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News
On the Pool Deck
FREUND
SWIMMERS STAR IN AB GAMES LEAD UP COMMERCIAL
With the upcoming Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge, Brittany
and Kaelan Freund were asked to profile in a commercial. Both Brittany and
Kaelan were members of the last Alberta Summer Games Team.
LETHBRIDGE
SWIMMERS BLOOM AT LASC SPRING INVITATIONAL
On
the weekend the LA Swim Club played host to their annual Spring Invitational.
Over 300 swimmers from BC, Montana, and Alberta took to the waters at the
University of Lethbridge.
For
most swimmers, this was the first long course, 50m Olympic pool format, meet of
the year and the Max Bell Aquatic Center continued to prove itself as one of the
fastest facilities in Canada.
Thirty five local swimmers posted an incredible 160 personal best times.
LASC swimmers won 30 individual events and claimed 51 individual medal
placing.
Individual Medal Winners: Natalie Arnold, Kiara Bodell, Jordan Calladine, David
Errington, Aidan Godwin, Seth Harasem-Mitchell, Tiha Konyves, Adam Krysiak,
Vincenzo Sljuka, Ryan Thornley, Leah Troskot.
Vince Sljuka broke the Club Record, belonging to Chad Murray from 1996, in the
100m fly for boys aged 13-14.
“It was a great weekend for our team…lots of improvement. And it’s fun to
see the spectrum of the entire club, from novice to national, all racing under
one roof. Often times we send
different groups or levels of swimmers away for various meets. But, when we
host, everyone races, and this creates excitement and energy.”
Competing in their first every long course meet were, Miguel Capriles (17),
Brock Jensen (10), Mackenzie Lachman (11), Taryn Lachman (8), Alyssa Lancaster
(11), and Maya Wood (13).
For Caprilies, this was his first swim meet ever.
“Pretty cool story. At School, Caprilies is friends with Leah Troskot.
In January Leah convinced him to try swim club.
At the age of 17, this is considered a late arrival to sport.
He made it through the trial week, and has improved substantially since
the first week. Watching the
excitement in his eyes as he was getting ready for his first race was awesome.
Miguel won his heat. This is
what I love about our sport; you can pick it up at any time and enjoy it like
you were a 10 and under!”
The team has a busy summer with upcoming meets in
Vancouver, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Missoula, and Edmonton LASC
SPRING INVITATIONAL
SPRING
SESSION & FREE TRIAL - STARTS APRIL 16th
SWIMMERS
GO FOR OLYMPIC DREAMS AT CANADIAN 2012 TRIALS
Every
four years, the Olympic Games stop the world.
For a moment in time, the population across the globe, share in athletic
glories, defeats, and Olympic stories. For
12 Lethbridge Swimmers, the dream of becoming an Olympian will be put to test in
reality show called the Canadian Olympic 2012 Swimming Trials.
The Trials will take place next week in Montreal, at the historic 1976
Montreal Olympic Pool. The pool is
situated in Olympic Stadium, originally built for the 1976 Olympics and formerly
home of the Montreal Expos.
For the Lethbridge contingent, the road to the Olympic Games began a decade ago.
From initially jumping in the pool to learn four basic strokes fly,
backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle, each athlete has worked to improve
strength, endurance, speed, has refined stroke technique, has learned how to
apply sport psychology, learned how to balance social and academics with
athletics, and has paced up and down the pool several million km’s.
These athletes have raced on the national and international levels and
have participated in training camps around the world, just to gain experience
for this moment.
Through the process of diligent training, day to day, month to month, year to
year these athletes have put themselves into contention. Competing at the
Olympic Trials is comparable to making the NHL playoffs.
“The Time is Now,” says Head Coach Brad Mori.
We have 12 qualified to compete at the Trials; Ryan Thornley, Kyle
Troskot, Leah Troskot, Jeffrey Nicol, Rachel Nicol, Jessica Kelly, Kristy
Gabruck, Mat Loyola, Matthew Mastromatteo, Tiha Konyves, David Errington, and
Zack McAllister.
This is the largest contingent to ever represent Lethbridge at the Canadian
Olympic Trials. “I think we are
doing a good job of keeping kids engaged in the sport long enough for them to
mature physically and mentally, they are able to realize their potential, and go
about their day to day business more professionally. Swimmers are now hitting
their prime in their mid to late twenties. Generally,
the days of sending teenagers, with hormones and inconsistencies, to the
Olympics Games is done. We are
sending intelligent men and women, with a full set of tools.”
For Kyle Troskot, Zack McAllister, Jeffrey Nicol, and Rachel Nicol they will go
into the meet with having experienced the Canadian Olympic Trials in 2008.
“This is a different meet with different pressures than most
competitions. For many swimmers
their dream and career goal is on the line.”
“It was the most exciting competition of my career” says Mori, who
was a 1996 Olympic Trials Finalist and also competed at the 2000 Trials.
“Having been in this moment 4 years ago, with the press and the hype,
these kids will have the advantage of experience.”
Our top contenders will be Kyle Troskot, Rachel Nicol, and Zack McAllister.
Both Kyle and Rachel are away at university this year, Kyle is at Texas
A&M (2nd year) and Rachel as at Southern Methodist University (1st
year). Zack is in his first year at
University of Lethbridge and training with the Pronghorns.
Both Kyle and Rachel will be fresh of performances at the NCAA
championship. The fastest meet in
the world should also provide added experience for the Olympic Trials next week.
McAllister has had a great season, having competed at the Pan American
Games in Mexico this past fall.
Pronghorns, Ryan Thornley, Jeffrey Nicol, and Jessica Kelly will be looking to
crack the top 8 “A final”. “If
you have a lane, you have a chance. Anything can happen. Every 4 years you see
kids come out of the wood works, you see veterans come out of retirement for one
last chance to make the team.”
To make the Canadian Team, swimmers must win or place second in the event and
swim a time faster than the FINA “A” two per country time standard.
Rachel Nicol has posted this standard previously, Kyle is itching closer.
Zack will be competing for a spot on the Paralympic Team.
“Unfortunately for Zack, we are still waiting on a classification
appeal, and might not know if he has qualified until after the ruling has been
made.”
The meet will run from March 27th to April 1st.
Rogers Sportsnet will be covering the action live nightly from 7-8:00 pm
Eastern time.
Lethbridge
Swimmers Rock Out at Wild Hair Swim Meet
Twelve
Lethbridge Swimmers took to the waters in High River for the Wild Hair Junior
Circuit Swim Meet. Junior Circuit
meets are one day meets hosted by several clubs around Southern Alberta geared
towards non provincial qualifiers.
Competing in his first meet of the year, Chad Anderson (13) won gold in the 25m
breaststroke. Chad smashed his
previous best time by 15 seconds.
Nicholas Davis (14) took won two events, 100 free and 50 fly.
In the 100 free Davis dropped 2 seconds of his best time.
Rachel Jeffrey (13), won the 50m breaststroke and 100 IM.
In the 100 IM Jeffrey was an amazing 26 seconds faster than her previous
best. She also won silver in the 50m
fly.
Solen Wood (11), dropped 8 seconds off is 25 fly time to win gold. Wood also won
silver in the 100 IM.
Maya Wood (13), swam to bronze in the 100 breaststroke.
Chris Okken (10). won bronze in the 100m backstroke.
Broke Jensen (9), took double bronze in the 25 fly and 100 breast.
The team set 31 individual best times. Rounding
out the Lethbridge contingent were, Brooke Calladine, Mackenzie Lachman, Taryn
Lachman, Jordan Okken, and Megan Ritchie.
Lethbridge
Swimmers Peaks for Age Group Provincials
Last
weekend the LA Swim Club was in action at the Talisman Center for the Alberta 14
and under age group Provincial Championships.
Lethbridge Swimming was represented by seven swimmers; Seth
Harasem-Mitchel, Paul Lermer Lanier, Sarah Little, Vince Sljuka, Jordan
Calladine, Joshua Freund, and Kaelan Freund.
“It was a great weekend for our team.” states Head Coach Brad Mori.
“The seven swimmers turned in 38 personal best times, won 3 provincial
medals, set 2 club records, and qualified at least one swimmer to the provincial
team.”
In the twelve and under category Joshua Freund won two events, the 1500m
Freestyle and the 400 IM. Both
events are very demanding aerobically, and the IM is pretty technical, having to
do all 4 strokes quite well. Josh, competed in the top 8 finals in each of the
events he raced, finishing in the top 6 in 4 other races. “He’s a
well-rounded swimmer and has a bright looking future.”
Vince Sljuka, 14, took second place in the 200m fly, setting a new club
record in the event, and qualifying under the Canadian Westerns Time Standard.
Sljuka
posted top 8 finishes in the 400 IM, 200 back, and 1500 Free.
“Pretty solid results for Sljuka this weekend”
Kaelan Freund, competing as a 13 year old in the 13-14 year old age group, swam
his way into the A final in the 1500 free, 5th place, 200
Breast (7th), and 400 IM (7th).
Jordan Calladine posted a first time “A” final appearance in the 50m
backstroke. Calladine swam well for
just coming of an elbow injury.
Joshua, Kaelan, Vince partnered up with Seth Harasem-Mitchel in the 4 x 50
Freestyle relay to break the club record. “Seth
had a great weekend, although he didn’t advance to the finals he posted 100%
best times and is inching closer to the Canadian Age Group Championship
qualifying time.”
Having just qualified last month at the Age Group trials, Sarah Little, gained
valuable experience at the provincial level and continued to lower her personal
best times in 4 of her 5 swims.
