Gary Hurring Looking to Reboot New Zealand Swimming

Photo Courtesy: BW Media

By Dave Crampton

Swimming New Zealand’s new national talent identification and development coach, Gary Hurring, now has a dual focus.

He is not only identifying youth talent, he will be the head coach of the New Zealand team at the world champs in Russia in August.

“I’ve just been asked to be the world champs coach – and only two swimmers are based in New Zealand,” he says.

He aims to develop a team culture from afar in preparation for the champs.

He helped set up the Capital Swimming Club, where he was head coach for 22 years, and head coach of the Wellington Regional Performance Centre, in New Zealand’s capital city. His position was restructured in December when the centre closed due to lack of money.

His development role – a newly-created position – focuses on working with regions, clubs and coaches on development pathways for talented youth.

He said as a young coach he was left to his own devices in developing young swimmers to the best of his ability.

“I often wished there was someone in a guiding role that I could ask for advice and provide processes and data to more accurately plot that development. I hope I can play that sort of role to other coaches and young swimmers.”

No-one will ever know if Hurring, a top backstroker, could’ve been an Olympic medallist in 1980 because of the Moscow boycott. He had already won Commonwealth Games gold medal and a world championship medal.

His parents, Lincoln and Jean, were both Olympic swimmers, with Jean winning an Olympic backstroke medal in 1952.

One aspect of Hurring’s new role is encouragement and passing his knowledge to other coaches.

“I actually like giving back information – it’s great that younger coaches come and ask me questions,” he says.

He also enjoys working with younger teens, and recently took a New Zealand team to Australia where they performed well amongst swimmers of a higher level, setting national and regional age-grade records. Many have improved their times since.

“I find that younger swimmers are very moldable and very adaptable,” he says. “There’s not so much pressure.”

His challenge now is to help produce a new batch of New Zealand swimming champions.

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