Bartlett named as national coach

Former Australian representative Scott Bartlett has been named as Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s new national coach.
The 34-year-old, who now lives in Mount Maunganui, has been the assistant coach of the New Zealand team for the last four years, and takes the reins from John Bryant, who has stepped down after six years in charge.
Bartlett will be assisted in his new role by former ironman champion Cory Hutchings, and will oversee the campaign through until the 2010 world championships in Britain.
“I’m pretty excited with the opportunity and I’m really looking forward to the next two years,” Bartlett said.
“I’ve had worlds experience as a competitor but having two campaigns as an assistant coach has really prepared me well for the step up.”
New Zealand has finished second to Australia at the last two world championships, overwhelmed on the beach at Rescue ’08 in Germany in July after taking in a big lead from the pool events.
Bartlett, who is also the resident coach at Bay of Plenty’s Omanu Surf Club, has targeted the technical side of the beach events as a major focus for his tenure.
“We’ve just got to make sure we’re strong enough on the beach to go up against the Aussies – we’ve already showed we’re stronger than them in the pool.”
Hutchings, who won 11 New Zealand and three world ironman championships in a glittering career, has been coaching at Gisborne’s Midway club for the past two seasons and Bartlett is looking forward to a strong partnership.
“Cory comes with a big reputation and a huge amount of respect from everyone involved in the sport and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
SLSNZ’s high performance manager Alex Chiet praised outgoing coach John Bryant, crediting him with injecting a new professionalism into the national coach role, and was confident Bartlett had absorbed all he could as assistant.
“Scott’s appointment gives valuable continuity to the role and ensures that the knowledge and skills he and John have developed over the last four years won’t be lost,” Chiet said.
Bartlett and his selectors, who will be confirmed early in the new year, will identify a high performance squad and a New Zealand team to go to July’s World Games in Taiwan after the national championships in March.