Vikings Swim Club
Training for Competition
Kings Swim School to Vikings Swim Club
Your Pathway to Competitive Swimming
For swimmers in Level 9 & SwimFit at Kings Swim School who are ready to take the next step into competitive swimming, Vikings Swim Club provides a pathway to continue developing their skills and experience swimming as part of a competitive team.
Vikings Swim Club works alongside Kings Swim School, offering Junior through to Senior Squads and opportunities for swimmers to progress from learn-to-swim into competitive swimming.
Training focuses on developing strong technique, refining all four strokes, building endurance and improving fitness, confidence and race skills. As swimmers progress, they have opportunities to compete at local, regional, national and international events.
But competitive swimming is about more than winning. Vikings is a close-knit swimming community that values teamwork, camaraderie, personal development and a shared passion for swimming.
How to Join Vikings Swim Club
Is your swimmer interested in taking the next step into competitive swimming?
Vikings Swim Club welcomes swimmers who are keen to develop their skills, challenge themselves and be part of a team.
Come along and give it a try!
All swimmers interested in joining Vikings are welcome to attend a FREE one-week trial. It’s a great opportunity to experience the club, meet the coaches and see if Vikings is the right fit for your swimmer.
Ready to find out more?
For full information about joining, squad options and training times, please visit the Vikings Swim Club website.
You can view the current training schedule on Vikings Swim Club Timetable page.
Alternatively, contact our coaches directly:
George Long – Head Coach: george.l@vikingsswimclub.co.nz
Hannah Sutherland – Assistant Coach: hannah.s@vikingsswimclub.co.nz
They’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you get started.
Please note: Vikings Swim Club is a separate organisation from Kings Swim School. All club membership, training and competitive swimming enquiries are managed directly by Vikings Swim Club.
Meet the Vikings Swim Club Coaches
Vikings Head Coach
– George Long
Transitioning from the Kings Swim Programme, or for children ready to compete, joining the Vikings Squad 3 (Juniors) through to Squad 1 (Seniors) presents swimmers with an unparalleled opportunity to develop their skills and reach their competitive potential.
George Long brings:
- 3 years as Assistant Head Coach at Vikings
- 4 years as a full-time Assistant Head Coach at JASI
- Proven experience developing swimmers across junior through to high-performance squads
George’s coaching philosophy focuses on a well-rounded programme across all strokes, distances, and abilities, combining strong technical development with physical and mental skills. At Vikings, we aim to build not just great swimmers, but great people. Squads are carefully balanced so that every swimmer benefits from targeted coaching, allowing for individual growth while fostering team development.
At Vikings, we focus on more than winning—cultivating well-rounded swimmers within a close-knit community that values strength, camaraderie, competitiveness, and passion.
Vikings Assistant Coach
– Hannah Sutherland
Hannah works alongside George to ensure Vikings has high-quality, experienced coaching at every squad level.
Hannah comes to the club with experience teaching swimmers of all levels, similar to George, and together they will work to ensure every swimmer receives high-quality, targeted coaching across all of our squad levels.
Hannah has been selected to coach the New Zealand Team at the Oceania Championships in Fiji and has also been awarded a full scholarship to complete the World Aquatics International Swimming Coaches’ Certification Course – Youth Coach. She is one of just 20 coaches worldwide chosen for this programme. Hannah will begin at Vikings on Monday 25 May following her return.
Our Vikings swimmers are in very good hands with such a dedicated coaching team, and we’re really grateful for the support and expertise Hannah and George bring to the club.
Vikings Squads
Vikings Swim Club has four squads, with dedicated dryland training sessions also offered to all squads on designated days.
Squad 1 – now has a training on every single day which is just for them, giving seniors some much-needed space and attention for higher intensity, targeted training.
Squad 1.5 – is our new transitional squad, bridging the gap between Squad 2 and Squad 1. Designed specifically for talented younger swimmers, this squad provides a pathway for athletes aged 12 and under who are physically and technically ready for a higher level of training. This structure creates an environment where our emerging junior stars can thrive, develop alongside their peers, and continue building towards senior-level performance.
Squad 2 – will get a mix of trainings with the older and younger kids, allowing those in the squad choice between the ‘harder’ and ‘easier’ option based on their ability. Wednesday morning will be very valuable for a specifically targeted session. Once the assistant coach starts, squad 2 and 3 will be coached independently, but still simultaneous as per the current schedule.
Squad 3 – will get 2 morning options and 3 afternoon options, giving a good mix for those with busy schedules.
Vikings Swim Club – Private Facility Training
Vikings Swim Club is lucky to call Kings Swim School its home, where our pool is designed to stand apart from typical swimming facilities, featuring a central daylight strip for natural light, acoustic control to reduce noise, and full climate regulation for comfort year-round.
Swimmers enjoy a vastly different environment compared to public pools, with highly durable sprung structures and pool tanks, and water systems engineered for superior quality with low chlorine levels thanks to advanced UV filtration.
Key Features:
- New Zealand’s first sprung structure for swimming facilities
- Full HVAC climate control for year-round comfort
- 25m x 13.5m lap pool
- 25m x 4m learn-to-swim pool, heated to 33.5°C
- Lower chlorine levels with UV filtration
- Change cubicles and separate change spaces
- Wheelchair ramp access into the main pool
- Acoustic baffles for a calmer, quieter environment.
- New blocks for drive and swim training have been installed
