Alexandra sisters Sophie and Heidi Winter competed in the New Zealand Ice Swimming Pool Championships, held in the Alexandra outdoor pool, earlier this month.
Sophie set a world open record for the 100m individual medley, which she swam in 01:12:82.
Heidi set an age group world record for the same event (01:13:60) and in the inaugural 200m individual medley (02:47:33).
Ice swimming was more a personal challenge than a competitive one, Sophie said.
"Getting in is the hardest part ... you just mentally get tougher ... you just get used to it."
Sophie said while the sisters were competitive, they specialised in different stokes.
"Yes, we do race each other and are competitive against each other, but we are also very supportive of each other as well."
Both girls swim for the Alexandra Swimming Club - Sophie since age 9 and Heidi since age 10.
Heidi said the sisters had seen the ice swimming championships when they were held in the Alexandra pool in 2022 and thought "we could give that a go".
The Winters took the plunge this year when fellow ice swimmer Julie Morris needed team-mates for a relay event — the girls’ dad Chris rounded out the team.
The four, alongside fellow local swimmer Vicki Liddel, trained in Alexandra’s outdoor pool in the early morning twice a week for about six weeks leading up to the championships.
"It was good though, you couldn’t see the frost", Heidi said.
While normally they might have trained for over an hour in an indoor pool, the outdoor pool temperature was just 3.5°C - "the real deal", Sophie said - which limited how long they could swim.
"Outside we would just get in and do 200m to 500m and then get out", Sophie said.
Their pre-dawn training sessions were supervised by pool staff who were supportive of their endeavour, Heidi said.
The championships had a relaxed, family atmosphere.
"The people were lovely ... it felt like a big family when you were there."
They have put their names forward for New Zealand at the world championships in Italy next year.
Their mother Bridgette said she was very proud of the girls’ achievements in the challenging sport.
"It’s a really good reflection of their toughness because it’s not just a physical thing, it’s a mental toughness", she said.
"That’s why they’ve done so well."
