Winter regime rewarded

A 27-strong team of Masterton swimmers took seventh place overall at the Wellington Short Course Winter Champs held over the past two weekends in Wellington.
Up against 19 other clubs, including much larger ones from Wellington and throughout the North Island, Masterton swimmers achieved a remarkable 76 per cent personal best times from 261 races.
The team result was backed up by numerous standout individual performances with five gold medals, four silver and 12 bronze medals won over the four-day meet.
A delighted Masterton Swimming Club head coach Anna Kitching said the results exceeded expectations for this time of year.
"All swimmers were rewarded for their winter training efforts with a huge number of personal best times, many of them quite significant," she said.
"From the 10 year-olds to the seniors the results were very pleasing and we are well on target for the summer long course season."
Emma Samuel, 10, swam every race in personal best times, winning gold in the 50m and 100m butterfly and the 100m individual medley. She also scored a silver and three bronze medals.
Promising youngsters Charlotte Hamill-Harris, 10, and Alana Brezaz, 10, were rewarded for their training with significant personal best times. Hamill-Harris won bronze in the 200m backstroke and added qualifying times for NZ Junior Championships to be held in February.
Senior swimmers Isaac Foote, Ben Ruback and Mac Hepburn are on track for NZ Short Course Age Group Champs in Christchurch in three weeks after all swimming personal best times. Ruback, 15, held off strong challengers to win gold in the 200m backstroke in a personal best time of 2 minutes 12.74 seconds - a remarkable effort as it closely followed his swim in the 1500m men's open freestyle.
Foote, 17, swimming in the open men's grade, produced spectacular swims in the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle, improving in both events by more than two seconds and taking bronze in the backstroke. Foote won silver in the 200m butterfly in another personal best time.
Cameron Ravenwood, 11, won gold in the 100m individual medley, silvers in the 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle. Joseph Samuel, 12, improved well to take bronze in the 50m and 200m backstroke.
Teysha Deal achieved a clean sweep of personal best times in 15 events, earning a bronze in the 200m butterfly. Jacob Smith, 13, won bronze in the 200m butterfly taking three seconds off his old time. Sven Tobias, 13, swam consistently with personal best times throughout the meet.