Swimming: Pool of talent impresses

Rotorua youngster Paddy Baylis showing his form in the 400m freestyle heat.

Rotorua swimmer Paddy Baylis knows all about making waves.

The 13-year-old Rotorua Lakes High student was all class in Swim Rotorua's long course swimming competition at the weekend.

In perfect conditions, at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre, Paddy didn't look out of his depth when he went up against one of the best in the business, open water swim champion and club mentor Kane Radford in the 400m freestyle heat.

Although Radford blitzed the field he was in, which included Paddy, the youngster said it was a great experience to swim against an athlete of Radford's ability.

"I was more nervous than I normally would be for a race like that ... I just got out there and raced. It was cool seeing him ahead and I could see how he raced."

A Year 9 student, Paddy said having Radford at the meet was an opportunity for him and the other club members to learn from one of New Zealand's best long distance swimmers.

"He talked to me a bit before one of my races because I was feeling tired," Paddy said.

The teenager wasn't too worried about his results from the meet because he was using the event more as a build up for his swimming tour with the Central Swimming Team.

The squad is made up of swimmers from Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

Paddy is ranked in the top 25 swimmers in his age group and will compete in the 200m individual medley.

He said the team would be swimming at different meets around Bay of Plenty next month and he was feeling confident he would be fit and ready for the tour.

Radford told the Rotorua Daily Post he was confident Paddy had what it takes to make it as a top swimmer.

"He's definitely a good swimmer. There is a lot of potential in and around the Bay area, it's just whether they can continue when it gets hard, because it does get hard as you get into your late high school years.

However, Radford said he'd seen enough from Swim Rotorua to know the club was on the right track to producing quality swimmers for the future.

"They are really building the club," Radford said. "They are starting from the ground up. I think give it a couple of years - who knows? I think it could grow to be a force within New Zealand."

Swim Rotorua head coach Alastair Johnson said he was impressed with all of the swimmers who competed at the weekend.

"They are going really well. It's their first long course swim of the season so they're a bit rusty and we've just taken a very low key approach."

Johnson said the club had recently returned from the nationals, so usually it would be hard to get the swimmers motivated for the long course season.

"They are really good kids, its been quite easy to get them fired up."

He said the club was focused on developing their stocks of first time swimmers to the club.

"Our focus at the moment is to really nurture and develop those younger kids."