Several Campbell River swimmers came home from Saskatoon this weekend with medals after an “excellent display of team presence.”
The Campbell River Killer Whales Swim Club sent 18 athletes to the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Championship, hosted by Saskatoon on March 7 to March 10. The club had 29 podium placements, and one swimmer qualified for Olympic trials. Two other swimmers came close, losing out by fractions of a second.
“Our top priority as a group is to perform on relays,” reads the coach’s notes, sent to the Campbell River Mirror. “Relays take a team effort, and it gives swimmers the opportunity to race for something bigger than yourself. When you do something for more than just yourself, it comes from the heart, and the heart is what makes a child a dreamer, and a dreamer a doer.”
The notes described the relay performances as “amazing.”
Kenzie McArthur, Moriah Scott, Anisa Nelson and Saskia Schevers are part of the girl’s relay team for ages 13 and 14, winning gold. Two bronze medals for relay events were also awarded to the 15 and over girls (Sarah Haugen, Keyana Owens, Mackenzie Hayduk, and Ella Vose) and the over 15 Mixed Relay (Owens, Haugen, Levi Karasz, and Zac Millns).
Millns qualified for the Olympic Jr. trials, with a time of 24.33 in the 50-metre freestyle event.
Nelson, Haugen and Brayden Brown also came home with individual silver medals, while McArthur came home with multiple bronze medals for individual events.
Overall, the Killer Whales came in sixth place, with 12 of the 18 swimmers collecting medals. There were 24 clubs partaking in the event. Club members also broke four relay records and five individual ones.
“Our team has very dedicated motivated athletes, and as a result of the dedication and motivation, there is tremendous success, and along with tremendous comes heartbreaking failures,” reads the notes. “Our team was there every step of the way, cheering and celebrating our numerous successes, and were there to pick each other up through our heartbreaks. It was an excellent display of team presence that makes the experience of being a competitive experience healthy and worthwhile.”