Comet innovation wins top NZ award

Comet Swim Club manager Rochelle Somerton with the award the club won at the weekend. She has paid tribute to the team effort that got them there. Picture supplied

Comet Swim Club won the Swim School of the Year - Innovation title at the New Zealand Swim Coaches and Teachers Association annual awards at the weekend, and were runners-up for the Swim School of the Year.

The association’s annual awards and conference were in Christchurch.

Comet was one of three finalists in both categories.

The Swim School of the Year award went to a club from Wellington.

Comet manager Rochelle Somerton said the club was “thrilled” with the outcome.

“It shows the versatility of our operation and the broad programme we are offering to our Tairawhiti community.

“It’s also a wonderful acknowledgement of our staff and the brilliant job they do,” Mrs Somerton said.

Comet has around 800 youngsters, most of them aged 10 years and younger, learning to swim each week.

“On top of that we’ve got our schools programme, which would involve another few hundred youngsters each week.”

She said the awards success was a “team effort”.

“Winning the Innovation award and finishing runners-up for the Swim School of the Year across all the comparable swimming clubs in New Zealand reflects so well on what we are as a club as a whole.

“We’re very much a team.”

As well as the mainstream learn to swim programme, the club runs Māmā and Pēpi classes for mothers and their babies, with instructors speaking te reo and English, swim classes for the migrant community, and will soon launch free wāhine classes.