Yellowknife swimmers just posted their best performance at Alberta provincials since before the pandemic, their coach says.
Louisa Henry won bronze medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke as she qualified for next month’s Best of the West Fest, a championship meet in Winnipeg that will feature western Canada’s fastest swimmers.
Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club coach Sam Barkwell said she also broke the open club record in the 100m breaststroke – at the age of 12.
More broadly, Barkwell said, “Every single athlete had a top-15 finish, which is awesome with how deep and how impressive the swimming is.”
Omran Ghuneim placed in the top 10 across the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, Barkwell said, while Spencer Nelson hit personal bests in all of his swims – including top-15 finishes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke – and Josephine Henry had three top-10 finishes, including sixth in the 50m backstroke.
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All four were competing at Alberta’s provincial championships for the first time.
Barkwell described the event as “one of the fastest provincial championships in the country.”
“It’s a really great stepping stone for those athletes that are pushing towards future success at the national level, so it was great that we had four athletes qualify to go this year,” he said.
The swim club now benefits from the use of Yellowknife’s aquatic centre, a $70-million investment that opened last year, replacing the smaller Ruth Inch Memorial Pool. Barkwell said the results in Alberta were a testament to the impact of the new facility.
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“We were sort-of hitting our head against the wall in terms of available pool space at Ruth Inch,” he said.
“The new facility has allowed these kids to train at a level this year that is more competitive with what their counterparts to the south are training at.
“That’s reflected in the results this season, and it’s a really awesome indicator for our momentum going forward.”
Barkwell added the larger facility also means “more space than ever to bring in new swimmers.”
He said anyone interested in having their child join the competitive swimming program can visit the club’s website to find out more.
