SWIMMING: Find the will, Maori told

SHANE HURNDELL
Jon Winter has never been afraid to speak his mind. So it's only appropriate the former Primo Sundevils coach who left Hawke's Bay today to start a three-year co-coaching contract with his former New Zealand teammate Paul Kent at the Metro club in Auckland, had some semi-controversial motivational ammunition for some of the province's youngsters before he left.
"I don't want to sound racial ... but only if some of these Hawke's Bay Maori swimmers had as much will as they had skill. I've seen so many Maori swimmers here in Flaxmere drop out before they reach their full potential," said the part-Maori former New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games representative.
Sporting a manaia which was fashioned and blessed for him by the grandfather of Hineira Cherrington, the Sundevils junior swimmer of the year, Winter said he hoped his Maori Sundevils gave his replacement "a good shot before deciding whether or not to continue swimming".
Winter, 35, said receiving the manaia, one of two he received this week, was a highlight of an emotional farewell for him, his wife Becky and two children, three-year-old Cassy and 10-month-old Jacob, at the Sundevils Clive-hosted weekend prize-giving.
Another was celebrating the selection of Chris Benson and his sister Clair in the New Zealand team to swim in the Trans Tasman Tri-Series in Australia from July 1-8. North Shore-based former Sundevil Daniel Bell, Central Hawke's Bay's Billie Annetts and Gisborne's Emily Thomas are also in the 20-strong team.
"These selections show just how good a shape Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay swimming is in ... Greendale's Hannah Jones must be considered unlucky not to have made it," said Winter.
It's no secret Winter has played a major role in helping to lift the standard of swimming in the region during his nine years in the Bay. He believes the success will continue. "Hawke's Bay is fortunate to be served by good coaches in Chris (Chris Mellors from the Trojans), Felipe (Brazilian Felipe Raggio from the Central Hawke's Bay club), Noel (Greendale's Noel Hardgrave-Booth and Mike (Aquahawks Mike Lee)," said Winter.
"There is so much natural talent here. I caught up with a bloke from America recently who was doing a study on the top sporting talent in the States, Australia and here in New Zealand. He discovered that in all three countries 50 percent of the top sports people came from the smaller areas.
"But so often the best ones eventually move to the bigger cities and I think the only way we can stop this happening in Hawke's Bay is if we get an academy or university here to help keep our top athletes here," said Winter.
Katie Bone, who Winter rates as the best female swimmer he has coached during his time in the Bay, is already based at Auckland's Millennium Institute. He expects his best male, Matt Thomas, to link up with the North Shore club.
"One of my goals here was to create an Olympian and Matt became the closest with his selection in the New Zealand team for the Oceania Champs. He can still make next year's Beijing Olympics and if he misses that he is still young enough to make the next ones," said Winter.
Another of his former Sundevils, Blair Withington, is United States-based but will swim for Winter at Metro if the national selectors want him to return home to try and gain New Zealand selection.
Winter has had swimmers come from Australia and Fiji to swim for him and he said several of them will continue to do that. He also intends to keep in touch with the Sundevils as several have indicated they are keen to travel to Auckland and train with him during the July holidays and he intends bringing squads of Metro swimmers to the Bay for training camps.
It's been four years since Winter has swum competitively and he said with so many of his former New Zealand teammates based in Auckland they will get together and form a new Masters club.
"Paul (Kent) and I were talking about it. When I heard how many of our mates would be keen I worked out I might be lucky to make the relay team ... I might have to be coach and selector," he laughed.
After his success in the Bay which included taking the Primo Sundevils from 10th place to second behind North Shore within 12 months back in 2005, Winter has a hard act to follow with his move to the big smoke.
"As I said when the appointment was announced back in March ... it's going to be a huge change going from a family-orientated club to a business-orientated club. But I like a challenge," he said.
And if his previous history with challenges is any indication expect Winter's list of New Zealand representatives to continue to grow.