Paul Lermer Lanier, competing at his first provincials, unfortunately, fell ill
on the first day and was not able to complete the weekend.
He did post two personal best time in Friday’s events.
In team scoring, the LASC placed 15th out of 32 scoring teams.
Provincial Team Spots were also up for grabs. Kaelan Freund qualified for the
Prospects West Team Alberta contingent. For
each gender, seven swimmers were selected from each age group, 13 and 14.
LASC Assistant Head Coach, John Calnan, was also selected to the Alberta
Team. Both will travel to the
Montreal Olympic Pool in late March to participate in a Training Camp and Dual
style swim meet against BC, Man-Sask, Ontario, and Quebec.
The team will also have the opportunity to watch the Canadian Swimming Olympic
Trials unfold. “These youth
development teams are fantastic opportunities for kids and coaches.
For the kids, they are introduced to the routines that they will soon
face on the National and international levels.
And obviously, to have them watch Olympic Trials this year, will better
prepare them for their 2016 Trials debut. For the coaches, it’s an opportunity
to meet other coaches and share coaching tools.”
Little
Qualifies for Provincials Championships
On the weekend
the LA Swim Club was represented by two swimmers, Sarah Little and Payton Terry,
at the Alberta Age Group Trials (AGT). The
Trials were hosted by the Silver Tide Swim Club at Edmonton’s Kinsmen Center.
This was also the last chance for swimmers to qualify for the Alberta
Provincial Championships.
Swimmers
can qualify for the Provincial Championships by winning an event at the AGT meet
or by posting the “A” Qualifying Time.
Sarah Little (12), won the 100m Fly and also posted the Provincial “A”
qualifying time. Little also won the
50m Fly with another Provincial “A” qualifying time.
Sarah picked up two more AGT medals in the 200m breaststroke and 100m
breaststroke where she earned silver and bronze respectively.
Little had a great meet posting personal bests in all 10 races swum.
Payton Terry (12), also had an impressive weekend, swimming to 6 personal best
times. The largest improvement came in the 400 freestyle, where Terry dropped 18
seconds off her previous best.
The Provincial contingent is now set at seven.
The team will be represented by Jordan Calladine, Sarah Little, Joshua
Freund, Kaelan Freund, Seth Harasem-Mitchell, Vince Sljuka, and Paul Lermer-Lainer.
The 14 & Under Provincial Championships will be held in Calgary on
the March 10th weekend.
UofL
SCHOOL RECORDS FALL AT CIS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Over
the weekend the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Swim Team turned in very
impressive performances the CIS Swimming Championships. Eight swimmers took to
the waters at the Universitie de Montreal, in one of the fastest CIS
Championships ever held.
On the men’s side, “Ryan Thornley had the break though meet we have been
looking for him to have,” stated Pronghorn Head Coach Brad Mori.
Thornley was the team’s highest finisher with a 6th place in
the 50m Fly. In the Preliminaries,
Thornley set a new UofL School Record, and lowered it again in the finals.
The previous record, 25.05, was set in 2003 by Gerard Hunter, and now
stands at 24.69. Ryan advanced to
the consolation final in the 50m freestyle with a time of 23.24 finishing 16th.
Individually Thornley swam the perfect weekend with 100% best times.
However, more inspiring was Thornley’ s 100m Freestyle lead out in the 4 x 100
Free relay. Thornley touched at
50.61, beating the U of C Dino lead off swimmer and posting the 3rd
fastest Horns All time 100m freestyle time. This impressive lead off swim set
the tone for the three other men, Nick van der Sloot, Adam Krysiak, and Tiha
Konyves to step up their game resulting in a new school record.
The men broke the previous record by over 2 seconds.
Konyves, Jeffrey Nicol, Thornley, and Krysiak teamed up to set a new school
record in the 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Freshman
swimmer Tiha Konyves lead out with a split time 56.74, just 2 tenths over John
Lapins School Record. “This was a
great swim for Tiha” noted Mori. Nicol
posted his fasted ever 100m breast time with a 1:02.8.
Thornley was 54 seconds on the fly leg, and Krysiak closed it out with a
52 second swim in the freestyle. The
men touched in half a second faster than the previous record set in 1995 by
Kevin Mertz, Shawn Pinder, Val Weaver, and Dean Kondziolka.
Jeffery
Nicol posted a 14th place in the 100 breast and an 11th
place finish in the 200m breast. This
was a good meet for Nicol, as he was unshaved and unrested and was able to post
best times or be within tenths of his best.
Jeff’s plan is to be fully rested and prepared for next month’s
Olympic Trials.
David Errington and Mat Loyola rounded out the men’s team.
Both had good meets but, were not able to advance to the top 16 finals.
The
lone Horns female CIS qualifier, Jessica Kelly, was not to be out shined by the
men. Kelly broke three school
records. In the 100m and 50m fly
events she lowered her own school records. In
the 200 IM, she broke Norah Vogan’s 2005 mark of 2:21.1 with a time of
2:20.91. Kelly had 3 top 16 finishes, winning the consolation final in the 100m
fly.
In team scoring the men moved up from last year’s 17th place finish
to 14th and Jessica Kelly finished 17th in the women’s
team scoring.
Several members of the swim team will reload for Canadian Team Olympic Trials at
the end of March.
Lethbridge
Swimmers Compete at Canadian Western Championships
It’s
been a busy stretch for the LA Swim Club, with several championships being held
over the last few weeks. Last week
Lethbridge Swimming was represented by a contingent of 9 swimmers at Canadian
Open Western Swimming Championships. The
meet attracted over 300 swimmers from across Western Canada and a few teams from
eastern provinces.
The Western Championships featured a 16 and under Men’s 15 and Under
Women’s, and Open Men and Women categories, each category swimming top 8
finalists. A third category called
“Best of the Rest”, where the next 8 fastest times, regardless of age was
also contested for.
In the Youth categories, LA Swim Club’s Brittany Freund and Aidan Godwin swam
very well. Brittany posted went
three for three swimming 100% best times. Godwin turned in five best times and
advanced to the Best of the Rest Final in the 200m Breaststroke.
Aidan won the final, inching closer to a Senior National qualifying time.
Godwin also advanced to the Best of the Rest in the 100m breaststroke.
In the Open categories, Leah Troskot and Kristy Gabruck swam to top 8
performances. Troskot finished 8th
in the 100 backstroke and 7th in the 100 freestyle.
Troskot also swam in the Best of the Rest category in the 50 Free, 200
Free, 50 Back, and 50 Fly. Gabruck
placed 5th in the 50m breaststroke and also swam Best of the Rest in
the 100m breaststroke.
Griffin Brown, swam his way into two best of the rest finals in the 100 Free and
50 Free.
Lauren Smythies lead out the 4 x 100 free relay with a time of 59.68 her first
time swimming under the 1 minute barrier.
The Lethbridge crew was rounded out by Carissa Alexander, Alex Cousineau, and
Spencer Simkin.
“At both the CIS and the Western Canadian level it is evident the field of
play is getting deeper. There are
more swimmers attending the meet and you really have to go for it in the
morning, otherwise you’re not swimming at night in the Finals.
It’s been a pretty good two weeks of racing.”
Lethbridge
Swimmers Qualify for Provincial Level Meets
Over
the weekend the UofL Pronghorns hosted its annual Pronghorn Classic Swim Meet.
Although participation from teams outside Lethbridge was slim, it
didn’t stop the Lethbridge swimmers from posting good swims.
The meet was hosted in a 50m format to allow swimmers preparing for Olympic
Trials to practice their long course race strategies.
And for the younger swimmers, the meet provided another opportunity to
post provincial qualifying times.
Lethbridge Swimming’s Paul Lermer-Lainier,14, posted his first ever Alberta
Provincial A time in the 50m freestyle. Paul
was with the club several years ago, stopped swimming, and then recently decided
that he would like to take up competitive swimming once again.
“He’s keen about learning how to get faster, and you can see him
figuring out how to get pumped up about racing,”
stated head coach Brad Mori.
Paul joins Vince Sljuka, Kaelan Freund, Joshua Freund, Jordan Calladine, and
Seth Harasem-Mitchell as the Lethbridge Swimming contingent that will race at
the March Provincials.
Payton Terry, 12, posted an Alberta Age Group Trials qualifying time.
The Trials is the last chance swimmers can qualifier for the Alberta 14
and under Provincials. At the end of
the month, Madeline Bennett, Sarah Little, and David Zhang will join Terry at
the Age Group Trials.
The 37 LA swimmers posted 84 personal best times and 77 top 3 placing’s.
PRONGHORN CLASSIC 2012
NICOL
LEADS HORNS AT CANADA WEST SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
In
Edmonton, 15 U of L student-athletes took to the waters at the Canada West
Swimming Championships. The
Pronghorns had an impressive weekend at the Kinsmen Center.
On the Men’s side, the team put together a strong team effort, pushing the
Horns up the CW rankings to finish 4th.
This is the first time since the 2000 Canada West Championships, in
Lethbridge, that the team has placed this high in Canada West Scoring. “I
thought we had a shot at the fourth place team result. The VIKES made it close
several times in the last session. Our
men sealed the deal on the last event, touching ahead of Victoria relay team,”
stated Head Coach Brad Mori, who a swimmer on the 2000 team.
It took a balanced attack, each of the 11 men contributed points for this team
finish. Everyone had at least one great swim, or race that they walked away from
saying “ye haw!”
Jeffery
Nicol, came to compete. Nicol was
our only medallist, taking 3 medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke
events. “Nicol swam great.
In an unshaved and un rested moment he swam pretty much within hundredths
of his best times. He’s looking really good for CIS and Olympic Trials.”
