The Athabasca Rapids Swim Club is off to an excellent start to the season, with members competing in three meets to date and claiming several high ranks.
“We’ve had a really good season right off the bat,” said coach Hilary McLean.
The club’s first meet was Feb. 15-16 at Winterfest in Edmonton. The meet saw all swimmers beat their best times. Eight placed in the top 10, four in the top five of various events.
Rapids swimmer Andrea Woudstra took fifth in the 12-and-under girls 50-metre breast stroke. Taylor Sheppard took second place in the 50-metre breast stroke amongst girls 10 and under.
The next meet saw eight Athabasca swimmers compete at the Aqua-Fit Centre in Beaumont from March 22–23 for the Triton Sprint Challenge. The Rapids went up against teams from Barrhead, Grande Cache, Lloydminster, St. Albert and Edmonton among others. Several Rapids swimmers ranked in top spots.
Swimmer Jake Gerritse claimed second in the 12-and-under boys 50-metre breaststroke and third in the 100 metre. Makayla Sheppard claimed third in the 12-and-under girls individual medley and fourth in the 50-metre freestyle. Taylor Sheppard took second in the 50-metre breaststroke in her division.
Most recently, the club travelled to the Penguin Meet at MacEwan University on April 12. The Rapids obtained 80-per-cent best times in their swims overall.
Taylor Sheppard took first place in all three of her events (50-metre freestyle, 50-metre backstroke and 100-metre freestyle).
Bo Maier in the 10-and-under boys category took third in all three of his events: the 50-metre backstroke, 50-metre freestyle and the 100-metre freestyle.
Makayla Sheppard also claimed the same rank in all three of her events with second-place finishes in the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle and the 200-metre individual medley.
“They did very well and exceeded my expectations,” McLean said.
McLean explained that the club only had a few weeks between the March and April meets, and with little time to train, it is hard to shave seconds off times; however, the swimmers managed to do it.
“They’re really getting closer and closer to their goals,” McLean said.
The Rapids will next compete at the Peter Hemingway pool in Edmonton on April 26. Following that, they will travel back to Edmonton to the Kinsmen Sports Centre for the Silver Tide swim club’s Silver Cup, which will see more than 400 swimmers compete.
