The Alexandra Pool will be hosting New Zealand’s first pool-based ice swimming championships, which start this weekend.
The 2022 Aotearoa NZ Ice National Championships will run from Sunday until Tuesday (17-19 July 2022) and will be held in the Alexandra outdoor pool at Molyneux Park.
There have been ice swims done in New Zealand before, but this will be the first national ice swimming pool championship, with 22 swimmers expected from throughout the country.
Central Otago District Council Aquatics Manager Carly Getson was excited that the Alexandra Pool would be hosting such a unique event, which will be run under International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) rules.
“It’s something so different and new. It's amazing to see the outdoor pool being utilised in the winter and we’re looking forward to seeing all the planning come together.”
Aotearoa NZ Ice National Championships Event Organiser Susan Sherwen said it would be a groundbreaking event for the sport.
“Over half of the competitors are new to ice swimming. Some are a bit nervous, all are excited to challenge themselves. We will be setting new New Zealand records, as it’s the first one and there are no records yet, and there is a possibility of some world records being broken.”
The Alexandra Pool was an easy choice, she said.
“I googled the coldest town in NZ and found Ophir, then looked for pools close to there and thought the Alexandra pool looked like the best one to meet our needs. Accommodation, pool temperature, having the indoor pool facilities around, is definitely a bonus for enabling the warmup process.”
Ice swimming in New Zealand is very new. Up until last year there were only a handful of New Zealanders who had participated in the sport, most of them based overseas.
In July 2021, 12 swimmers and seven support crew went to Lake Lyndon in Canterbury where a successful event was staged, with swimmers in the 500metre, 1000m (to qualify for the 1000m, you need to have done a 500m swim), and ice mile. Water temperature was 3 - 5 degrees Celsius. Events are run under strict rules which include:
- All participants must have a medical examination and an ECG done prior to the event (this is submitted and checked by the chief medic and the event organiser – any medical conditions are noted, and extra care is taken with those swimmers).
- Age for relays, 100m, 250m and 500m; minimum of 16 years on date of swim.
- Parents or legal guardian approval required.
- Age for 1000m; minimum age of 18 years on date of the swim.
There will be a crew of 12 non-swimming volunteers for
safety (including two medics) and for timekeeping etc.
Sessions start at 9am and 1pm on Sunday and Monday and 9am on Tuesday finishing with relays, followed by prize giving and crowning of ice king and queen, and shared lunch.
Spectators welcome but parents would need to be in control of their children, for obvious reasons.
