Friends' swim wager ends in masters berth

BY LOGAN SAVORY

When Auckland-based Jared Stockman challenged his business partner Wayne Evans to a breaststroke race last year, never could he have known what would eventuate.

Over a few beers Stockman – who hasn't swum competitively since he was 10 – challenged Evans, who is a successful masters swimmer on the world stage, to a race.

As the swimming banter flowed as quickly as the beer, another Finance Now associate, Bruce Waddel, chimed in, saying he, too, was ready to have a crack in the pool despite also not swimming since he was a child.

The trio pencilled in a date, which was tonight in Invercargill at the New Zealand masters swimming championships, where they will test their swimming skills in the competitive arena.

The rivalry has since been put to one side as they have now opted in good spirit to instead band together to form a relay team for the championships.

They have called on Invercargill's Phil Tomlins to be the fourth member of the team.

While Evans and Tomlins are strong in the pool, for the other duo it has been a long nine or so months' training to ensure they could at least compete at the Invercargill event.

"When I first came down here (to the pool) I did one length and had to stop. After eight lengths I was dry retching, I was that stuffed," Waddel told The Southland Times yesterday.

"Now I come down four times a week at lunchtime and do one and a half (kilometres), which is 60 (25m) lengths."

Waddel's flirt with masters swimming has also had a major impact on his lifestyle.

He has lost a whopping 22kg in nine months and, whatever the results in the pool during the national championships at Splash Palace this weekend, Waddel and Stockman's efforts to get themselves up to speed with Evans and Tomlins must be commended.

The Foveaux men's relay team will make up four of the 116 competitors who will take part in the New Zealand masters championships, which start at 6 tonight.

Two sessions will also be held tomorrow, with the first starting at 8am and the second at 3pm.

Among the competitors is 92- year-old Kath Johnson from North Shore, who has endured all the freestyle events, including the 1500m race.

Another notable entrant is John van Leeuwen, who in 1963 become the first person to swim Foveaux Strait.

van Leeuwen will compete in the 75-to-79-year age group.

This is the first time since 2000 that Invercargill has hosted the New Zealand masters swimming championships.

- © Fairfax NZ News