The Westlock Gators swim club hosted a busy meet this weekend, as the Westlock & District Recreation Centre became a hub of activity Saturday morning and afternoon.
The June 4 meet, which was the first meet for the Alberta Summer Swimming Association’s Zone ‘B’ teams, gave the Gators a chance to shine with local swimmers earning a host of podium finishes.
“For many of them it was their first swim meet,” coach Kendall Mills said. “I think as a whole our club did amazing.”
Six local swimmers earned podium finishes, but all swimmers who competed set a foundation for the rest of the season.
“We saw a lot of good swimming, and saw a lot of improvement,” Mills said. “We were overall happy with our swimmers.”
Ann-Marie Carnegie took a trio of silver medals in the 15-17 age group’s 50-metre freestyle, backstroke and butterfly events.
Rachael Casavant earned first place in the 9 & 10 age group’s 100-metre freestyle and individual medley events, as well as second place in the 25-metre breast stroke event.
Evan Felstad did the home team proud with first-place finish in the 9 & 10 age group’s 25-metre breast stroke and individual medley events.
Hannah Tabert finished first in the 13 & 14 age group’s 50-metre breast stroke and individual medley events as well as a second-place finish in the 50-metre butterfly event.
Marissa Tabert earned two third-place finishes in the 8 & under group’s 25-metre freestyle and individual medley events.
Nathanael Tabert got first in the 11 & 12 age group’s individual medley event, second in the 50-metre freestyle event, and a third-place finish in the 50-metre breast stroke event.
For the rest of the team’s 31 swimmers, they set baseline personal bests to work on for the rest of the season.
“Our swimmers have been showing us tons of effort,” Mills said. “They’re all very interested in the sport and they’re always looking to learn.”
She added that the meet itself would not have gone as smoothly as it did without the efforts of countless parent volunteers.
“The parents have been wonderful. They’re excellent volunteers, and they run the meet very well,” Mills said. “It was very smooth; they ran the meet quicker than most meets.”
The Gators will have a weekend off before they head to their next meet in Hinton on June 18.