David Errington, Ryan Thornley and Jessica Kelly were the other Horns to round
out the top 8 final. Errington
finished 4th in the 100m and 50m breaststrokes.
Thornley, swimming un rested, unshaved, and feeling under the weather,
swam with a big heart all weekend. He
placed 6th in the 50 fly and contributed on all 3 men’s relays.
On the women’s end, Jessica Kelly broke the School Record in the 50m
Freestyle, crushing Andrea Kilms 27.0 with a 26.74.
JK now holds the most individual school records with six.
Kelly had three top 8 finishes including 4th in the 100m fly.
Lauren Smythies had the meet of her life, breaking through to the Swimming
Canada Western Qualifying standard in the 200 freestyle.
Smythies, second year from Lady Smith BC, has been preparing diligently.
She had a great camp in Arizona, I felt pretty good about the way she was
going to swim on the weekend.
The Horns were looking to add numbers to the CIS roster.
And that they did. Nick van der Sloot and Tiha Konyves both picked up CIS
qualifying standards in the backstroke events, bringing the CIS contingent to
eight. Prequalified are
Jeffrey Nicol, Ryan Thornley, Mat Loyola, David Errington, Adam Krysiak, and
Jessica Kelly.
“It was almost the perfect weekend” stated Head Coach Brad Mori. The men
moved up to 4th, the four women held ground on Regina Cougars for a 6th
place team finish, Nicol medals, JK records, tones of best times, and great
racing. The only thing I could wish
for was a couple more CIS qualifiers and Canada West Coach of the Year!”
This weekend we are hosting the Pronghorn Classic. The meet will be long course
meters, preparing the Olympic Trial kids for 50m racing.
But, also serves as another opportunity for Horns to make CIS standards.
In
the inaugural year of the CIS and Canada West Student-Athlete Community Award,
Horns swimmer Matthew Mastromatteo was voted by the coaches in Canada West as
Canada West Winner. Each team
submitted a male and female nomination, based on the criteria.
Matteo, has coached the I Can Swim Program (LA Swim Club) for the last 4
years, fundraised for Movember, and of course worked his share of Red Nose
shifts. “The announcement came as
a shock to Matthew, but was a very nice way to cap of a great Canada West
Career. He’s a 5 time CIS
qualifier, 4 time CIS qualifier (and very close to being 5 time).”
Gabruck
and McAllister Medal at Alberta Senior Provincials
On
the weekend nine LASC members took to the waters at the Alberta Senior
Provincial Championships in Medicine Hat. The
meet was a fierce competition attracting several Olympic Game hopefuls.
Kristy Gabruck,
recent U of L Graduate in Education, had the team’s top performances.
Gabruck swam to a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.
Kristy also took bronze in the 50m breaststroke.
Zack
McAllister won Gold in the Para Men’s Swimming Category, swimming several
personal best times along the way.
Advancing into the top 8 finals were Leah Troskot (5th 50m Free, 6th
100m Back) and Aidan Godwin (8th in the 200m breaststroke).
Both are preparing for the upcoming Western Canadian Championships.
The LA team finished 10th in team scoring, maintaining their top ten
status at Senior Champs.
“Our team was at different points in preparation going into this meet.
Natalie Arnold and Brittany Freund, the kids who were fully rested and
shaved swam very well. These two posted 13 best times combined. Brittany
will join Godwin, Gabruck, and Troskot at the Westerns.
The ones who were on short rest, Vince Sljuka and Kaelan Freund, swam
well in the moment. Kaelan, only 13 years old, posted eight best times and had a
13th place finish in the 400 IM.
Both Kaelan and Vince will be full prepped for the Alberta 14 & Under
Age Group Championships in March.”
The full Lethbridge Swimming contingent will be in action this weekend at the
Max Bell Aquatic Center for the Pronghorn Classic.
We are in need of timer volunteers for each of the sessions. If you are
interested in helping out, please contact Ralph Arnold at LASCofficials@live.com.
Session times are: Saturday 8:30-11 am, 3-5 pm, Sunday 8:30-11 am, 2-4
pm.
LETHBRIDGE
SWIMMERS PLUNGE INTO THE WATER AT CALGARY MEET
On
the weekend the LA Swim Club plunged into the pool at the Talisman Center for
the Calgary Patriot Pugsley’s Plunge Swim Meet.
A contingent of fourteen Lethbridge Swimming members, Jordan Calladine, Emily
Coolen, Seth Harasem-Mitchel, Rachel Jeffery, Sarah Little, Christopher Okken,
Jordan Okken, Payton Terry, Raine Arden, Madeline Bennett, Ailysh Boras, Riley
Boras, Shalyn Boras, and Brooke Calladine, posted and impressive 52 personal
best times.
Seth Harasem-Mitchell swam his way to two bronze place finishes in the 200m
breaststroke and 400m freestyle. He
also posted 13 year old “A” time’s to qualify for the 14 & under
Provincials.
Madeline Bennett earned silver in the 10 and under100m fly.
“Bennett had several swims with significant improvements.
In her 200 free she was posted a 28 second improvement.”
“It was a great weekend for our group. It
puts a smile on my face, when I look at the meet result report and see drops of
three second or greater on almost all of the swimmers.”
This weekend the senior end of our program takes to the waters in Medicine Hat
for the Alberta Senior Provincials. On
the University front, the Horns are in Edmonton for the Canada West swimming
championships.
2012 Registration Information for Winter Session
Lethbridge
Christmas Camp Schedule
For camp schedule click here.
McAllister
Completes Successful Para Pan American Games and Can AMs
For Lethbridge swimmer Zack
McAllister, the Christmas vacation will be a well-deserved rest.
McAllister has been on the road for the past month training and competing
for Canada’s National Para Team.
Zack departed Lethbridge in late October for Flagstaff, Arizona.
In Flagstaff, McAllister joined the Canadian National Team for a staging
camp. The purpose of the camp was to
acclimatize to altitude, Flagstaff sits at 7000 feet, above sea level. Training
at altitude allows swimmer to become more efficient at working with less oxygen
thus improving performance once they come down from altitude.
The Canadian team then traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Para Pan American
Games. Guadalajara sits at 5000 feet, still considered high for going after peak
performances. McAllister
turned in a good meet, posting three best times before getting sick.
He was very close to best times in the other events, which was excellent
for being sick and racing at altitude.
Following the Para Pan American Games, Zack returned home briefly on November
23. On December 6th
McAllister was off to Los Angeles, California for the Para Can American
Championships. Down from altitude
and recovered from illness, Zack turned in the meet of his life.
McAllister posted significant improvements in his freestyle specialty.
In the 400m Zack moved from a personal best of 4:57 to 4:52.
“This was the event we had been really focusing on. Zack had not been
under 5 minutes in quite some time. The
Altitude camp really helped his endurance fitness levels.”
McAllister also broke the 30 second barrier, with at 29.68, in the 50m
freestyle.
“This
was his first time under 30 (seconds), it’s great to see that his speed is
also improving.” McAllister was a
finalist in each of the 6 events he competed.
Following the Para Can AM Meet Zack took part in the Swim Alberta Para and
Special Olympic Camp which extended his stay in the LA area for 3 extra days.
Lethbridge coach Brad Mori also took part in the Swim Alberta Camp as the
lead technical coach.
Lethbridge
Swimmers Posts Great Performances in Victoria
On the weekend the LA Swim Club was out on
the pacific coast for Victoria’s Christmas Cracker Invitational.
Eleven swimmers, Natalie Arnold, Kiara Bodell, Brittany Freund, Joshua
Freund, Kaelan Freund, Aidan Godwin, Seth Harasem-Mitchell, Danielle Reid, Vince
Sljuka, Leah Troskot, and David Zhang, represented Lethbridge Swimming.
“It was a great weekend for our team. These
11 swimmers posted an outstanding 97 personal best times.
We had 50 swims in finals, and turned in 11 medal swims.” stated Head
Coach Brad Mori.
For the women, Leah Troskot 16, lead the way turning in two first place finishes
in the 100m and 50m freestyle events. Troskot
also claimed silver medals in the 50m back and 100m fly.
On the Boys end, Joshua Freund brought home four medals of his own, winning gold
in the 400 Free and 400 IM. Freund
added two bronze medals in the 200 free and 200 IM.
Seth Harasem-Mitchel swam to bronze in the 50m breaststroke and Aidan
Godwin double up with bronze medals in the 200m and 50m breaststroke events.
Not to take anything away from the hard work the kids have put in, Mori credits,
new Assistant Head Coach, John Calnan for the group’s success in Victoria.
“We brought in John this fall from Toronto. With North York Aquatic
Club he had over 20 swimmers qualify for last summer’s Age Group Canadian
Championship. We really needed this
level of experience to replace departed Mike Pinder.
Calnan has stepped in nicely, and as you can see by the significant
improvements in performances from the weekend, he is doing a great job with the
kids.”
On the weekend, the LA Swim Club also sent the Olympic Way, Junior Provincial
and Provincial groups to Okotoks for the Santa League Meet. Eleven swimmers
turned in 30 personal best times and accumulated 20 medal finishes.
Making their way to top 3 finishes were, Raine Arden, Ailysh Boras, Riley
Boras, Shalyn Boras, and Rachel Jeffrey.
“Overall, I am very pleased with individual swimmer and team progress in this
first cycle of the season. The entire staff, including I Can Swim Coaches, are
doing an excellent job at moving swimmers forward.
I am look forward to the next training cycle and Championship meets that
occur at the end the cycle. In
January, February, and March, the Lethbridge Swimming will have their goals set
on Provincials Meets, Western Champs, Canada West, CIS, and the Canadian Olympic
Trials.”
