‘Fun vibe’ planned for junior swimming meet
development rather than
Community
achievement.
Damian Rowe ‘‘The event is about growing the
national base. [Those taking part] The next junior swimming meet are collated at the end to see who is to be held in Southland will have the champion of champions, but more of a fun vibe to it than a they are not going into a big serious one, organisers say. championship,’’ Hansen said.
The Makos division of the ‘‘It’s more about these guys New Zealand Junior Swimming making friends and developing Meet will be held at through, and seeing their Splash Palace, mates along the way.’’ Invercargill, from Each of the today for the first competing time in a few swimmers will be years. given caps and
Southland will be profiled Swimming on a big screen executive as they come officer Lisa into the pool. Hansen said she Hosting a hoped the event national meet in would have more Invercargill was of a festival-type significant because vibe to it, rather the pool was too than a serious Swimming Southland executive shallow for longcourse national meet. officer Lisa Hansen by the Splash events, but ‘‘It’s about Palace pool where the meet will the junior event
take place. DAMIAN ROWE/STUFF having a bit of was short-course, fun, taking out meaning Splash the heat of the national status.’’ Palace was the perfect venue to
About 180 swimmers under host it. the age of 12 from throughout the ‘‘Having the event here means southern region will compete in those Southland swimmers don’t the tournament that introduces have to worry about travelling far young athletes to national level to events, which can get competition. Twenty-six of the expensive,’’ she said. those come from Southland. ‘‘It’s a huge event for Southland.
The aim of this year’s event We haven’t had a New Zealand was to focus on swimmers’ meet in a couple of years.’’ There will be bikes galore at Lumsden School today as students finally get to taste the full extent of their uniquely designed bike park.
Principal Andrew Watson said there was an incredible team of supporters and volunteers who have been really fired up about the project.
‘‘The seed was sown by a group of our senior students back in 2016, who responded to a question on a student survey,