Six young, sensational swimmers from Aitutaki will be making history as the first to represent their small island paradise overseas on the international stage.

This weekend, the swimmers will be travelling to the Gold Coast, Australia, to compete in the School Sports Australia Aquatics competition (10 – 19 years) from July 24 – 27, 2024.

Swimmers from every state in Australia will be participating in the event as well as teams from Fiji and the Cook Islands.

Six Aitutaki swimmers, aged 10 to 12 years, are the representing the country. They are Anacleto Leone, Filipo Fa’aoso, Katiana Meti, Obeda Mataiti, Dawson Ruamoana and Mano Mahitu. They will be joined by Rarotonga-based swimmers Liana Chan, Emaraina Puni, and Maeva Taliulu before all nine depart Rarotonga on Sunday morning for the Gold Coast.

For the past 10 weeks, the Aitutaki swimmers have been training five times a week, in the lagoon, the gym, and in whatever pool they could find.

Coach Dani Adendorff said: “With no public pool on the island, we had to call on the community to find a private pool that the kids could utilise to learn critical skills including how to dive and tumble-tur.”

“Paul Henry and Mereana Warwick and family kindly offered their pools for their training, and we are so grateful for their generosity and support.”

To ensure the children had the best possible foundational fitness, their training programme included two sessions a week in the FuncFit gym, working on swimming-specific training to improve their strength and speed in the water.

Adendorff said the swimmers have had fun showing off their newfound strength in the gym with pull-up competitions and planking challenges between themselves.

“It’s been amazing to see their progress in just a few short weeks – from not being able to do a single pull up, to being able to pump out 10,” she said.

The Aitutaki swimming sensations’ inspiring story started in April this year when Adendorff brought 12 children from the Aitutaki Oe Vaka Club to Rarotonga for the Cook Islands Aquatic Federation’s (CIAF) annual Kau School Swimming Competition.

Against all odds and with only two weeks of training, the talented Aitutaki swimming team challenged expectations, taking home a collection of 11 well-deserved medals.

With no funding to support this upcoming trip, the families of the swimmers took it upon themselves to rally the support of the community.

“If this experience has taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible with the support of the Aitutaki community,” said Adendorff.

She said they have been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of fellow Aitutakians, both locally and internationally, as well as visitors.

With the support of Air Rarotonga and Paradise Islands, fundraising efforts included a dinner cruise onboard Vaka Titi-Ai-Tonga as well as “a very impressive feat” on behalf of the children, completing a 6km tag team style swim from motu Akaiami to O’otu.

“The Motu to O’otu Swim Challenge was an amazing experience not only for the kids but also for their families … and the support from the community was simply incredible,” Adendorff said.

“I hope this is a story that these kids will share with their children one day.”

During the motu swim, the Aitutaki Oe Vaka Club followed the children on their canoes. Titi-Ai-Tonga trailed behind, carrying 40 family members. Two safety boats, including the team from T’s Tours, assisted with the tag team efforts, picking up and dropping kids into the water.

“The highlight of the day was seeing the parents jumping in with the kids to swim the final 200m together to the beach. It was a special moment that I and many others will cherish for sure,” said Adendorff.

She says looking back on the past 12 weeks has proven that it’s not only about the destination and the goal but the journey itself, which has been so special.

“It has brought this community closer. I truly believe we are breaking boundaries with these little swimmers, we are showing our community that anything is possible with a vision and hard work.”

Feedback from parents regarding their children’s development outside of swim training has also been positive, says Adendorff.

She said parents have remarked on how their children’s self-confidence and discipline in school have improved over the past few weeks after receiving very positive feedback from their teachers.

“This proves the significance of sport in the lives of our youth. It’s the best way I know how to contribute to our community, and I believe it really plays a huge part in a child’s development, especially when it comes to teaching them discipline and commitment, as well as building character and resilience.

“I am beyond proud of what these brave little swimmers have achieved in such a short space of time.”

Following the Gold Coast event, Adendorff said more local swimming programmes would be introduced to ensure the talent on the island continues to be developed. 

Adendorff would like to extend a huge meitaki atupaka to the parents for the hours of commitment and support they have dedicated to their children, the community of Aitutaki for their incredible support, Colette Clark – administration superstar, CIAF’s Kieran and Leslie Chan, and everyone who has contributed to their cause.

If you would like to show your support for the young Aitutaki swimmers, you can donate via their Givealittle page, which can be found via this link: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-aitutaki-aquatics-club-compete-in-australia.