2009: A busy year, more to come

Transcription

1 July 2009 Quarter 1 & 2 (comb) President: Dennis Miller Vice President (West): Chris Thompson Vice President (East): Terence Erasito Secretary: Peter Howard Treasurer: Carol Watkins Administrator: Sean Jacobs 2009: A busy year, more to come Grand Prix #1 8 August, Nadi Grand Prix #2 12 September, Grand Prix #3 3 October, Nadi Grand Prix #4 31 October, SC Nationals November, (FS) has reached the midway point of a year that has been dubbed by FS President Dennis Miller as a dynamic swimming calendar filled with camps, competitions, programs and a wash of meetings Since January this year, FS has taken on an Australian Youth Ambassador to run operations full time, conducted its Annual Competitions General Meeting, ran the Pacific Sun National Long Course Championships and National Schools Finals, announced a team for the XIII FINA World Championships and taken on New Zealand-based Clive Power as Coach and Programmes Manager That s not counting the camps, board meetings, hours of preparation by athletes and countless efforts by parents, volunteers and officials to help streamline events so far What s more exciting is that we re only halfway through the swimming calendar We still have another halfyear of swimming to go Sofitel to Beachcomber Island (18km) 13 August Beachcomber Island (27km) 15 August Treasure Island to Beachcomber Island (1km) 15 August 2009 Arafura Games The Arafura Games kicked off in May, with Fiji sending an unprecedented six Athlete with Disability (AWD) swimmers to Darwin to compete The team Manasa Marasiali, Davui Rabaka, Josefa Liguali, Jone Suka, Joseva Verevau, Emosi all set PBs in their respective events Head Coach Jennifer Liew said the results were impressive, especially given the short amount of time many of the athletes had actually been swimming Special praise during the Games went to Manasa Marasiali who won Silver in the 50m Butterfly Pick up a copy of the latest copy of Mai Life Magazine for a great article on the 51-year old Fijian legend who like a fine wine seems to get better with age National Schools Finals Fiji Schools Swimming and joined forces to host one of the biggest swimming competitions of the year 347 swimmers competed over the three days from June at the National Aquatic Centre in Marist Brothers School clean swept the Senior and Junior School Male divisions whilst Nadi Muslim College won the Girls Senior School division and Mt St Mary s School won the Junior School Girls title

2 Page 2 of 5 Pacific Sun National Long Course Championships Nat Schools Finals (cont) Records were set by: Temafa Yalimawai of Yat Sen College in the 200m Boys U9 Breastroke (4 mins 994 secs), Chanel Marley of The Learning Centre in the 200m Girls U11 Butterfly (3 mins 4748 secs), Meli Malani of St Marcellin Primary in the 50m U12 Boys Breastroke (3569 secs) and Tieri Erasito of International School, who set a record time of (10 mins 3831 secs) in the Girls U17 800M Freestyle Special thanks to Joy Rakabu and Lucy Erasito as well as the 40 officials who helped out Pacific Sun National Championships The Pacific Sun National Championships were testament to the progression of competitive swimming in Fiji A total of 27 new national records were set, including Meli Malani beating a 20-yr old U13 50m Breastroke record and Adele Rova s surpassing of the 20-yr old U13 50m Fly Record Nadi-based Makos Swimming Club took out the title with a total of 50 gold Second place were Tritons club of with 36 gold, closely followed by Nadi Barracudas with 33 gold A special mention to the ever-competitive Babale, Stingray and Seals clubs, who all have a talented pool of swimmers and coaches on the rise High Performance and Development Clive Power during FMF National Squads Camp Through FASANOC s Olympic Solidarity Program, FS has taken on New Zealand-based Mr Clive Power in the capacity as Coach and Programmes Manager He will make quarterly visits to Fiji to give tutelage and guidance to coaches and swimmers with the goal of laying the foundation for a high performance unit As this newsletter comes out, Clive is in the midst of his second visit to Fiji His itinerary is a busy one; working with current swim coaches and athletes in and Nadi as well as working with National Head Coach Maftoa Pene and Development Chair Willie Elaisa to cultivate the next crop of talented swimmers His latest visit centered on the FMF National Squads Camp which took place on the weekend of June This saw the 12 & Under IM Squad and the National Development Squad combine to form teams in the Annual 8km Olympic Day Run before breaking into their respective camp groups The squads program was originally formed by previous employee Cindy Adiar- Bolakoso The goal was to create, maintain and improve the competitive swimmers in Fiji The current squad numbers prove that this vital foundation work has been a success When the squads were originally set up a few years ago, no one could make the lofty and beyond reach qualifying times There are now over 30 swimmers in both squads Other activities at the latest FMF National Camp included swim-testing, water polo, goal setting workshops and seminars on recovery, sports dieting and race preparation Athletes were also treated to a physiotherapy tutorial from Fiji Olympic Team Physiotherapist Dr Charlene Nand The next FMF camp is scheduled for September in Nadi

