The Campbell River Killer Whales Swim Club had a successful weekend at the 2022 Divisional Championships, held Feb. 25 to 27 in Nanaimo.
Members of the Killer Whales won at least one medal in every event they competed in, except the 100-metre back.
“We really just stepped up and found a way to be extremely successful,” said coach Richard Millns. “The most imporatnt thing was our relays; they were able to come together as a team, show their depth, and our diversity as a team.”
In total, club members won medals in 12 of 16 events, excluding relays.
“I’m really happy with that range of events where we were successful — there was every unit of swimming,” he said. “We had strong representation and strong execution of our races there. I’m just really proud of the kids for being open minded to race in a multitude of events and distances.”
The members was the sixth the club has competed in this year and featured competitors from across the Fraser & Island Division.
“It was a pretty strong group of swimmers out there,” he said.
The club’s performance was particularly impressive because of the nine-week shutdown it faced due to the closure of Strathcona Gardens.
“For our swimmers not to have a pool in the winter was extremely challenging,” he said. “Despite that, the kids were able to stay committed to their training and the sport.”
During the shutdown, about 85 per cent of the club travelled to Comox to practice during “scraps of pool time” on a daily basis, he said.
After Strathcona Gardens reopened, the team flourished once again.
“When we got our pool back, things just really came together.”
The meet results are as follows:
Girls 12 & Under: Cassidy Hayduk: 50 fly – silver; 50 back – bronze; 800 free – bronze; Kenzie McArthur: 800 free – gold, 400 free – bronze, 50 free – gold.
Girls 13–14: Charlie Langlois: 50 breast – bronze.
Girls 15 & over: Cailyn Collins: 100 breast — gold, 200 breast — gold, 100 free – bronze; Kate Cooledge: 200 breast – silver; Niveeda Naiker: 50 free — gold; Katie Millns: 200 IM — gold, 200 free — gold; 50 back — bronze; 100 fly — gold; Martina Montana: 100 free – silver; and Mackenzie Hayduk, Martina Montana, Cailyn Collis and Katie Millns: 200 freestyle relay – gold.
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sean.feagan@campbellrivermirror.com
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