Horns
Swim at University Challenge Cup & Canada Cup
The
UofL Pronghorn Swim Team was in action last week, in Toronto, for the University
Challenge Cup and the Canada Cup swim meets.
In October, the Horns Men’s team received an invite to compete at the
University Challenge Cup at University of Toronto. The invite goes out to the
top 8 teams from last year’s CIS results.
Although, the Horns were not ranked in the top 8 at last year’s CIS,
the Horns were given the last men’s team spot in the meet.
Head Coach Brad Mori explains, “For our group, this was a great opportunity to
get up and race in a CIS only situation and back to back race at the Canada Cup.
In Canada West Swimming, we don’t typically get many chances to race
against only university swimmers. Often times, we swim in club meets.
So, to have the opportunity to race against only university swimmers adds
to the CIS experience and better prepares our team for CW and CIS
competitions.”
“Having been selected as the last team, our goal for the meet was to beat at
least one team and mow down some CIS qualifying times.”
The Horns team, comprised of Jeffrey Nicol, Ryan Thornley, Mat Loyola, David
Errington, Tiha Konyves, Griffin Brown, Matthew Mastromatteo, Adam Krysiak,
finished ahead of University of Ottawa and University of Western Ontario in Team
Scoring. “I was pretty thrilled
about this, as both these Ontario teams have good depth and some studs” stated
Mori.
At the Challenge Cup, the Horns were not able to add any new CIS qualifiers, but
a few days later at the Canada Cup the team qualified four more swimmers.
From an earlier meet, already qualified were Jeffrey Nicol and Ryan Thornley.
Swimming to the CIS Standard in the 200m breaststroke were David
Errington and Mat Loyola. Adam
Krysiak swam a Personal Best in the 50m Breast to make the CIS standard.
Team Captain, Jessica Kelly had an inspiring swim in the 100m Fly final,
winning the consolation final and qualifying for the CIS Champs.
Both Nicol and JK missed school records by one tenth of a second in the
200 breast and 50 free respectively.
The Canada Cup was a National level competition open to CIS and non CIS athletes
of any age. “It was a quick
competition this year. Our
Pronghorns swam very well. The team is well ahead of, where we were at the same
time last year. With the depth of
the competition, we were not able to make as many finals as would have liked.
I know if our group had the opportunity to go again at night, it would
have gone from a good weekend to great.
LETHBRIDGE
FAST IN THE HAT!
On
the weekend both the LA Swim Club and UofL Pronghorns were in action at the
Medicine Hat Family Leisure Center for the AMAC Invitational.
The meet attracted approximately 300 swimmers from across southern
Alberta.
The 19 Lethbridge Club members clocked in 120 personal best times.
“This was a focal meet for our younger swimmers in the club and they
took the opportunity and swam with it!” For
many of the swimmers this was their first exposure to heats and finals format.
“It was good to see the new faces making into the finals and gaining
this experience.”
On the Podium for the Lethbridge Team were:
- Jordan
Calladine – 3rd 11-12 50m backstroke
- Seth Harasem-Mitchell
– 3rd 11-12 50m breaststroke
- Seth Harasem-Mitchell
– 3rd 11-12 400m freestyle
- Sarah Little
– 3rd 11-12 100m fly
- Sarah Little
– 3rd 11-12 100m freestyle
- Vincenzo
Sljuka - 3rd 13-14 100m IM
- Leah Troskot
- 2nd 50m Freestyle
- Leah Troskot
3rd 50m Backstroke
- Leah Troskot
– 1st 200m Freestyle
- Solen Wood
– 3rd 50m Backstroke
- Solen Wood
– 3rd 50m Breaststroke
Seven
UofL Horns took part in the Medicine Hat competition, earning 7 medals.
Griffin Brown led the way swimming to gold in the 50m, 100m, and 200m
freestyle events. Brown also picked
up a silver in the 400m freestyle. “Griffin
has moved himself to within striking distance of the CIS time standard, he also
qualified for this week’s Canada Cup in Toronto.”
The Horns are off to Toronto to compete in the University Cup Challenge and
Canada Cup meets. The University Cup
will be held at the University of Toronto will be a CIS preview with UofT, UofC,
UBC, UofA, McGill, Laval, and McMaster all in the house.
The Horns are currently ranked #2 in the country in the 4 x 50 medley
relay and look to challenge for the honors.
The Canada Cup is an Open National Level competition and will be held out
at the Etobicoke Olympium.
HORNS
RELAY BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD; Lethbridge Swimmers Fast in SASK!
On
the weekend the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and LA Swim Club members
took to the waters in Saskatoon, SK, for the Goldfins Invitational.
In total 28 swimmers represented Lethbridge Swimming at the weekend
competition.
In the 200 Medley Relay, the Horns team consisting of, Matthew Mastromatteo,
Jeffrey Nicol, Ryan Thornley, and Nick Van der Sloot, crushed the school record
previously held by Dan Killick, Brad Mori, JD O’Connel, and Jamey Robertson.
The previous mark was 1:48.61 set in 2001, and the 2011 team touched the
wall at 1:45.38.
“It was an exciting swim to watch. The
team has been close to taking the 2001 record of the board for the last couple
of years. I worked out the splits
before the race and said to the men, you should have this and then some.
This race was the opening swim of the Friday Night Finals and really set
the tone for the rest of the weekend” stated Head Coach Brad Mori.
The Horns won 31 individual medals including 12 gold.
Swimming to CIS qualifying times were, Ryan Thornley and Jeffrey Nicol.
The team has qualified 16 for the Canada West Swimming Championships in
January.
The LA club team swam equally as well, producing 110 best times and 33
individual medals. Making their way
to the podium were, Mary O’Neil, Vince Sljuka, Leah Troskot, Jordan Calladine,
Alex Cousineau, Joshua Freund, Kaelan Freund, Aidan Godwin, and Seth Harasem-Mitchell.
Vince Sljuka broke a 32 year standing club record in the 13-14 200 fly.
We had many swimmers team travel for the first time, and it was a great
experience for them in their development as swimmers and as people.
For Brooke Calladine, 8, years old, this was her competition ever.
Watching her anticipation for this event was like watching a child wake
up on Christmas day.
“We posted some really good individual swims this weekend.
In two weeks we will take the full team down to Medicine Hat, and in 3
weeks, out to Toronto for Canada Cup and University Cup Challenge in 3
weekends.”
LASC
Swim Club moves home and hosts Free Trial Week
LASC
Swim Club is moving back home to Max Bell Pool on October 31st.
To kick this off they will be hosting a Free Trial Week, Monday October 31st
through Friday November 4th at Max Bell located at the University of
Lethbridge. This week gives swimmers of all abilities and ages a chance to
come and try a night, or more, with the club, with a focus on the I Can Swim 3
and Competitive programs.
Not
only will swimmers get to meet the coaches and the other swimmers, but they can
also take the opportunity to learn about non-competitive vs competitive swimming
opportunities; as well as the different groups. LASC is pleased to offer
groups for everyone, from the beginners I Can Swim lessons to the Provincial and
Senior competitive swimmers, some of whom compete internationally, and
everything in between including triathlon swimmers.
Competitive
trials and I Can Swim 3 trials are from 5:30-6:30 pm. Pre-registration for
trials are required. Please call 403-329-2677 to pre-register and check out our
website for all of our registration forms if you already know you are planning
to join us!
Parents
are invited to come to the Viewing Area to watch.
The
team is open to registrations of all ages and abilities of swimmers, year-round.
LASC is one of the oldest swim clubs in Western Canada, bringing swimming to the
community for almost 75 years!
2011 Registration Information & Welcome Back BBQ
Sept 9 6-8pm
Troskot
& McAllister win 10 Medals at Western Canada Games; Freund competes in
Mexico
Over
the weekend Leah Troskot and Zack McAllister took to the waters in Kamloops at
the Western Canada Games. Both
posted impressive results!
Troskot, coming of an knee injury, swam very well brining home three individual
medals and two relay medals. In her
individual events Troskot accelerated to three silver medals in the 100
freestyle, 100 backstroke, and 50 freestyle sprint events.
All three swims were individual best times and new LASC 15-17 club
records. Paring up with 3 other team
Alberta members, the girls won the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays
holding of a hard charging team BC.
Zack McAllister, just off last month’s Para Can Am Gold performance, won 4
individual medals in the Para category. Brining
home silver in three events and a bronze, McAllister swam a perfect meet with 12
personal best times in 12 swims. Silver
medals were won in the 100 free, 100 back, and 100 breast.
In the 200 IM McAllister swam to bronze.
Lethbridge also sent Dr. Janice Harvey as the Team Manager.
Jan has also served on numerous Swimming Canada National Teams including
the Olympic Team.
Last
week, in Mexico, Kaelan Freund represented Lethbridge as part of Canada’s 90
member team at the North American Cup Challenge.
This competition was a
dual meet between the Americans, Mexicans, and Canadians. Freund swam 7 events
posting 4 personal best times. Freund
competed in the A final in the 100m breaststroke finishing 7th.
The Canadians won the dual in the pool.
In the photo you can see Kalean sitting, and standing beside Kaelan, is new
assistant Head coach John Calnan. Calnan
is set to join the LASC and UofL programs in September.
“These swimmers have had a fantastic summer of racing.
Anytime kids can make the Provincial team or National team they are going
to build character. These tours build confidence and ability to see the next
level of competition, or teach athletes how to adapt and handle various
competitive situations. The life
experience these swimmers have had because they can swim, is unbelievable, and
this is just the beginning for these youngsters!”
