Selwyn Times: August 01, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday August 1 2017 5
swimming star
How did you get into
swimming and how long have
you been doing it now?
I first started swimming when
I was six months old. Mum and I
did the mother/baby lessons and
I first started competitive swimming
when I was 10-years-old.
Where you always successful
from day one?
No. It’s been a big learning process,
I started off at the bottom of
the rankings when I was younger
and I’ve just slowly started working
my way up. Hopefully I can
keep progressing forward.
Was there a point when
you realised swimming was
something you wanted to take
quite seriously?
In 2012 I was also doing
rhythmic gymnastics and I went
to nationals and won gold for
my age group. I also went to the
national junior champs that year
and won gold there as well. After
that I realised I just wanted to
do swimming and make that my
career.
What keeps you busy outside
of swimming?
It’s just swimming really. I
wake up in the morning, go to
training, go to school, come
home, go to training and then it’s
nearly bed time by the time I’m
WILD WEATHER: Bates and a
teammate stand on the beach
as a storm approaches. Thunderstorms
and an outdoor
pool caused some races to be
postponed in the Bahamas.
home at night.
How does that work for
having a social life?
My friends are amazing.
They’re really understanding,
they know I can’t be out late at
night because I’ve got to go to
training the next day. It is hard,
especially with getting older now
and a lot of people are wanting to
go out late at night and having to
say no all the time. I think after
school is done I will be able to
have more of a social life.
Do experiences like the
Commonwealth Youth Games
make it worth it?
Definitely. I’ve made so many
new friends from going there and
I know that swimming is going to
make me plenty of good friends
in the future.
What are the plans going
forward?
I will be going to the Commonwealth
Games trials in December.
Next year is Junior Pan Pacific
Championships which are in Fiji
and Oceania Championships in
Papua New Guinea. Beyond that
I’m looking at the 2020 Tokyo
Olympics, but that may not happen
because I’ll only be 20 by
then.
You train at the Selwyn
Aquatic Centre, has that made
life easier being closer to Lincoln?
Yes. I used to commute to
Jelly Park every day and then
when the Selwyn Aquatic Centre
opened it was a no-brainer to go
there. It’s only a 10min drive to
the pool now rather than what
would normally be a 20min drive
into town, plus traffic.
$100k for Maddie
•From page 1
“It was a fantastic night and it
was great because everybody got
to laugh,” she said.
The auction items included
two dinners with politicians,
which raised $10,000 each –
pre-dinner drinks with Prime
Minister Bill English before a
dinner with Selwyn MP Amy
Adams and a dinner with Winston
Peters.
Radio and television personality
Gary McCormick, former
All Black Andrew Mehrtens,
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt
and actors Blair Strang and
Shane Cortese made up a lineup
of personalities who took
part in a light-hearted debate to
support the evening.
The debate was over why Mr
Shadbolt should or shouldn’t be
prime minister.
Maddie was presented on the
night with a $10,000 cheque
from The Lamar Charitable
Trust.
Two pillowcases sewn by
Maddie as a fundraiser, which
she usually sells for $20, were
auctioned for $2000 on the
night.
The pillowcases also caught
the attention of the management
team at the new Novotel
Christchurch Airport, which is
set to open early next year, and
they offered to buy 200 of them.
Hotel general manager Olivier
Lacoua said he planned to give
the pillowcases as a gift to the
hotel’s corporate clients, along
with a card explaining Maddie’s
story and linking to her fundraising
pages.
He said his team was
impressed Maddie was not
just asking for money, but had
created something unique to
sell.
“The main thing is supporting
a local girl. We are more than
happy to assist as part of
the community, all working
together to hopefully help her to
get treatment,” he said.
Mrs Manson-Collins said she
was confident enough money
would be raised to get Maddie
the treatment.
Organiser Joanne McMaster
said the fundraiser was amazing
and there was so many people
who got behind the evening.
“This little girl just touches
you, when you meet her . . . it
is really daunting to think they
have to raise $750,000,” Miss
McMaster said.
•To help Maddie get
treatment go to https://
givealittle.co.nz/cause/
givethegiftoflifetomaddie
Further
REDUCTIONS
in Rosalie’s
WINTER SALE
ON NOW
Want to learn about
Selwyn’s freshwater?
Christchurch Casino
Golden Oldies Sports Celebration
1 - 29 April, 2018
Come along to one of our
seminars at Lincoln University.
Hosted by Selwyn Waihora Zone Committee. Moderated by Sue Jarvis, Lincoln University.
DATE TOPIC PRESENTERS
Thurs 03 Aug
12pm and 7.30pm
Thurs 17 Aug
12pm and 7.30pm
Thurs 31 Aug
12pm and 7.30pm
Thurs 14 Sep
12pm and 7.30pm
Te Waihora/
Lake Ellesmere
CPW
(Central Plains Water)
Farming to limits
in Selwyn
A first step... what more
needs to be done.
Tim Davie - Environment Canterbury
David Perenara-O’Connell - Taumutu Rūnanga
Susan Goodfellow - CPW
Ron Pellow - South Island Dairy Development Centre
David Birkett - Foundation for Arable Research
Panel discussion
Enter
On Line
Now!
Cricket Basketball Softball Football Rugby Squash Netball
Hockey Golf Lawn Bowls • For The Love Of The Game
www.christchurchgoldenoldies.com
Lunchtime seminars: Held in the D6 lecture room (Landscape Building) from 12pm to 12.50pm.
Evening seminars: Held in the S1 lecture room (Stewart Building) from 7.30pm to 9pm.
For more information find us at
facebook.com/canterburywater