The Hokonui White Sharks came back from Whanganui last month with their jangling medals and beaming smiles.
Janet Pollard, Joanne Lee, and Catherine Muir competed in various events and strokes, in their respective age ranges.
Results were strong for the team.
Mrs Pollard finished in the top two in every event, Mrs Muir dominated the freestyle events, and Mrs Lee pulled ahead of the pack for a second place finish in the 50m freestyle.
Mrs Pollard has been competing in masters events for a while, and said when she moved to Gore, she brought the competitive spirit with her.
‘‘I did masters swimming in Australia, and when we did training here I said ‘why don’t we go to the masters in Dunedin?’’’
‘‘We were doing all this swimming and weren’t doing anything with it,’’ she said.
After getting psyched up to compete, the first outing of the White Sharks was delayed due to Covid.
It did not deter the team however, as they were on board with the very next competition, returning from Whanganui with big smiles and gleaming medals.
Now the team has been competing for a while, with a certified treasure chest of medals from competitions all around New Zealand.
Mrs Pollard said more than the success, it was about the spirit of competition and improvement.
‘‘Everyone swims hard, but everyone has fun.
‘‘You’re racing your own times, really.
‘‘You don’t have to be amazing, it’s just about giving it a go,’’ she said.
Now the masters classes have opened up from Monday through Friday, catering for morning, afternoon and early risers.
Swim coach Meagan McCabe said the classes were not just for the competitive-minded, but catered to all needs.
‘‘I have some ladies do it because they enjoy it, they like improving, and the reason they compete is to see what the training achieves.
‘‘Some come along to improve their technique, which improves their fitness.
‘‘It gets easier, so they can push harder,’’ she said.
Mrs McCabe said it was a no-stress environment to get better at swimming.
‘‘The fact there’s no pressure is the biggest thing.
‘‘Don’t feel like you have to perform.
‘‘Some people come in, they say they don’t feel 100%, they just go at their own pace.’’
Mrs McCabe said there was a social aspect to the classes, where the pressure is off and the fun begins.
‘‘We’re very community based, a lot of the people who come in regularly, we have conversations, good laughs.
‘‘The ladies in the masters group are very welcoming and encouraging.
‘‘Just because you join masters doesn’t mean you do every session. You just do what you can do,’’ she said.