The LA Swim Club will be hosting a free trial September 12-16th.
Please visit www.lethbridgeswimming
for details. Start your Olympic
dreams now!
Lethbridge Swimmers Heat Up the Pool in
Quebec at National Events
The LA Swim Club has been in action 3
consecutive weekends in Quebec. Gatineau hosted the Can Am Swimming
Championships for Para Swimmers, Pointe Claire hosted the Canadian Summer
Nationals, and Montreal hosted the Canadian Age Group Championships.
At the Can Am Swimming Championships Zack McAllister was the team’s lone
representative. This competition is closed to only athletes with a
disability and also served as the Canadian National Team Para Selection for the
Pan American Games.
McAllister was golden in the 400m freestyle, with at time of 4:59 McAllister won
the S9 event category. He also swam in two other finals placing 4th
in both the 100 fly and 100 freestyle. “It was great to see McAllister
win, he deserves it. In June and July McAllister put together some really
good training sessions. And to top off his summer, today, Zack heads out
to Kamloops for the Western Canada Games!”
In Pointe Claire, 6 members Kyle Troskot, Rachel Nicol, Jeffrey Nicol, Jessica
Kelly, David Errington, and Kristy Gabruck represented the club. The
Summer Nationals attracted several other nations including France, Denmark,
Brazil and Mexico, making it a tougher event than expected. But this
didn’t stop Lethbridge contingent from advancing into the national finals.
In fact all 6 athletes posted at least one second swim.
Kyle Troskot was the top finisher placing 4th in the 50m Freestyle.
However, he was truly the Canadian National Champion as three foreign swimmers
touched him out for the medal placing. “This was a really good set up
meet for Kyle, as he is off to University Games in mid August. At this
competition he was unshaved, un-rested, and did wear any fancy suit, which leads
me to think he can get pretty close to the FINA “A” Olympic time standard
when shaved and suited up. It’s important for him to get close to the
FINA “A” this year to set himself up for the Canadian Olympic Trials next
spring.”
With a 6th place preliminary swim, Jeffrey Nicol advanced into the
“A” Final for the first time at a Canadian Summer National event. In
the 200m Breaststroke Nicol placed 8th with a solid performance
against a thick field of veterans. Nicol also posted an 18th place
finish in the 50m Breaststroke.
Younger sister, Rachel Nicol, posted two “A” Final swims. Placing 6th
in the 100m breast and 9th in the 50m breast. Nicol also set a
club record in the 200 IM placing 15th. “This was a
successful weekend for Rachel having taken some time off after World Trials to
complete High School studies and get refreshed for her Freshman year at
University and Olympic Season.”
Jessica Kelly and David Errington posted club records as they swam their way
into the Finals. “JK was incredible, she posted 8 best times, swam 4
Finals, and broke three club records in the 50 fly, 100 fly, and 50m backstroke.
Her top finish was 9th in the 50m backstroke, like Nicol, also a
first time National “A” Final. In the preliminary, Errington broke
Jeff Nicol’s 50m breaststroke record by seventeen hundredths of a second.
Errington placed 20th in the event.
Kristy Gabruck advanced to the B finals in the 50m breaststroke and C Finals in
the 100m breaststroke.
At the beautiful 10 lane outdoor Jean Parc-Drapeau facility in Montreal Aidan
Godwin, Kaelan Freund, and Vince Sljuka took to the waters in a meet that
attracted over 1700 age group swimmers 18 and under.
Over the 5 day competition, the boys combined for 13 personal best times.
Godwin posted three “A” Final appearances, all in his breaststroke
specialty. Godwin finished 9th, 6th, and 7th
in the 50m, 100m and 200m events respectively. “A really nice weekend
for Aidan, he has been diligent with stroke improvement over the year and it’s
paying off.”
Although he did not advance to the finals, Freund, (12) had a good meet.
He had to swim tough within the 13 and under age category. Freund’s top
finish was 18th in the 50m Breaststroke. In the 200 IM Kaelan
broke the LASC club record for 11-12 boys. Freund moves onto Mexico this weekend
for the North American Cup Challenge. This is a Swimming Canada
Junior/Youth Tour that focuses on the development of future Senior National Team
Members.
Sljuka (13) posted top 20 finishes in three events; 200 fly - 17th,
100 fly - 19th, and 400 IM - 20th place.
“This was is a pretty big meet this year with the numbers that attended.
It was a fast competition and our kids swam well. This meet was a good
building experience, in the sense of competitiveness. You must swim fast
in the morning preliminaries if you’re going to be around at night to race in
the “A” Finals. In Alberta these guys can typically move through the
heats fairly easily. This was a different racing condition and they
responded fairly well by posting preliminary best times.”
John Calnan to Join LA Swim Club &
Horns as Assistant Head Coach
The hiring of a full time
assistant Coach is now complete. I am pleased to announce John Calnan from
North York Ontario as the new assistant Head Coach starting in September.
John will replace Mike Pinder, who is resigning for Family priorities at the end
of the season.
John has been with full time with the North York Aquatic Club since 2005.
Last summer he represented Canada at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships and
this summer will join LASC’s Kaelan Freund on the North American Cup Challenge
Team in Mexico. He was awarded 13-14 male Swim Ontario Coach of the year
in 2010 and has stood on several Ontario Provincial Teams. Calnan is taking 27
NYAC swimmers to this summer’s Canadian Age Group Championships in Montreal.
He is working on completing NCCP Level 3/Competition Coach and has a Bachelor of
Applied Science Kinesiology degree from York University.
As a swimmer John swam 18 seasons the NYAC. In 2000 and 2004 Calnan
competed at the Canadian Olympic Trials. In 2004 in the 1500 freestyle
John was a Trials Finalist.
John will coach the Senior Group and LASC Varsity Group (new), assistant coach
the Pronghorns, and will serve as the I Can Swim Coordinator/Mentor Coach.
John will also be assisting the Head Coach with the day to day business
operations of the club.
Lethbridge
Swimmers take to the Podium at Alberta Provincials
The LA Swim Club will go back to Ft. McMurray and lay it on the line
anytime. To say the least, it was a
great week of racing for Lethbridge swimmers in the grand opening of the new 10
lane Olympic sized swimming facility.
Seventeen Lethbridge swimmers took to the waters at the Alberta Provincial
Championships. The team members were: Kiara
Bodell, Taylor Dixon, David Errington, Brittany Freund, Joshua Freund, Kaelan
Freund, Kristy Gabruck, Aidan Godwin, Jessica Kelly, Tiha Konyves, Zack
McAllister, Sarah Oldfield, Danielle Reid, Spencer Simkin, Vincenzo Sljuka,
Rachel Southern, and Kylie Warne.
Over the 4 day competition the team swam 112 individual best times, won 17
individual medals, 1 relay medal, and set 7 club records.
The team completed the goal of a top 10 combined finish.
Head Coach Brad Mori comments “This was a great team result for our group.
We had several key swimmers not attend the championships for various
reasons, so it put the pressure on the rest of the team to find a way to keep us
as a top 10 club in the Province.”
“It seemed like on almost every swim we had a kid move to the next level or
break through; be it a personal best, or a first time Provincial Championship
win, or first time podium, or a first time final, or a first time second swim.
Whenever there was a close race to the touch, we got it.
Also, it was fun to watch the team jell with this yearend team travel
component. 11 hour on a bus, 5 days
in Ft McMurray, and 11 more hours can really bring a group of kids together.”
Individual gold medals were awarded to Kaelan Freund for his 11-12 age category
400 IM and Jessica Kelly for her 15 & Over 50 backstroke.
Freund lead the race from the go and finished with a healthy lead.
JK as we call her, powered her way down the pool to an impressive
victory.
Winning Silver medals were: David Errington (50 Breast, 100 Breast), Kaelan
Freund (200 Fly, 50 Free) Kristy Gabruck (50 Breast), Jessica Kelly (100 Back,
50 Fly), Tiha Konyves (50 back) and the 200 Medley Relay Team consisting of
Jessica Kelly, Kristy Gabruck, Kylie Warne, Brittany Freund.
Winning Bronze medals were: Spencer Simkin (1500 Free), Jessica Kelly (50 Free),
Tiha Konyves (100 back), Kaelan Freund (200 IM, 50 Breast, 200 Breast), Kristy
Gabruck (100 breast).
The Provincial Championships only marks the beginning of championship season for
the LA Swim Club. Next weekend Zack
McAllister competes at the Para Can-AM Championship in Gatineau QB.
The Following weekend is the Canadian Nationals in Montreal.
Jeffrey Nicol, Rachel Nicol, Jessica Kelly, Kristy Gabruck, and David
Errington will take to the waters at a brand new facility in Pointe Clare QB.
The week of July 25th Aidan Godwin, Vince Sljuka, and Kaelan
Freund will be in Montreal for the Canadian 18 & Under Age Group
Championships.
Leah Troskot and Zack McAllister will represent Team Alberta at the Western
Canada Games in Kamloops in August. Kaelan
Freund will swim for Canada at the North American Cup Challenge in Mexico and
Kyle Troskot will compete at the University Games in China.
LASC
AGM & Director of Swimming/Head Coach Report
Calladine
Wins Gold; Relay team wins Double Bronze at Age Group Trials
On
the weekend four LA Swim Club members, Natalie Arnold, Jordan Calladine, Sarah
Little, and Dawn McIntosh, were in Medicine Hat for the Alberta Age Group
Trials.
