It’s been a continued upward trend no matter the battles for the Waveriders this season and, during last weekend’s long course meet in Kamloops, the trend continued despite the changeover from the short course the team trains with.
Coach Jeritt Brink is impressed with the momentum his swimmers have this year.
“The end of this season is going to be great I think,” he said.
“It’s steady improvement. These kids are not showing any signs of letting up. They’re all hungry for it; it’s really exciting.”
The swim also marks the beginning of long course swimming, moving from the 25m long pool they train in to the Olympic sized 50m pool.
This gives the swimmers half as many kicks off the wall and can play havoc with their pace.
“It’s different feeling cause there’s 25 metres more so you’re looking for the wall,” Garnet Currie said.
The change in venue-size cause at least one sketchy turn because a swimmer was not familiar with the length.
Brink said the swimmers reacted really well to their first long course meet of the year for the most part.
“We were just at the Valentine meet two weeks earlier and they had taken off so much time there, then to go into this long course meet, which is slower, and be right on their best times or make personal best times in long course, that’s what made me the happiest,” he said.
Almost all seven of the swimmers that made the trip were equally excited by the meet.
Brink said going into the meet, he had focused on the flip turn, the dolphin kicks coming out of the turn and the first stroke after each turn. And the focus paid off according to Brink, who noticed the swimmers nailing each of the details in almost every swim.
Billy Swyers, 10, was the high scorer for the team this weekend, continuing a very successful season, that had the 10-year-old searching for standards aimed at 11-year-olds.
“Early in the season he started off picking off A standards and then, all the sudden, we go to this meet, and he is less than two seconds on two events for making his AA standard,” Brink said.
Swyers was top five in all of his events for age 10 and under.
He came third in 50 Back, 100 Back, 50 Breast and 100 Breast and second in 200 Free.
“It was good,” Swyers said.
“Especially considering I have half the year left to find the time.”
Brink said he is confident that Swyers will be able to find the extra two seconds needed by the end of the long course season at the end of June.
Gavin Currie, eight, was top 10 in three of her events in the 10 and under category.
She came 10th in 100 Breast, eighth in 200 Free and seventh in 50 Breast
Grace Currie recently aged up to the 11-year-old category. She was top eight in five of her events.
She came eighth in 100 Free, 100 Breast and 200 Breast, seventh in 200 Back and fifth in 200 Free.
Darby O’Hara, 10, came eighth in 50 Fly, 100 Back and seventhth in 200 Free in the 10 and under group.
Emerie Watson, 12, just back from AA, swam in the age 12-13 group.
She came seventh in 200 Free, fourth in 200 Back and third in 100 Back.
Garnet Currie, 13, came second in 100 Free and 200 Free, first in 400 Free for 12-13 year-olds.
Brad Swyers, 14, swam in the 14-15 year old category and was top eight in five events.
He came fifth in 200 Free, 400 Free, 200 Breast, seventh in 100 Back and 6th in 200 Back
Next up for the Waveriders is the Prince George Dental Moose Meet April 11-13.