3 Page 3 of 5 Community Development Baviti Pool in the Western township of Ba have approached for some guidance on a swimming program FS Vice President (West) Chris Thompson and FS Administrator Sean Jacobs have been actively involved in providing guidance on the setting up of a swim program in the regional area, renowned for its high rate of drowning-related deaths Four candidates from the town will be embarking on their Green Level Learn to Swim qualifications with the long term goal of making the Baviti Pool a regional flagship for water safety and hopefully further down the track competitive swimming If any clubs have old swimming equipment anything ranging from goggles and swim caps through to kickboards and pull buoys, please contact Sean Jacobs or Chris Thompson chrispitila@connectcomfj Currently, the pool requires as much swimming equipment as possible and anything would be a big help On the community development front, Fiji Swimming is also working on a water safety program Collaborative efforts are being made with a number of regional agencies, donors and local authorities for a Fijianspecific water safety program that aims to increase water safety through schools The aspect of community development is an area Fiji Swimming is keen to be engaged in and promote Watch this space! Squads IM Squad 12 & U Thompson, Gordon P Pene, Lui Malani, Wilisoni Ratuyada, Akuila Low, Jayden Samisoni, Viasi Panuve, Tongli Vesikula, Divavesi Pene, Iris Dickinson, Lavinia Naivalu, Misi Samisoni, Sementafa McGowan, Amy Samisoni, Zinxania Development Squad Fastest Swimmers Fiji Team for XIII FINA World Championships, Rome Being a FINA World Championship year, Fiji is proud to announce six athletes and two officials to attend the 13 th FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy The Championships will take place from July 19 August 2 Athletes Douglas Miller, Tieri Erasito, Cheyenne Rova, Adele Rova, Elaijiah Erasito and Paul Elaisa will be competing under the guidance of National Coach Maftoa Pene and Team Manager Lucy Erasito The team departs Fiji on July 14 th for a training camp in Liverpool, England before heading to the Championships The team have prepared well and similar to countless amateur athletes worldwide, have had to maintain a precarious balance between studies, work and training Anyone wishing to send fan mail to wish the team luck, please send s to We hope it will be a personally successful World Championships for the Fijian team and we wish them the best of luck! Domonitani, William Elaisa, Paul S Erasito, Elaijie T Fiu, Blayde J Gough, Ethan Hughes, Keil Malani, Meli Marr, Josh Maybin, Samuel Miller, Douglas Sa'Id, Suma Taito, Matia Buadromo, Matelita Eden, Skye E Elaisa, Susau L Erasito, Tieri Joyce, Elly S Joyce, Lucy R Maybin, Emily M Nagatalevu, Sereana Panuve, Charissa Pene, Courtney Rova, Adele Rova, Cheyenne Thompson, James Vesikula, Akanisi Squad lists as of 6 July 2009

4 Page 4 of 5 Athlete Historical Snapshot: Carl Bay Carl Bay began swimming in Fiji in the 1950s at the age of 10 Under the guidance of New Zealand coach Paul Krause, he went on to become one of the most successful athletes Fiji has ever produced Training out of the iconic Sea Baths, he competed in the inaugural 1963 South Pacific Games in, winning 5 gold medals a feat unmatched in men s competition until 30 years later Gold medals at the SP Games included the 110, 440 and 1650 yards freestyle as well as the 440 yards IM and 440 yards freestyle relay In 1995 he was inducted into the Fijian Olympic Committee (FASANOC) Hall of Fame He currently lives in Brisbane, Australia Governance and Strategic Plan Growth of in every aspect competition entrants, new clubs, school participation and new coaches 2009 has been one of the busiest on record for Fiji Swimming Growth of the sport in every aspect from competition entrants to the sprouting of new clubs, schools and coaches has generated a number of challenges and opportunities for the sport To ensure that the national federation is properly tooled to meet such challenges, FS has embarked on the formulation of a strategic plan FS President Dennis Miller, Clive Power and Sean Jacobs have been working closely with the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) to produce a proper, inclusive and relevant document outlining the organisation s plan for the future On Saturday 26 June, the committee heads and key stakeholders of FS met at Naviti Resort in Sigatoka for a strategic planning workshop Although still early for a vision, the committee heads believe that a correct step has been taken FS would like to thank ONOC for their immense support thus far Quick Notices Text or our Fiji Swim Team to wish them luck for Rome SMS COACHES Eugune Panuve has penned a report on his recent trip to the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (ASCTA) Conference For a Fijian perspective on the conference, Eugene for a copy eugene@bigcomfj AWARDS - Nominations are being sought for FASANOC s 60 th anniversary diploma awards If you d like to honor a past contributor to FS, contact Nilesh Wati at FASANOC fasanoc@fasanocorgfj COMPS - For any competition related questions (Grand Prix and National Short Course) please contact the Registration, Technical and Competition Management Committee (see last page)

5 Page 5 of 5 PO Box 2285 Government Buildings, Fiji PHONE: (679) (679) Peter Howard Secretary peterhowardfiji@yahoocom Sean Jacobs Sports Administrator We re on the Web! See us at: wwwfijiswimmingcom Club Secretaries Stingrays Bulou Rabua bulour_rabua@dominioninsurancecomfj Tritons Terence Elaisa TerenceELAISA@totalcomfj Babales John Miller john_miller7@hotmailcom Barracudas Michelle McGowan MichelleMcGowan@airnzconz Seals Nina Naivalu ninan@aflcomfj Makos Alison Brown GoMakoGo@gmailcom Committees that make High Performance Committee Maftoa Pene (Chair), Andrew Pene, Willie Elaisa, Caroline Pickering Registration, Accreditation, Technical and Competition Management Committee Lucy Erasito (Chair), Angela Probert, Trisa Cheer, Paula Cokanasiga, Michelle McGowan Development Committee Willie Elaisa (Chair), Alison Brown, Paula Cokanasiga, Eugene Panuve, Jennifer Liew Selection Committee Dennis Miller, Sam Tupou, Ben Rova Sponsorship, Marketing and Communication Committee Sikeli Tuinamuana (Chair), Carol Watkins, Ben Rova, Sally Cooper, Fernando Lobendahn (coopted) About Our Organisation (formerly the Amateur Swimming Association of Fiji) is the national governing body for aquatic sports in Fiji We were formally constituted in 1963, after 30 years of established competitive swimming in the then-colony Since this time, we have gone on to help form the Oceania Swimming Association in 1991 and become members of the International Swimming Federation FINA in 1974 FIJI SWIMMING PO Box 2285 Government Buildings, Fiji FS NEWSLETTER CREATED BY SEAN JACOBS