For the 30th Year in a row Kiwi West Aquatics have won the Harkness Cup and title of Manawatu’s Premier Swimming Club.  This year at the Manawatu Summer Open Champs numbers were down on previous years with just over half the competitors in attendance at the Manawatu Age group champs very few swimmers from outside the region.

Kiwi West dominated the Manawatu Age Groups earlier this year gaining more points than the next three clubs combined.  Kiwi West gained almost double the points of the next closest club at the Manawatu Open Championships.

The closest Kiwi West have come to losing the the title was a few years back when most of the clubs top squad of swimmers joined rival club Ice Breakers.  Ice Breakers already had a formidable team but with the addition of swimmers from Kiwi’s  senior squads Ice Breakers would have the advantage.

Back then the the Manawatu Open Champs was held in early January and the Manawatu Age group Champs were held in the first week of February.  Kiwi had placed second at the Manawatu Opens behind Ice Breakers who were in the lead for the first time.

Going into the Manawatu Age Groups Kiwi West Aquatics were the under-dogs for that year, unfortunately for Ice Breakers Kiwi West came with a lot more swimmers than everyone else who were a leaner and meaner team.  Kiwi struggled in the open events but dominated in the Age group events and ended up winning the Premier Cup title by only a couple of points.

Kiwi West Aquatics owes its success to the Nicholls Swim Academy and professional coaches Trevor and Andrew Nicholls.  Kiwi West have not always had the best swimmers or the most swimmers but we have always had the best swimming program.  30 years of winning is proof of that