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Seven young swimmers are back from a whirlwind trip to Prince George where they competed in the provincial championships Friday to Sunday (Aug. 17 to 19) as part of the Vancouver and District regional team. And at the end of the meet, the Squamish Pirates swim club could take pride in boosting the region to the top spot in the province.
"They all did their part in that win," said Jill Aikens, mother of two qualifying swimmers.
Just the fact that the members, aged seven to 13, qualified for the B.C. provincials was a huge deal, said Aikens. "It's the biggest meet of the year."
Pirates coaches Ryan Corbett, Sheighla Thompson and Alison MacKellar had done all they could by Aug. 4 and 5, when their 19 swimmers attended the North Shore Winter Club meet for the chance to represent the Vancouver and District region in the provincial championship.
Competition was fierce against the large and Vancouver and North Shore teams - and in the end seven Pirates swimmers enjoyed the feel of at least one medal hung around their neck. And to top it off, winning a gold, silver or bronze meant a ticket to Prince George.
"There was a lot of excitement and electricity in the air on Thursday night when all of the fastest swimmers from the province, over 1,000 athletes, met for the practice swim at Prince Georges Aquatic center," said Aikens.
"Thunder, lightningand high winds blew tents and vendor set up over fences as the swimmers took turns churning up the water in the two, eight-lane pools."
Of the province's eight swimming regions, the Vancouver and District came home in the No. 1 spot. The highest points total was achieved with the help of the Squamish Pirates, every one of which qualified for finals or consolation finals, bringing home at least one ribbon or medal Eight-year-old Claire Parker, competed in four individual events in her age group.
She qualified in all four for the consolation finals with her best result an 11th place in her 50-metre freestyle.Sara Dale also swam and qualified in four events with her best result a silver medal in the Division 3 regional relay and a best individual result a fourth place in 50-metre butterfly.
Lauren Aikens added to the points total with a 16th place in Division 5 100-metre backstroke.
Blair Chartrands' best individual effort put him in sixth place in his 100-metre breaststroke and he will receive a bronze medal for swimming in the Division 4 regional relay.
Blair also took a lead role in bringing the Squamish Pirates Division 4 relay into fifth place in their medley relay and fifth in their freestyle relays.
Blair's teammates were Cedric St. Pierre Borchert, Wyatt Pedersen and Eric Aikens. The boys' relay swims were a high point of excitement as the rest of the teammates cheered them on.Coach Ryan Corbett said he was very pleased with all the swimmers who achieved the ultimate goal of swimming a personal best time at provincials.
And Aikens said the swimmers' parents were very proud of their efforts and of the great sportsmanship the team displayed.
