The Greerton Winter meeting is the biggest swim meet held in Tauranga and the 2013 edition, starting Friday and finishing on Sunday at Baywave Aquatic Centre, will be a battle of the young guns.
Generously sponsored by the Lion Foundation and organised by the Greerton Swimming Club, the meet isrecognised as one of the upper North Island's key build-up meets for the New Zealand short course championships. However, this year the big names are on international duty participating in either the World Championship in Barcelona or the World University Games in Moscow throughout July, leaving the way open for a new wave of champions.
One of the highlights of the meet is the "medley skins" event which takes the top 10-ranked swimmers on points after the competition is finished and pits them against each other in a series of 50m sprints. After each sprint, the slowest swimmers are eliminated until only the two fastest are left to race off for the top prize, with $1500 on offer for podium places.
To shake it up further, the middle sprints will be butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, meaning the top freestyle sprinter could be eliminated before reaching the final race-off.
With last year's winners, the "Tongan Torpedo" Olympian Amini Fonua and North Shore's Samantha Richter absent, and 2011 finalists Steve Kent and Laura Quilter on international duty, the way is open for a new face on top of the podium.
In the men's event look for Hamilton all-rounder Ashley Townsend to be chased hard by fellow 19-year-old Auckland swimmer Shane Hornby.
This could be the year for Townsend's clubmate in 19-year-old Britta Carroll in the women's event who will face challenges from a number of young up-and- comers.
Although swimmers from 25 clubs have entered, local interest will be centred Greerton and Otumoetai. Greerton's Taylor Armstrong, training under coach Tai Daniela during the US college summer break, will race the 800m freestyle on Friday evening before flying back to her Houston base on Saturday. Her clash over the 32 laps with Otumoetai star Jessica Millar will be a highlight.
Other local youngsters expected to perform well over the longest freestyle event are Blake Horne and Calum Gilmour (Greerton). In the sprint events, top ranked local sprinters Perry Farrell (Mount Maunganui) and Claudia Capp (Greerton) will be looking to mix it with the best of the visitors.