This competition served as the last chance to qualify for the Provincial
Championships. In order to enter the
Trials, swimmers needed to achieve a Meet Qualifying Time in the 200 IM or 400
Free. From this meet, swimmers could
earn a birth to Provincials by winning an event or by making the respective age
group “A” standard.
“The team had a fantastic weekend,” stated Head Coach Brad Mori.
“The 4 swimmers produced 27 personal best times, and my really proud of
the relay performances.” The girls
teamed up to win two bronze medals in the 13-14 200 Free Relay and 200 Medley
Relay.
Jordan Calladine, swam to three individual medals in her backstroke specialty.
In the 50m, Calladine took gold in the 11-12 category.
In the 100m she won Silver and in the 200m she won Bronze.
With the win, Calladine advances to the Provincial Championship later
this month.
Dawn McIntosh also picked up an individual Silver medal in the 13-14 200 IM.
McIntosh finished with three more top 8 finals.
Natalie Arnold, just missed the podium with a 4th place touch in the
13-14 50m breaststroke. Arnold also
advanced to the finals in the 100m breaststroke.
For
Sarah Little this was her first Age Group Trial competition.
Gaining valuable competitive experience at her first provincial level
competition Little squeaked into the top 8 in the 100m breaststroke.
This
week the team heads south of the boarder for the Missoula Firecracker Meet.
LA Swim Club AGM *
POSTPONED UNTIL WED JUNE 22nd 7:30 PM
Agenda is as follows:
-
President's
Welcome and Report
-
Director
of Swimming/Head Coach Report Brad Mori
-
Treasurers
report for August 1, 2009 through July 31 2010 fiscal period.
-
Budget
for 2010/2011 year
-
Fee
structure for 2010/2011 year
-
Bingo
Report (Derrick Kanishiro)
-
Proposed
changes to Bingos for 2010/2011 year
-
Nominations
for Board and volunteer positions for 2010/2011 year
-
Election
of Board
-
Closing
remarks (Ralph Arnold)
Spring
Showers bring Fast Swimming for LA Swim Club Members
With four swim meets in the
last 4 weekend, it’s been a wet month for the LA Swim Club!
In early May, seven swimmers headed to Edmonton for the Keyano International
meet. The team, consisting of
Jeffrey Nicol, Spencer Simkin, Vince Sljuka, Brittany Freund, Kaelan Freund,
Joshua Freund, and Aidan Godwin, came away from the meet with 48 personal best
times. Kaelan Freund earned podium
performances in the 400 IM, 200 back, 100 fly, and 100 breast.
“This was an early long course season meet and the kids were just off a
two week Easter camp. At this point in the season we put emphasis on process
things like splitting tactics or technical control as opposed to the final time,
so to walk away with this may Personal Bests was impressive.”
In Mid May the team split sending the younger generation to the Nose Creek Swim
Association Corral City Classic in Calgary, and the senior swimmers to the Mel
Zajac International in Vancouver.
In Calgary, 17 swimmers produced 68 personals best times.
Making into the medal placing were Natalie Arnold, Madeline Bennett,
Taylor Dixon, Tyrone Moline, and Sarah Oldfield.
“The swimmers had significant improvements to say the least. Kai Bailey
dropped 70 seconds of his 400 free, Ailysh
Boras 29 seconds in the 200 free, Shalyn Boras had 30 Seconds off in the 400
free, Nicholas Davis took off 37 seconds in the 200 free, Rachel Jeffrey was 24
seconds faster in the 200 free, and Zoe Kanashiro was an amazing 23 seconds
faster in the 100 free”
In Vancouver, 4 swimmers (Kristy Gabruck, Aidan Godwin, Jeffrey Nicol, Spencer
Simkin) took to the waters. Both
Nicol and Gabruck earned top 8 finishes in this National level competition.
Gabruck had a great weekend setting several best times “in season”.
Her highest finish came in the 50 breast, with a 6th place
touch. Nicol placed 7th
in the 200 breast. 15 year old
Godwin posted the most best times of the bunch, with 5, and showed great
composure and promise in the 200 breast event. Aidan qualified for the C final
and moved up placing at night with a very controlled swim.
Last weekend the team was in Calgary for the Cascade Swimming International.
Eight swimmers had a very successful weekend earning 12 medals and 53
personal best times. “Again, it
was another good weekend of personal progression for our swimmers. Jordan
Calladine dropped 50 seconds in the 400 freestyle, Vince Sljuka was faster by 47
seconds in his 400 free, and Tyrone Moline was 43 seconds faster in the 200
free. Kaelan Freund was the team’s
top individual finisher with gold in the 200 IM and 50 breaststroke.
The team is now gearing up for championship season.
Next weekend Medicine Hat plays host the Alberta Age Group Trials.
The team will be represented by 4 swimmers, Natalie Arnold, Jordan
Calladine, Dawn McIntosh, and Sarah Little.
Later this month the team will be taking the trek up to Fort McMurray for
the Provincial Championships.
With four swim meets in the
last 4 weekend, it’s been a wet month for the LA Swim Club!
In early May, seven swimmers headed to Edmonton for the Keyano International
meet. The team, consisting of
Jeffrey Nicol, Spencer Simkin, Vince Sljuka, Brittany Freund, Kaelan Freund,
Joshua Freund, and Aidan Godwin, came away from the meet with 48 personal best
times. Kaelan Freund earned podium
performances in the 400 IM, 200 back, 100 fly, and 100 breast.
“This was an early long course season meet and the kids were just off a
two week Easter camp. At this point in the season we put emphasis on process
things like splitting tactics or technical control as opposed to the final time,
so to walk away with this may Personal Bests was impressive.”
In Mid May the team split sending the younger generation to the Nose Creek Swim
Association Corral City Classic in Calgary, and the senior swimmers to the Mel
Zajac International in Vancouver.
In Calgary, 17 swimmers produced 68 personals best times.
Making into the medal placing were Natalie Arnold, Madeline Bennett,
Taylor Dixon, Tyrone Moline, and Sarah Oldfield.
“The swimmers had significant improvements to say the least. Kai Bailey
dropped 70 seconds of his 400 free, Ailysh
Boras 29 seconds in the 200 free, Shalyn Boras had 30 Seconds off in the 400
free, Nicholas Davis took off 37 seconds in the 200 free, Rachel Jeffrey was 24
seconds faster in the 200 free, and Zoe Kanashiro was an amazing 23 seconds
faster in the 100 free”
In Vancouver, 4 swimmers (Kristy Gabruck, Aidan Godwin, Jeffrey Nicol, Spencer
Simkin) took to the waters. Both
Nicol and Gabruck earned top 8 finishes in this National level competition.
Gabruck had a great weekend setting several best times “in season”.
Her highest finish came in the 50 breast, with a 6th place
touch. Nicol placed 7th
in the 200 breast. 15 year old
Godwin posted the most best times of the bunch, with 5, and showed great
composure and promise in the 200 breast event. Aidan qualified for the C final
and moved up placing at night with a very controlled swim.
Last weekend the team was in Calgary for the Cascade Swimming International.
Eight swimmers had a very successful weekend earning 12 medals and 53
personal best times. “Again, it
was another good weekend of personal progression for our swimmers. Jordan
Calladine dropped 50 seconds in the 400 freestyle, Vince Sljuka was faster by 47
seconds in his 400 free, and Tyrone Moline was 43 seconds faster in the 200
free. Kaelan Freund was the team’s
top individual finisher with gold in the 200 IM and 50 breaststroke.
The team is now gearing up for championship season.
Next weekend Medicine Hat plays host the Alberta Age Group Trials.
The team will be represented by 4 swimmers, Natalie Arnold, Jordan
Calladine, Dawn McIntosh, and Sarah Little.
Later this month the team will be taking the trek up to Fort McMurray for
the Provincial Championships.
Swim
Club Members Named to Swimming Canada National Team Tours
This
summer Swimming Canada will have multiple tours abroad that include Youth aged
athletes right through Senior National team.
In the North American Cup Challenge, LA Swim Club’s Kaelan Freund and Rachel
Nicol were both selected. The NACC
is taking place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in early
August. The Canadian contingent will
be 64 strong. This competition
brings together the best 18 & under swimmers from Canada, Mexico and Western
United States.
For Freund, this will be his first international experience.
“These youth and junior tours are great opportunities for the younger
generation to build international experience and get accustom to the travel,
competitive pressures, and national team expectations that lie ahead at Major
Games.” This will be a fantastic
opportunity for Kaelan, plus his family will be making the trip to cheer on him
and the rest of Team Canada.
Rachel Nicol will be declining this tour for a Family Holiday and preparing for
University as SMU.
Based on his World Trials performances in March Kyle Troskot was named to the Universiade
2011. These World Student Games are
being held in Shenzhen, China mid August. Universiade
is one of the largest Games, in athlete numbers, next to the Olympic
Games. “This is a very competitive
meet and what a great experience for Kyle to have”
Both Leah Troskot and Zack McAllister have been selected to the Western Canada
Games Team. This event takes place
in Kamloops BC in mid August.
LA Swim Club Hosts Prospects West Swim
Camp and Dual Meet.
Starting today the LA Swim Club and University of Lethbridge Max Bell Aquatic
Center will be hosting the Prospects West Swim Camp and Tri Meet. This is
a 4 day event that showcases the best 13-14 year old swimmers from BC, Alberta,
Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Each western province, at their Provincial Championships, selected a 16 member
Provincial Team to participate in the camp. Lethbridge will be represented
by Aiden Godwin, who qualified for the team in the 200m breaststroke with silver
medal finish at the Provincials.
The camp experience is primarily a training/development opportunity for these
youth swimmers, preparing them for future National team Tours and protocols.
