NOWSA AGM/PG 2026 Presidents report

Venue: Pasta di Gio, The Strand 530pm
Attendance 17

The members were welcomed and thanked for their support of the club.
On behalf of the club, we thanked and welcomed the coaches, including new coaches Jarad and Kirstine.
There have been new faces join the squads this year and a momentum for masters training. Zola has represented NOWSA again at the Pool Masters Nationals and more members will be joining her at the next comp!

Thank you to Mike Sossenheimer for the amazing work with grants this year, we now have a healthy financial situation and can afford the additional lanes on Monday nights to facilitate more speed categories and better quality training experience.
Thank you Oxford Sports Grants. And thank you Pub Charity for supporting the open water swim event on-water safety which allowed our annual event to go ahead this year!
Also well done Mike on your prowess in swimming freestyle and open water over the last 2 years!! You are an inspiration.

Current membership =41, Squad attendance each session ranges between 12 and 16.

But the main advantage of our club is the social network and support from member to member, NOWSA serves as a platform and fulcrum to bring together swimmers from all ages and backgrounds to swim together, inspire one another and share in adventures together.
These have included The 5-island harbour swim, Paihia to Russell and other ocean series swims, Cathedral Cove and WHOS group swim at Cathedral Cove, the Pool 10x 1000s which earned Zola her 10000m badge, the Masters nationals events, and my own adventure in Gibraltar Strait with Team Sossi , Cam and an old training buddy from England. It just wouldn’t be the same alone!

As special massive thank you to Linda Soss who not only creates a social momentum and cohesion within the club, but keeps the engine and bank account purring, and put together the PG event tonight complete with videos of our adventure in Tarifa!

We broke off to eat a lovely Italian meal and watch the curated video of TArifa and the ( two attempts!) of Sarah swimming Gibraltar Strait with Linda as crew.

AWARDS

We thanked Jarad and Polly with a bottle of wine  for their valued sessions week in week out, improving our technique and fitness to be able to have these adventures. Thanks!
Thanks also to Kirstine who also couldn’t be here tonight for filing the gaps in coaching and I think in the future we will have a session made for you too.We awarded a bottle of wine to Mike Sossenheimer for his outstanding work for the club this year much valued.
Distance awards. I am sure there are more but these are the ones we are aware of this year that are new distance achievements for our members:
Zola MacDonald; 10km
Campbell Moore 10Km- of course he has got his 20km badge and we loved hearing about his 10k estuary adventure in Sweden tonight.
Mike Sossenheimer 5km
Lucille Wilkinson 3km
Dori Gillming 20km
Jessica Poplar 3 and 4km!

Alot happened in Auckland last weekend in the Masters National Swimming Championships and we are beyond proud of NOWSA masters swimmers Zola McDOnald and Izzy Paton on their PBs nd Age group wins!
Zola shaved a massive 18sec off her 400m freestyle PB, and 2s off her 100m free PB, 1m17!! She got AG 2nd. 
Izzy Paton got AG First. 
A Massive club congratulations you two!!
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Well it was worth the wait, after Cyclone Vianu postponed our April swim date, 22 hardy swimmers stuck with us and took on the Parua Bay swim on May 9th in glorious sunshine. It was glassy and sheltered in Wharf Road bay which belied the breezy kiteone corner but everyone finished with smiles to a cosy group debrief and feed.
There was great feedback about Leonard Mead and his lifesavers supporting today.

Well done Brian Caulton and Maya Raven first man and woman in the 5km swim and Tony Lenz and Joanne Pattison first man and woman in the 3km swim which earned them a NurtureMe massage or NOWSA towel, as well as our Zola who smashed the 1km swim.

Members caps will be available from next week. 
Training squads continue Mondays and Wednesdays 630pm, guest coach Jarad is taking this Monday and Polly continues Wednesdays.

A big thank you to our sponsors Pub Charity, Northland Waste, and NurtureMe. And an even bigger thank you to our on shore helpers Kim Begbie, Joanne Pattison, Dori Gilming, and Zola MacDonald and "backstage" Mike and Linda Sossenheimer.

Good luck to Zola and Izzy who are representing NOWSA Masters at the nationals next weekend!
See you in the sea or pool soon, thanks for supporting your local club!

Here are some moments from the day.....
Happy swimming!
Sarah!

RESULTS 
1Km
Zola MacDonald 19m22s
Mike Gillming 22m41s
Donne Eley 28m31s
Joy Sutton 29m27s


3km
Tony Lenz 59m36
Joanne Pattison 1h00
​Debbie Waldin 1h03
Janine Pickens 1h20
Sue Henderson 1h28
Christine Lambert 1h28
Ollie Irwin 1h30


5km
Brian Caulton 1h28.31
Maya Raven 1h31.59
Christian Weiser 1h36
Grace Haack    1h38
Tahlia Spink  1h40
Corinne Fowler 1h51
Tony Genefaas 1h52
Craig Liddell 1h52
Cristiano 1h56
Rachel Keene 2h04
Dori Gillming 2h22

What a lovely excuse to get some FaceTime on dry land! Thank you again to our members and committee for making it all happen, now in our ninth year!
This year we branched out into pool masters competitions and welcomed Polly Barach as new coach on Wednesdays to add to the lovely Claudia Ashby on Mondays.
It was lovely see old faces rejoining and new ones too.
Congratulations to Linda Sossenheimer on her 10,000 metres distance award, Bee Hauffe on her 5,000 and 15,000metres award , and to Zola Macdonald who took home this year's NOWSA Swimmer of the Year award for her resilience and second age group achievement in the NZ national masters championship, but also for the camaraderie and entertainment she provides to us all in the squads!! Well deserved, Zola. You will be added to the NOWSA hall of fame!

Kia Ora!
Come join us at the 2025 AGM and prizegiving at Kai Toi on Dent Street, Saturday September 27th at 10am.
Brunch will be provided for those who RSVP to the club email address before September 18th.
If you are a club member and have earned a NOWSA distance award please also notify this.
[email protected]

Congratulations to Zola McDonald!
Zola has been working hard in Swell "Lane 2" and plugging away at strength sessions to manage some old injuries, and all that paid off this weekend at the Masters National Competition 2 day event in Auckland.
Zola aced the starting blocks dive, embraced events out of her comfort zone, and came away with 3 personal bests, and 2nd overall in her age group.
We are super stoked for Zola and her gorgeous medal! Well done Zola you did yourself and NOWSA proud. You are a true inspiration.
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