Comet & Try

Nothing but good times, all the time at Comet Swim Club race night.

Recently, the Comet Swimming Club from Hawkes Bay hosted a fun race night. The night lasted 70 minutes, with race options consisting of 25m, 50m and relays. 38 swimmers took part, with 13 of them showing up on the night and wanting to give it a go. For 95% of the participants, it was their first experience of racing in the pool – an awesome turnout!

It was a whole club affair, with older swimmers helping as timekeepers and a couple of officials to help the get the races underway. There were spot prizes on offer, such as lollipops and ice cream vouchers, so there was of fun jam packed into the short and sharp race night.

Comet’s head coach, Glenn Hamblyn, was stoked with how the race night played out. “It was a simple idea and execution. We had some awesome organisers helping to make the whole night run smoothly. Was a team effort from our club. The pool was busy with kids and heaps of supporters who came to watch.”

Glenn noted that it was a relaxed environment as far as encouraging swimmers to swim. Some were hesitant so the swimmers were given a chance to go in the next event when they were ready, and some kids couldn’t get enough so they jumped in a spare lane in extra races.

After the successful night, the club intends to run a similar race night every term. With the new Gisborne pool on the way and the new pool in Hastings nearly completed, it’s a great opportunity for the community in Hawkes Bay to head down to the local pool and swim club to get involved. Well done to the Comet Swimming Club and to those swimmers who came down and enjoyed their first racing opportunity.

It’s great to hear of these fun racing opportunities held around the country. Whether you are hosting the race night for existing members, or a way to welcome those who are keen to have a go, we love hearing about these positive stories to help encourage more people swimming more often.

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