Welcome to the Homepage of the Swimming Waikato Regional Squads
The Swimming Waikato Regional Squads have been around for over a decade– starting as IM and age-based development squads in the late 2009/2010 (prior to that we had train with a champion stroke development days throughout the 2000s) moving to the more consistent format we have had over the last 5-6 years.
As we continue to move towards Paris 2024, LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 and everything in between the focus of our squads at all levels continues to evolve and adapt to best suit the needs of our wider group of swimmers to ensure we contribute positively to the needs and provide the tools at all levels to keep upping our performances in the pool.
All Squad opportunities are discussed in collaboration with the Swimming Waikato Snr Coaching Group, alongside our Regional Squad Lead, Alastair Johnson, and the administration team at Swimming Waikato.
Regional Squads Pathway
2024/25 Squads Info & Updates (Current Year)
RATIONALE FOR CHANGE 2024/25
International swimming performance standards continue to improve. The Paris 2024 Olympics will undoubtedly be the fastest swimming event ever seen. It is therefore imperative that we keep evolving and improving the Swimming Waikato Regional Squads to support and to encourage our top athletes and coaches to achieve repeatable success at international and nationals events.
Whilst there has been a tradition of Waikato athletes and coaches selected to Pinnacle events (eg. Commonwealth Games and Paralympics), international junior events (eg. Junior Pan Pacs) and the SNZ National Age Programme (NAP), there is still a lot of room for improvement.
With the recent creation of the Regional Performance Centre, the new SNZ competition calendar coming into effect in 2025 and the continual professionalism of Swimming Waikato operations, now is the ideal time to make some fundamental changes to the Regional Squads. I hope you will embrace the changes and take advantage of all the opportunities that the new Programme offers.
Overview
• Selected athletes are on the Programme through to March each year (subject to performance reviews and commitment to the various activities)
• Athletes are expected to attend all activities:
o A mix of swim meets, Development Days and Zoom presentations / athlete education
o Note – no Australian meet in 2024-2025 season, but we are planning for an overseas meet in the 2025-2026 season
• Athletes need to submit a simple IDP (Individual Development Plan) or Goal sheet to demonstrate their achievements and processes to achieve their goals
• Athlete performance reviews will be conducted through the season
• Squads are colour branded as Black (RPC), Red (Age), Yellow (Pathway) and White (XLR8)
Expectations
For the first time we are making it clear what our expectations are beyond the Development Days. This will drive up standards and make the athletes more accountable for their own development and success:
• Average performance improvements of 3.0 percent or more per season (or 1.0 percent if ranked in the World’s Top 150 plus 1.5 pc). Improving at these rates is important in order to bridge the performance gap to the next level
• Kick performance standards will be published to encourage more athletes to kick faster in their club programmes
• Improved kicking performances – we will be introducing regional kick sets with the results collated and ranked
• Skill improvements – especially with stroke counts and race skills
• To encourage skill improvement we will introduce a regional Stroke Efficiency Test (4 x 50 main stroke or 4 x 50 Medley order for the Pathway and XLR8 athletes. Over time, the collected data will help us to establish norms to encourage all clubs to develop more skilful (ie. faster) athletes
• As Swimming Waikato is investing in the development of athletes and coaches, then it is important that we highlight appropriate training loads. These are based on well-established norms and will serve as a strong reminder on what it takes to be a good all round age grouper striving to become an established international senior athlete
Selection
For the 2025-2026 season, the selection criteria summary is as below:
• RPC Performance Standard is based on SNZ NAP 16 years Gold time plus 5 percent (LC only)
• Age and Pathway Squads Performance Standards are based on percentages of the RPC standard (LC & SC) – this means that we are encouraging the athletes to be on target to graduate to the RPC during their formative years
• 2 Intakes per season to align with the new competition calendar
• Clear definition of Age on the Day – no more ambiguity and the athletes will need to race at the appropriate meets to gain selection
• Qualifying periods clearly defined so that coaches and athletes can prepare and then perform at the relevant targeted meet
• The XLR8 Squad is largely unchanged except that we will be using the 12 years XLR8 points for all ages. This means that the athletes will score more points if they race faster regardless of when their birthday is. Having a linear points system applicable to all ages (10, 11 & 12 years)
makes it easier to track the athletes. The current system allows for anomalies when athletes have a birthday and then race again soon after with a faster time which often scores less points
• We will still be selecting approximately the 6 highest scoring athletes per age (10, 11 & 12 years) per gender. This will give us a total of 36 athletes. Points cut off per age and gender to be determined at the end of the qualifying period (01 May 2024 – 06 April 2025)
Please refer to the Swimming Waikato website for further details including the following Regional Squad documents:
1. 2024-2025 Summary
2. 2025-2026 Summary
3. 2025-2026 Performance Standards (pool times)
Alastair Johnson
Swimming Waikato Regional Squad Lead
July 2024
SQUADS SUMMARY & PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Application Links - Closed
Regional Squad Opportunities
REGIONAL PERFORMANCE CENTRE (RPC)
Delivering a comprehensive training program that immerses athletes in a daily, athlete-centered environment for swimming development.
RPC’s VISION – To create an athlete centric environment that drives swimmers to win medals at pinnacle international events.
RPC’s PURPOSE – Bringing together like-minded swimmers to achieve a common goal, through world-class coaching and accountability to the process of becoming professional/elite athletes and leaders within the community.
RPC’s VALUES
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Accountability – Honest application to the standards you have set for yourself.
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Perseverance – Learning through experience and never giving up in pursuit of your goal.
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Support – Celebrating teammate’s successes.
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Excellence – Aiming to perform at a world-class standard daily.
For more information on the RPC, following the link to the Program webpage
REGIONAL AGE SQUAD
Domestic training opportunities, as well as an out of region, or international tour.
