The Quesnel Waveriders Swim Club held its fourth annual Gold Pan Meet over the weekend (Feb. 17-18) at the Quesnel & District Arts and Recreation Centre.
Swimmers from Quesnel, Prince George and Williams Lake swarmed the empty smaller pool at the Rec Centre, with teams setting up spots to wait for their races. Parents and friends lined the spectator benches at the far end of the 25-metre pool, ready to cheer on their loved ones.
The meet drew just over 100 swimmers in total: around 45 from Prince George, almost 20 from Williams Lake and almost 40 from Quesnel. Swimmers competed in categories including 10 and under boys and girls; 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls; and 13 and over boys and girls.
Waverider member Luca Armstrong, 12, said he was enjoying the advantage of competing in his home pool.
“We know how we like to swim in this pool; and it’s just easier, we can go home and sleep in our own beds,” he commented.
Luca placed first in five of his events and second in three others.
Waverider coach Jeritt Brink was pleased with the turnout and with his club’s commitment.
“We have a few swimmers [including Alexis Anderson, 11; Pia Lagah, 10; and Lexi Schweitzer, seven] who only joined the club a few weeks ago and they are swimming in a few events, so they are doing really well,” he said.
Quesnel’s meet included races for all age categories for events including freestyle swim, individual medley (IM), breaststroke, backstroke and a relay.
All attendees were invited to register for longer 400-metre events, which is unique, Brink said.
“We have no standards on the 400-metre swims, so we had a lot of entries.
“A lot of clubs don’t host this race because it slows down the meet, or they put a standard on it so you have to be a AA swimmer to swim, or you have to be able to swim it in a certain time. We said, ‘Get rid of that’, and so these kids can have a chance to get a time in for the longer races.”
Waverider Hannah Trimble, 13, swam in four events on Saturday and four on Sunday. As one of Quesnel’s paralympic swimmers, she said she enjoys competing because it gives her a chance to meet other paralympic swimmers.
“I like swimming because you can do it recreationally and competitively,” she noted.
“I get to meet a lot of people and lots of new para kids. There’s one other para swimmer at our meet.”
Hannah placed fourth in the 50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke.
The Waveriders Club did well overall and received awards across the categories.
Gavin Currie, 12, placed second in the 11- and 12-year-old 200-metre IM.
Fourteen-year-old Billy Swyers earned second place in the 13 and over boys 200-metre IM, and Waverider Grace Currie, 15, won second in the 13 and over girls 200-metre IM.
In the girls 13 and over 400-metre freestyle, Quesnel’s Audrey Jespersen, 15, came first; Darby O’Hara, 14, came second; and Grace Currie came third.
And in the same race for boys, Waveriders Seth Reddemann, 14, and Peter van den Elzen, 15, came second and third place respectively.
The meet also awarded points for all swims. The swimmers with the highest points won miniature gold pans.
In the 10 and under boys, Waverider Francois Buys, 10, came second place.
Gavin Currie took third place in the girls 11-12 category; and Luca Armstrong tied for first place with a competitor from Williams Lake in the boys 11-12 category.
In the gold pan relay – a highlight of the meet that took place on Sunday – teams had to include two swimmers age 10 and under; two older swimmers; and a mix of boys and girls.
A Quesnel team – including Audrey Jespersen, Francois Buys, Memphis Swaan, age nine, and Billy Swyers – came third in the event, which coach Brink described as “a big hit”.
Next up for the Waveriders is the Tier II provincials next week in Kamloops, where two club members, Billy and Audrey, will compete.
