Newsletter 2015/8
COACHES NEWS
TERM 3
Hi everyone
Star Testing –Saturday 15th August: - Remember to wear black togs and white cap on the day
please, all jewellery and nail polish needs to be removed. Stars will be awarded at the AGM and
prize giving on 12th December 2015. (please note date change of Prize giving/AGM). Thank you to
Bronwyn Stackpole and Vicky Toohey for judging our Stars.
Rose Stackpole Makes Olmpic Team! Rose swam at North Harbour for many years until recently
when she moved to Australia to join their National team. We are so proud of her achievements and
are delighted with the announcement that she has been named as one of the Australian Team who
will compete at the Rio Olympics next year, following their success at the Synchro World Champs in
Russia last month. We are hopeful Rose will come to see us when she is home for a visit.
Seven of our swimmers will be representing the club at the Hancock Prospecting Commonwealth
Synchro Festival in Perth, Australia in the first week of September. This is an international age group
competition which has attracted entries from the UK, Scotland, Australia, Malta, Canada, The
Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa. This will be a great opportunity for our
girls to compete against swimmers from all over the world and to experience the atmosphere of a
large synchro tournament. For some of our girls it will be their first international competition - our
12U team, Amber, Josie, Nina and Neve, have entered the team and duet events and will hopefully
come away with some good insight into the sport. Other more senior swimmers, Luci (13-15) and
Shelby (16-18), have competed internationally at Oceania’s but swimming a solo on an international
"stage" will be new to them too. Katie McDougall is our most experienced swimmer with both
Oceania Champs and World Champs experience; she will be swimming free and tech solos, and a
duet with Luci in the 16-18 category. The club wishes them well, and thanks the parents for their
staunch support and fundraising efforts to make this trip possible. If you have not already bought
tickets for Project Perth on Sunday 16th August it’s not too late! Tickets are available on the door!
All proceeds help these swimmers get to Perth and there are some great prizes to be won!
Vast Interior, 131 Wairau Road
Time: 4-6pm
Tickets $20
Thanks for your support.
Westwave Display Event: 13th September 2015: Dolphins will have their hair gelled and make up
but all other swimmers will wear a white cap and their routine togs. Please can Dolphins arrive at
8.00am with clean hair tied in a high ponytail for buns and gelling. Mums please come to watch!
More details will be advised closer to the time.
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Nationals: The committee has been working very hard this year applying for funding to reduce our
costs for Nationals. We are delighted to let you know that we have received FULL funding for our
flights, accommodation, food and transport while we are in Dunedin (a saving of approximately $910
per swimmer)! This is a highly unusual situation and we may never have this again, but we are
extremely grateful for the grants we have received from Four Winds, The Lion Foundation and
Youthtown. There will be costs for photography, personal entry costs and new club T shirts (see first
draft attached), but these costs are minimal compared to what has been funded. Thank you to the
Committee for taking this on for all families. Once the entry costs have been finalised we will confirm
the total owing. If you have paid your deposit there may be a credit on your account which will be
applied to Term 4. 
Welcome: Emma-Leigh Winkel used to swim with North Harbour and we are delighted to welcome
her back as a Junior Coach in training to help with Beginners and Dolphins. Lovely to have you back!
Extra Figures Sessions: Well done to all the girls who have made the extra figures sessions the club
has arranged to focus on this important area. You will see the fruits of your labour and your whole
team will benefit from your personal figures improvements when we get to Nationals, so well done!
NOTICES
and exciting experienes to share with our
senior swimmers.
Opening of National Aquatic Centre, 1st
August 2015 – Thanks to the swimmers who
represented North Harbour at this event.
Spectators were very impressed and all
swimmers received a letter of thanks from the
CEO of the Millennium Institute.
New committee members: The
administration of our club runs solely because
of parents volunteering their time. Synchro is
a relatively niche sport and in NZ, government
funding to support this code’s infrastructure is
extremely limited compared to other sports
which receive a large amount of financial
support.
New and returning faces - Welcome to new
beginner swimmers Maria Lee and Sianna
Palmeri who have recently joined North
Harbour. We are also delighted to see JiaoJiao returning and Amy Lim who swam in our
13/14/15 team previously.
Rosie Barrington (aged 20) is
training with our Junior team for
a few weeks whilst she is in NZ
doing her placement as part of
her physiotherapy degree. She
normally swims with her team in
Leeds and has swum with the
British team, so brings some fresh
If you are interested in joining the Committee
next year we would welcome you. It’s a
friendly group and it’s extremely rewarding
seeing the development of our swimmers
through this amazing sport, and growth of our
club. We’re also increasingly working with
clubs around the country to make new
opportunities available to all ages and
experinece levels of our Club and would
welcome help and fresh eyes!
New Club T Shirts: It’s high time we replaced
the old white T Shirts that swimmers wear
travelling to and from competitions and to
practices at competitions. Attached are two
design options for you to submit your
feedback on by Friday 14th August please. All
swimmers will receive a T Shirt and a singlet
which is a compulsory part of the club
uniform.
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Nationals Merchandise – Please find attached
the order sheet for Nationals merchandise.
This is NOT compulsory. Please look at it even
if you are not going to Nationals as there is a
synchro branded water bottle that may be a
nice gift idea for Christmas! Orders need to be
placed by 21 August 2015.
Hayley Fraser-Mackenzie, Marketing/Fund
raising - 021 1364284
Tineke Waters
Lynne Bessell
IMPORTANT DATES
15 August – Star Testing at Glenfield Pools
1-6 September – Hancock Prospecting
Commonwealth Synchro Festival, Perth
Australia
13 September - 9am – noon. Club Display
Event -.
1-4 October– Nationals in Dunedin
7 & 8 October – Training Session with New
Caledonia
5th December - muffin morning for all
swimmers after training at Westfield Mall
Food Court
12 December – AGM & Prize giving
February 2016 - Whole Club training Camp
OTHER RELEVANT INFO
Encourage a friend to try Synchro: Remember
all BOYS & girls over 7 years, who can swim at
least 25m are welcome to come and give
synchro a try on a Saturday morning from 8 9.30am. 2 Free trial Sessions!
COMMITTEE CONTACTS
Kat Wells, Chairperson & Coach liaison - 021
02356106
Karen Brothers, Secretary - 021 0389725
Julia Velijanskaia, Treasurer - 021 129 5629
Feng Goldthorpe Beginners - 021 1409236
Louise Riddell - Pool Bookings, Uniforms
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