Tour dates and locations have been discussed, however we are awaiting SNZ’s Competition Review before announcing.
Squad Specific Educational Sessions:
Nutrition
Strength and Conditioning
Kit – to be issued to those swimmers who are touring with the squad. All swimmers will receive a Swimming Waikato training cap.
REGIONAL PATHWAY SQUAD
Domestic training opportunities, as well as an out of region tour.
Tour dates and locations have been discussed, however we are awaiting SNZ’s Competition Review before announcing.
Squad Specific Educational Sessions:
Nutrition
Strength and Conditioning
Flexibility
Kit – to be issued to those swimmers who are touring with the squad. All swimmers will receive a Swimming Waikato training cap.
REGIONAL XLR8 SQUAD
Qualifying for this squad is based off all listed XLR8 achievers club swimmers who achieve more than 1500 xlr8 points within the qualifying period of July 1st through to April 30th. The squad is capped at the highest achieving 30 athletes and the cut off of selected points scores is at discretion of coaching group.
10, 11 & 12-year-old swimmers who are our highest pointed young athletes through our XLR8 achievers programme over the qualifying period will have the opportunity to attend four annual Swimming Waikato Stroke Clinics. Swimmers already on Pathway Squads will not qualify for these stroke clinics. The Chief Executive may at his discretion select Wild Card entries for this Squad. This squad will include up to 30 swimmers in each season.
Swimmers who qualify for the Stroke Clinics will be contacted by Swimming Waikato, therefore are not required to fill out an application form.
For more information on Swimming Waikato’s XLR8 Achievers Club please visit our website at: https://swimmingwaikato.co.nz/xlr8-achievers-club/
Operational Leadership
Coaching Leadership
The Swimming Waikato Regional Squads is a ‘Coach-Led’ program, with input, guidance and delivery supported by the Swimming Waikato Coaching Leadership Group. The program is led by the Regional Squad Lead, Alison Fitch in collaboration with the Managment of Swimming Waikato and the pre-mentioned Coaching Leadership Group.
We encourage all member coaches to get involved with the Regional Squads and support our regional based swimmers.
Contact for more details [email protected]
Alastair Johnson – Regional Squad Lead
Mat Woofe – Hamilton Aquatics
Graham Smith – St Paul’s Swimming Club
Zac Taylor – St Peter’s
Jeremy Tasker – St Paul’s Swimming Club
International Rep Funding
SQUAD FAQ's
Where do I find my World Aquatics Points?
These can be found from the Swimming NZ Database, located under your personal profile when logged into Fastlane.
When is the annual qualification window?
Swimmers will have between 1st December and 31st of May annually to qualify.
Can I use points from the same event?
No. Swimmers cannot score points from the same event more than once within the qualification window.
Can I use 'short course' times?
Long Course times will be prioritised over Short Course times in all applications, however they can be used. Please ensure you clearly indicate if you are using Long Course (50m pool), or Short Course (25m pool) times.
What is the Age as of Date?
Age as of 30th April to align with Swimming NZ Age at Date
Why do swimmers aged 12-14 have to qualify using 3 separate events?
We do this to ensure diversity of events are being targeted. At a young age, we like swimmers to give other events a go, offering them opportunities to see where their own skills may lie. If swimmers stick to the same, short events, they may never know if they can excel in other strokes and distances. Who knows, you might be a World Class 200 Butterfly swimmer???
When will Squads be announced?
We aim to announce those who have made Squads in June annually.
Who choses the Squads?
Selection of all Squads is a multi-part process, involving the Operational Team at Swimming Waikato, as well as the Regional Squads ‘Coaching Leadership, all led by our Regional Squads Lead, Alison Fitch. All applications are carefully vetted to ensure the information provided is correct and that the appropriate squad is being selected. We do our utmost to ensure all ‘Home Coaches’ are involved int he process, however this requires significant buy-in from all parties.
Squad selection is always a lengthy process, as we strive to ensure we are offering the appropriate ‘age’ and ‘stage’ appropriate support for the individual swimmer.
Will I be expected to go on Tour with my Squad?
It is more than likely that all Squads, barring the Junior XLR8 Squad, will travel out of region or country to compete. Touring with the Squads is a big part of swimmer development and therefore it will be expected that all swimmers who apply for ‘Regional Pathway Squad’ and above, are aiming to travel and compete.
Where can I find out more information on the Regional Performance Centre (RPC)?
The RPC has it’s on webpage, please follow the link (Click)
Can I be supported if I chose not to join the RPC?
Swimming Waikato will continue to support swimmers who qualify for, but that chose not join the RPC. This will be discussed on an individual athlete basis. Please note that all RPC swimmers will retain membership of their ‘Home Club’, so long as it belongs to the Swimming Waikato membership.
The Squad Structure altered from 2023/24 to 2024/25, why was this?
Our Regional Squads Program continues to evolve as it has done over the last decade. With the introduction of the Regional Performance Centre (RPC), some changes have been made to our Age Group program, with the merging of our previously known ‘Potential Squad’ and ‘Youth Performance Squad’, into the newly formed ‘Regional Age Squad.
We will continue to ensure the Regional Squad Program remains fit for purpose and that it offers the ‘age’ and ‘stage’ appropriate support for swimmers in our region.
Are Squad costs subsidised?
We work hard to ensure we keep all associated costs of our Squads as low as possible. Our sponsorship with Teamline focuses on kitting our swimmers out an no additional cost to families; in addition, we aim to attract sponsorship, where possible, to cover the increasing costs of operating such an initiative.
Planning ahead, alongside our Coaches, allows us to ensure our travel and acom bookings are made well in advance, and coming in at a cheaper cost for our families.
I have another question, who do I contact to ask?
Regional Squad Lead, Alison Fitch [email protected]
