Tasman Gold Masters Swim Club is hosting the South Island Short Course Championships in October 2010 in the Nelson area and we are pleased to see the entries coming in – from Invercargill to Northland. You can enter here for one of the key events on the 2010 Masters calendar. The organising committee have investigated some of the best accommodation options in Nelson, and have an exciting social programme organised. Plus if you register early, you can be in to win one of the early bird prizes.

The Hamilton Masters Swimming Club is organising its annual Mid-Winter Christmas meet on Saturday, June 19, at Waterworld. This pool competition is a good way for swimmers to prepare themselves psychologically for the 2011 New Zealand Long Course Masters Swimming Championships, which will be held at the same long-course venue. Competitors will be able to check out the facilities and practise starts and turns in the 50m pool in advance of their bids for national titles.

The June 19 competition is also a good way to fight off the mid-winter blues for those who struggle up and down the pool for health or fitness reasons, rather than hibernating during colder months.

After the presentations, the day will end with a Christmas-style meal underneath the grandstand.The entry form for the Mid-Winter meet is available here. Entries close on Queen’s Birthday, Monday, June 7.

Competitors in the Five Bridges River Swim in the Waikato River, on Sunday, April 11, will view a wide range of huge Hamilton bridges from underneath during their 6km journey from Hamilton Gardens to Ann Street Reserve.

Hamilton has been chosen as the venue for the 2011 New Zealand Long Course Masters Swimming Championships. The dates are Friday, March 25, to Sunday, March 27, in the 50m pool at Waterworld. For more details read on.