Well that was a busy wee spell...from desert to flood in two weeks!

There were a tired bunch of kids at Waterworld in Te Rapa, Hamilton for the Secondary School Champs last week. Many had just finished with the week-long Short Course Champs and barely had time to head home and wash their gear, before they were back at the pool again, it was a serious case of deja vu!

Taking into account a year of disrupted training, no significant events to compete at, disrupted schooling AND having two major meets on consecutive weekends...oh and throw in school exams just for good measure, I think we can safely say that the teenagers of 2020 are learning a lot about resilience!

It was a privilege to be poolside again during this event to see these kids, the future stars of NZ swimming giving it everything and most of them coming out with PBs and there were even some more records falling. It's been said for years (even back to my swimming days) that Te Rapa is a fast pool, but I don't care about that. These legends still gave it everything, right until the bitter end.

What a joy it was to see old friends catching up in person, the jokers, the gigglers and the tired parents/managers/teachers/coaches. Those ATM/Taxi t-shirts that we sell are worth every penny. (hint: kids, get your parents one for Christmas! ;))

Now it's back to the shop to plan for the next big event for us, the Epic Swim/Open Water Champs in Taupo in January. We can't wait!

See you there.

Lauren Harrod