Quesnel’s Waveriders Swim Club members attended a meet in Kelowna Jan. 19-21, with many coming in the top 20 in their categories, as well as making personal best (PB) times.
The swimmers competed in a 50-metre pool, making it a long-course meet; however, the Waveriders’ long-course season had not yet started. Their entry times were therefore converted from their past short-course times, explains Waveriders vice president Linda Currie.
“This made it difficult for swimmers to get personal best times – but as you can see from the results, they did very well,” she says.
Seven Quesnel swimmers competed in the Okanagan meet: three girls and four boys between the ages of 11 and 17.
Girls
Chloe Hopton, 11, placed in the top five swimmers in seven of her events.
She earned a gold medal in 100-metre freestyle; silver in both 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre butterfly; and bronze in 200-metre freestyle.
Chloe also qualified for Tier 1 provincials in the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle and 200-metre individual medley races.
Gavin Currie, 12, came in the top 20 in five of her events over the weekend, and made five PBs.
She qualified for the ‘B’ final in 100-metre freestyle, where she ranked 15th, as well as the ‘B’ final for 100-metre breaststroke, in which she placed 14th.
Gavin also came 11th in the timed final of the 50-metre breaststroke.
Grace Currie, 14, ranked in the top 20 in seven of her events, achieving four PBs.
She made it to the ‘B’ final in 100-metre freestyle, to come in 15th.
In the 200-metre backstroke ‘A’ final, she placed seventh.
Grace also competed in the 1,500-metre freestyle race for the first time, placing 12th overall.
Boys
Twelve-year-old Luca Armstrong placed in the top 10 swimmers in all of his events, making four PBs.
In the finals, he came fifth in the 200-metre butterfly; sixth in 50-metre breaststroke; and seventh in 50-metre backstroke; 100-metre backstroke; and 50-metre butterfly.
Additionally, he qualified for Tier 1 provincials in 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre breaststroke and 200-metre breaststroke. He also qualified in the 200-metre butterfly, in his first time swimming this event competitively.
Seth Reddemann, 14, placed in the top 18 in all of his events, and made PBs in every race.
He came sixth in 50-metre breaststroke; seventh in 50-metre backstroke; and eighth in 50-metre butterfly.
Billy Swyers, 14, was in the top 12 swimmers in his events.
He won a bronze medal in the 50-metre breaststroke for his age category. He also placed sixth in 50-metre backstroke and 50-metre butterfly, and seventh in 100-metre freestyle.
And 17-year-old Garnet Currie placed in the top eight in all of his events, achieving six PBs.
He earned silver in the 50-metre breaststroke and 100-metre butterfly; and bronze in both the 100- and 200-metre breaststroke races.
Garnet qualified for Tier II provincials in 50-metre breaststroke.
“Most of these swimmers were on the bottom end of their age categories, and although this was a challenge, they represented very well,” comments Waveriders board member Linda.
This weekend (Jan. 27-28), the Waveriders will attend a meet in Williams Lake, swimming in the city’s new pool at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
In mid-February, the club will host a meet in Quesnel.