Kevin Berger – Leader Staff
Swimmers from Westlock, Hinton, Whitecourt, Drayton Valley, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Devon, Stony Plain and Edmonton travelled out to Barrhead on June 16 for the first swim meet to be held in the community since the opening of the Barrhead Regional Aquatic Centre.
A total of 271 swimmers were presented for the Region B swim meet, which was hosted by the North Edmonton Swim Club.
Swim meet manager Susan McCann said the athletes would swim more than 1,000 races by the end of the day.
McCann noted this was the very first swim meet to be held in the Aquatic Centre, which held its grand opening in 2017.
“We’re hoping to make this an annual event and (make it) bigger and better each year,” she said.
McCann said the North Edmonton Swim Club normally practices out of NAIT. Besides the fact that Barrhead has a well set-up facility, she indicated the town also had one other advantage: the close proximity of the pool to the Barrhead Agrena, which was used for over 500 parents and swimmers to camp out in.
McCann indicated the Town of Barrhead was also very accommodating as a host, which is why she presented mayor Dave McKenzie with a special gold medal at the start of the swim meet.
“It is really great to have the support of the town,” she said.
After accepting the medal, McKenzie said, “We’re so happy to have the opportunity to host this event.”
