keeping noise and wind out, were a good ruler for splash height, he said.
It would be great to get the pool running for the community, he said.
‘‘It just needs a bit of work.’’ Tozer said turning the college’s pool into a community asset would need a lot of work from a lot of people.
Lifeguards and people to do the cleaning and testing of the water were needed, she said.