The swimmers are lead by Dave Johnson and Swim Canada’s Junior National Team
Coach Ken McKinnon. Each Provincial Team has supplied provincial coaching
staff. Also at their fingertips will be support staff in the areas of Nutrition,
Biomechanics & Video Analysis, and Sports Psychology.
The weekend is highlighted with a Tri meet on Saturday afternoon. Warm ups
are at 3:00 pm and Racing begins at 4:00 pm. Admission is free.
SPRING 2011 SESSION Information
-
Spring Session Begins April
11th for 9 weeks ending June 16th. (ICS off for Easter week)
-
Max Bell will Shut down May
1st. All Spring Programming will continue at Fritz Sick or Stan Siwik
Pools. Please see the Calendar
and the Information
Notice for more information.
Rachel
Nicol Named 2010 Alberta Athlete of the Year & National/Provincial Team
Announcements
Last weekend in Banff, Rachel Nicol was recognized as the 2010 Alberta Junior
Female Athlete of the Year. Last
year Nicol was Canada’s first gold medalist at the Youth Olympic Games in
China. “This is an outstanding
award to be nominated for and to receive, we are very proud of her
accomplishments.”
Today Swimming Canada announced its Junior/Youth ID team.
Lethbridge’s Leah Troskot was named to the team in the 4 x 100
Freestyle relay. This team
recognizes the top youth performances from the short course season.
Kaelan Freund and Tyrone Moline were recently named to the Swim Alberta Team
South Provincial team. LA Swim
Club’s Brad Mori also represents the club as a Provincial Stroke coach at this
event. The North vs South camp and
dual meet takes place in May at the Talisman Center.
The camp focus on accelerating the development of the best 11-12 year
olds in the Province. Swimmers
qualified based on their Provincial Championship results.
Freund was a multi medalist and Moline was a Bronze medalist in the
backstroke.
McAllister
Finals at Can AM Championships Minneapolis USA
Para athlete Zack McAllister recently returned from the Can Am swimming
championships in Minneapolis. This competition featured the best swimmers
with a disability from North America.
In his main event McAllister finished 5th in the 400m freestyle.
He was a finalist, top 8, in 4 of his 5 swims; 5th 100m fly, 7th
50m Freestyle, and 6th 100m Freestyle.
McAllister is a Canadian National Para Team Carded Swimmer and is looking to
qualify for the London Paralympics 2012.
Troskot
Wins Bronze at Swimming World Trials/Nationals
Last
weekend the LA Swim Club was springing ahead at the Swimming World Trials in
Victoria. Victoria’s coastal setting created the much needed atmosphere
for fast swimming. With the grass vibrantly green, the pink apple tree blossoms
in full bloom, and tulips bursting everywhere, the seven local swimmers were
much relieved to get away from the Prairie Winter storms!
Victoria’s Commonwealth Games Pool played host to the Canadian World Aquatic
Swimming Trials/Swim Canada Nationals. The winner and sometimes the second
place finisher were named to the Canadian National Team traveling to Shanghai,
China.
Leading the way for Lethbridge was Kyle Troskot, currently attending Texas
A&M University. On the final day of competition Troskot was pre ranked
2nd , behind Brent Hayden, in the 50m Freestyle going into the
finals. Troskot was determined to win a medal touching in 3rd
place behind Hayden, and Luke Peddie. Troskot also placed 4th
in the 50m Fly. “Over the year he’s put on good strength, his power
looks good; and if he can continue to refine the start and some of the technical
skills, he’s going to be a world player” stated Head Coach Brad Mori.
Jeffrey Nicol, UofL, placed 10th in his specialty, the 200m
breaststroke. This was a best time by almost two seconds. Nicol also
swam best times in the 200IM and 50m breast, notably breaking the 30 second
barrier for the first time long course. “It was a great weekend for
Jeffrey!”
David Errington, UofL, set three personal best times and posted a first ever
Olympic Trials Qualifying time in the 100m breaststroke. “His touch was
awesome; I love it when a swimmer passionately has the Tiger Woods fist pump
after a great swim!” Mat Loyola, UofL, also posted 4 personal best times
at his first Canadian National Championship.
For Tiha Konyves and Leah Troskot, LASC, this was also their first senior
national competition. They each performed very well posting 4 out of 5
best times in their respective events. “It’s always great to see the
new qualifiers swim at the meet for the first time. They go from being big fish
at the local market to, small fish in the big sea… it’s a great learning
experience. Both handled themselves well.”
Rounding out the Lethbridge contingent was Rachel Nicol, who was just off form.
Nicol has been busy finishing her grade 12 year and has just signed with
Southern Methodist University for next fall. “I expect to see her bounce
back this summer now that the recruiting trips and the academic workload is
completed,” said Mori.
Lethbridge had 3 other qualifiers for the Trials who did not attend, Kristy
Gabruck, Jessica Kelly, and Ryan Thornley. “This takes us up to 10
qualifiers. This is remarkable for a smaller city. It shows the strength
of the program and sets the expectation for the next crop of Lethbridge
Swimmers.”
The LA Swim Club has a free trial week next week April 11-15 at the UofL.
Swimmers should be able to swim basic freestyle and backstroke to begin the
Spring Session. Please visit www.lethbridgeswimming.com
for more information.
FALL
2012 SESSION Information
| 7-9
am UofL 6 Lanes Stan Siwik Mon - Sat |
| 2-3:30
pm UofL 6 Lanes Stan Siwik Tues & Thurs |
| 3:45-5:30
pm Senior 3 lanes Fritz Mon - Fri (2 lanes last 15 minutes) |
| 4:30-6pm
Provincial 2 lanes Fritz Mon - Fri |
| 5-6
pm LASC Junior Provincial & Tri Group 2 lanes Fritz Mon - Fri |
| 5-6
pm LASC Olympic Way & Tri Group 1 lane Fritz Mon - Fri |
| 5:15-6
pm ICS 3, 1 lane Fritz Mon & Wed/Tues & Thurs |
| 6-6:45
pm ICS 2, 1 lane Fritz Mon & Wed/Tues & Thurs |
| 6-6:45
pm ICS 1, 1 lane Fritz Mon & Wed/Tues & Thurs |
| 7:30-10
am SR 4 lanes Fritz Sat |
| 8:30-10
am PR & JP 2 lanes Fritz Sat |
| 5:30-7
am SR & PR 4 lanes Tues & Thurs |
LASC
Swimmers Win Provincial Swimming Medals
On the weekend seven LA Swim Club members competed at the Alberta 14 & Under
Provincial Championships. Calgary’s
newly renovated Talisman Center served as the venue for the event.
“The new look at the Talisman center created a new upbeat atmosphere in an old
building. Everyone swam very well
and not just our team”, stated Head Coach Brad Mori.
Leading the way for the Lethbridge contingent was Kaelan Freund.
Freund was outstanding producing medals in every individual event he
raced. Swimming in the 11 & 12
year old category, his highest placing was second in the 50m breaststroke, then
took 6 bronze medals in the 200 fly, 200 IM, 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 breast,
and 100 IM.
Aiden Godwin 14, who is new to the Club, formerly a summer swimmer with the
Lethbridge Orcas, had a fantastic weekend. Godwin
posted 100% best times and won two provincial medals.
Godwin placed second in the 200 breaststroke, in a well played race, and
picked up bronze in the 50m breaststroke. He
also posted his first ever Western Canadian
Qualifying Time.
“The Summer swimming league is a great program for introducing the sport and
for learning how to race on demand. Once
you discover you have talent, make the switch over to a year round program to
really see what you can achieve. Godwin
made this transition perfectly.”
Tyrone Moline was not to be left out of the medal count.
Seeing his friends winning medals through the weekend inspired him to win
one as well. On the final day,
Moline won the bronze medal in the 11 & 12 year old 50m backstroke, his
first provincial medal ever.
Vince Sljuka also posted points for the team.
Swimming in the 13/14 category, Sljuka posted Personal Bests in each of
his races. On his opening swim he
posted his first ever Canadian Age Group Championship Time Standard.
This qualifies him for the Championship meet in Montreal this summer.
Joshua Freund who just aged up into the 11/12 age category swam a great weekend.
Joshua posted top 16 swims 7 events and had multiple best times.
Brittany Freund and Jordan Calladine represented the girls team.
Freund posted point scoring swims (top 16) in the 100 back and 100 IM
finishing 11th and 10th respectively.
Calladine set personal bests in 4 of 6 of her preliminary events but, in
her down year of the age group category was unable to advance to the finals.
Lethbridge finished 10th in overall team scoring.
LA Swim Club SPRING & SUMMER CALENDAR
UPDATE
Updated March 16, 2011
LA
Swim Club Shines at Western Canadian Championships
The LA Swim Club and U of L Pronghorns
recently attended the Canadian Western Swimming Championships.
The LA Swim Club was represented by 4 swimmers; Kristy Gabruck, Leah
Troskot, Tiha Konyves, and Rachel Nicol. The
Horns sent; Spencer Simkin, Alex Cousineau, Jessie Olsen-Heisler, Matthew
Mastromatteo, Roger Hanna, Adam Krysiak, and Logan Whyte.
The Canada Games Complex in Kamloops once again proved to be a fast pool for our
team.
Leading
the way for the Lethbridge Swimming contingent were Leah Troskot, Rachel Nicol,
and Tiha Konyves. Nicol won a pair
of silver medals in the 50m and 100m breaststrokes. Nicol was also a finalist in
the 200m breaststroke. Troskot won
silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 100 backstroke.
Leah had top 8 finishes in each event she competed which accounted for 6
LASC club records. Konyves, earned a
silver medal in the 50m backstroke and not to be out done by Troskot also set 6
new LASC club records.
