Swimming: Superfish of future selected for special training camp

Budding Kiwi swim stars are part of the Jetstar Super Swim Squad camp.

Thirty budding young Kiwi swimming stars have been selected to take part in a three-day training camp in Auckland this month.

The Jetstar Super Swim Squad is a camp made up of the winners of the age-group events at the State New Zealand Ocean Kids series that have taken place throughout the country this summer.

The camp organisers select 30 swimmers each year in the 6-10 age bracket to take part. They are mentored for three days by some of New Zealand's best swimmers and coaches.

The aim of the camp is to connect children with their swimming heroes and provide expert tuition to inspire them to be their best. It also provides the elite swimmers an opportunity to give something back to their sport by working with children to enhance their skills and confidence in the pool and the ocean.

This year elite swimmers Kane Radford, Emma Robinson, Charlotte Webby and Nathan Capp will provide guidance to the youngsters.

Radford is the New Zealand No1 open-water swimmer. Robinson competed for New Zealand at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Rick Wells will also be involved in the coaching sessions, as he has been the previous two years. Wells swam for New Zealand for a number of years and also won a gold medal in triathlon at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

One of the young swimmers chosen to take part is Auckland's Jack Dempsey. Jack is 9 years old and attends St Heliers School. He gained entry to the camp by winning the State Ocean Kids event in Wellington this year. He also attended the camp last year, having won the Takapuna King of the Bays kids race.

Jack has been swimming since he was 4. He can't wait to attend another camp.

"They teach us technique," he says. "We had Moss Burmester last year and he taught us butterfly, and we had Melissa Ingram and she taught us some backstroke. And Rick Wells taught us freestyle."

Jack's father, Stephen, says his son has always been an avid swimmer.

"He absolutely loves [it], loves competing. I can't keep him out of the water," he says.

Jack trains at the Parnell club and says he prefers open-water swimming to pool swimming.

"The ocean [is] a lot more challenging, and I like challenging things."

Scott Rice, the organiser of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim series, says the training camp is a great way to develop new talent.

"We're really grateful to Jetstar for making this camp possible," he says. "It's a fantastic initiative designed to nurture young swimming talent from across New Zealand.

"As a former representative swimmer I know from personal experience how important those early training years are for developing not just skills but self-confidence."

What: Jetstar Super Swim Squad
When: April 25-April 27
Who: Kids aged 6-10 who have won age-group events in the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series.