The Horns were able to add a pair of CIS qualifiers.
Matt Mastromatteo and Jessie Olson-Heisler both posted CIS qualifying
times in the 50m backstroke vents.
Last weekend at the Alberta Age Group Trials, the LA Swim Club was represented
by Kai Bailey. Bailey
swam to 7 personal best times and posted a top 8 finish in the 100m
breaststroke.
This Week Rachel Nicol is in Indianapolis for the US Grand Prix.
This meet features many of the top American swimmers with a strong
Canadian contingent also entering the meet.
Next weekend, the team will send seven representatives to the 14 & Under AB
Provincials in Calgary. Kaelan
Freund, Josh Freund, Brittany Freund, Jordan Calladine, Tyrone Moline, Aiden
Godwin, and Vince Sljuka each have medal opportunities based on pre rankings.
The remainder of the team will swim at the one day “Olympic Long Course”
Pronghorn Classic at the University of Lethbridge.
KONVYES QUALIFIES FOR WORLD TRIALS/NATIONALS
Southern Alberta Winter conditions did not put the
freeze on LA Swim Club team members this past weekend. In two
separate competitions the club posted excellent results.
At the Alberta Senior Provincial Championships, Medicine Hat, Tiha Konyves (17),
swam his way to a National qualifying time in the 100m Backstroke. “This
was a great swim for him. He has been showing pieces of this swim for half the
season. It was nice for him to put the whole race together and make his
first ever National Time Standard.” With his new time standard achieved,
Konyves will join 9 other Lethbridge swimmers, Jeffrey Nicol, Rachel Nicol,
Kristy Gabruck, Leah Troskot, Ryan Thornley, Jessica Kelly, David Errington, Mat
Loyola, and Kyle Troskot at the World Aquatic Trials/Nationals in April.
Nine swimmers represented the club at the Senior Champs. Blake Andre,
Kiara Bodell, Brittany Freund, Kristy Gabruck, Aidan Godwin, Zack McAllister,
Sarah Oldsfield, and Danielle Reid. “For the level of fatigue the kids
are feeling, we had some good swims on the weekend. Bodell blasted best
times in each of the 6 events she competed” stated Head Coach Brad Mori.
At the Okotoks Aquatic Center, the fifteen and under aged swimmers took to the
waters. Natalie Arnold and Sarah Little both posted their first ever
Alberta Age Group Trials (AAGT) Qualifying Times. “This was exciting
news, Arnold has been striving for this all season and Little came out of know
where to make the time!” The AAGT is the first level of Provincial
Meets. Both Arnold and Little join Kai Bailey and Dawn McIntosh as the
team’s AAGT representatives.
Kaelan Freund won three individual events (11-12 age group), 50 back, 100 fly,
and 100 breast. Madeline Bennett was the team’s other event winner,
earning gold in the 10 & Under Age Group 100 m fly.
Josh Freund picked up a pair of bronze medals (200 IM & 50 back) and a
silver medal in the 200 back.
Jordan Calladine won silver in the 200 m backstroke, while Arnold won bronze in
the 100m breaststroke. The team was represented by fourteen swimmers.
“We had a great weekend in Okotoks, lots of improvements by each of the
swimmers.”
The LA Swim Club and Pronghorns now get set for Championship season. In
two weeks is the Western Canadian Championships, Kamloops BC; in three
weeks, the CIS championships, Calgary AB and AAGT, Edmonton; in five weeks AB 14
& Under Provincials, Calgary; in 8 weeks World Trials, Victoria, BC.
Jessica Kelly and Jeffrey Nicol Earn Podium Spots at Can West
Heading
into the conference championships at UBC in Vancouver, the Pronghorn swim team
had set goals individually and as a team. As a team, the Horns wanted to
move up the standings on both the men’s and women’s side.
The men did move up one spot from last year’s performance, moving up to 5th
with 279 points, while the women’s side finished with 181 points, also fifth
in Canada West, the same place the team finished last year in Lethbridge. Host
UBC Thunderbirds won both the men’s and women’s team titles.
On the individual front, the Horns earned three conference medals this past
weekend, led by double medalist Jessica Kelly. The 18 swimmers the Horns sent to
the Canada West Championships set 57 personal best times and swam exceptionally
well as a team.
Kelly earned two bronze medals in the 50 and 100 meter fly events, and in both
events Jessica established new school
records. She also picked up a fifth place finish in the 100 meter backstroke.
Jeff Nicol, who won two medals last year in his home pool, returned home with a
silver medal in the 200 meter breaststroke and was just short of breaking his
own school record he had set earlier this season. Nicol also finished fifth in
the 100 breast stroke.
Mat Loyola (50 & 200 meter Breaststroke) and David Errington (200
Breaststroke) both earned qualifying times for the CIS Championships. Mat
finished 6th in both distances, while David also finished 9th
in the 200 meter breaststroke.
“I’m ecstatic with the team performance this weekend, this is our best
Canada West Championships in my 6 seasons as Head Coach,” said Head Coach Brad
Mori. “Both teams finished 5th. “This was our team goal
from the start of the year. Going into the competition we were ranked 6th
behind the Manitoba Bisons. On paper I thought they had us, but our
swimmers swam great. They raced the moments, taking care of individual
performances, leading to a fantastic team result.”
Matthew Mastromatteo, Jessie Olson-Heisler, Roger Hanna, and Adam Krysiak inched
closer toward a CIS qualifying time and will have two more opportunities to
reach a CIS qualifying time. The Western
Canadian Championships in Kamloops a week prior to the CIS Championships will be
the last opportunity for these swimmers to make qualifying times.
The CIS Championships will be hosted by the University of Calgary Dinos February
25-27.
January Winter Session Information
Merry
Christmas & Enjoy the Holidays
JEFFREY
NICOL BREAKS HORNS SCHOOL RECORD AT
CANADA CUP
Nine
Lethbridge Swimmers from the Horns and the LA Swim Club competed last weekend at
the Canada Cup competition in Toronto, Ontario.
The meet attracted over 400 nationally ranked swimmers and a few
international swimmers.
“Overall the team swam very well” stated head coach Brad Mori.
Jeffrey Nicol had a fantastic result in the 200 Breaststroke breaking his own
Pronghorn school record by over a second. “It
was a well paced race, and the extra morning workouts are paying off.” Nicol
also posted significant best times in the 200 IM and 50m breaststrokes. Jeffrey
placed 10th in the 200 breast and 14th in the 50m breast,
after winning an exciting swim off to get into the final.
Younger sister Rachel Nicol, was the team’s highest finisher, placing 7th
in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events.
“This was a good weekend for Rachel. She lifted herself in the right
moments, to perform close to personal best times.”
Kristy Gabruck and Jessica Kelly moved up into the consolation finals.
Gabruck had a great meet swimming lifetime best times in all 5 of her
events. She placed 12th
in the 100 breast and 15th in the 50 breast.
Kelly is quickly approaching Pronghorn Records in several events.
She finished 14th in the 50 backstroke.
Rounding out the team were David Errington, Adam Krysiak, Ryan Thornley, Mat
Loyola, and Tiha Konyves. Each made
personal improvements but, were not able advance to individual finals.
The LA Swim Club will be off to Victoria in a few weekends to compete at the
Christmas Cracker or to the Santa League meet in Okotoks.
Para Swimmer, Zack McAllistar will be in Toronto next week for the Can-Am
Swimming championships for swimmers with a disability.
LA SWIM CLUB HOSTS SUCCESSFUL FALL CHALLENGE
SWIM MEET
On
the weekend the LA Swim Club played host to over 200 Swimmers from across
Alberta. With the University of Lethbridge as the venue, Lethbridge
swimmers dove into the waters with fantastic results.
The LA Swim Club was represented by 47 swimmers. The team won 34
individual events and placed in the top 3 medal spots 75 times. In team scoring,
the LA Swim club finished third behind Medicine Hat’s Alberta Marlin Swim Club
and Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club.
Placing in the Top 3 where: Blake Andre, Natalie Arnold, Kiara Bodell, Jordan
Calladine, Taylor Dixon, Brittany Freund, Joshua Freund, Kaelan Freund, Kristy
Gabruck, Aidan Godwin, Rachel Jeffery, Tiha Konyves, Dawn McIntosh, Tyrone
Moline, Rachel Nicol, Sarah Oldfield, Sydney Postmus, Danielle Reid, Ryan
Rideout, Vince Sljuka, Rachel Southern, Leah Troskot, David Zhang.
Five swimmers made their very first competitive swimming debut, Rebekah Kroker
(15), Kevin Oh (12), Joel Pollock (9), Ermia Sadeghi (11), Nicholas Davis (12).
“It’s always a thrill to see the new swimmers race at a meet for the first
time; the greatest moment being when a swimmer touches at the end of a race and
with a beaming face looks up to the stands for their parents and teammates.
Congratulations Rookies!
On the Pronghorn front, 3 swimmers Jeffrey Nicol, Jessica Kelly, and Ryan
Thornley posted CIS national championship qualifying times. Fourteen Horns
qualified for the Canada West Swimming Championships.
“I was very pleased with the overall performances of both programs this
weekend. LASC posted 195 best times and the Horns had 31 personal bests.
Many of the senior swimmers are way ahead of where they were at this point last
season. These results are very encouraging for the coaches and
athletes.”
“A” Provincial Qualifiers will compete early next month in Calgary at the
Cascade Speed Meet. The full team will be in action again in late November
at the AMAC invitational.
LASC Fall Challenge October 16 & 17
|