New pool, new coach, new heights for Yellowknife swimmers

For years, Yellowknife swimmers trained in a crowded pool with limited lane space and practice times, making it difficult to keep pace with larger clubs across Western Canada.

One year after the opening of the Yellowknife Aquatic Centre and the arrival of a new head coach, the Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club is seeing the results. 

At the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Open Championships (ManSask) earlier this month in Saskatoon, six Polar Bear swimmers competed against some of western Canada’s top athletes, with every swimmer earning multiple top 20 finishes in their age categories.

Several cracked the top 10, while Spencer Nelson claimed silver in the 200-metre breaststroke and bronze in the 100-metre breaststroke.

Twelve-year-old Louisa Henry emerged as one of the club’s standout performers, winning four silver medals and two gold while posting two times ranked among the top five in Canada for her age group. 

Head coach Sam Barkwell says those results are the product of a full year of growth, driven by improved training opportunities and a belief that northern swimmers can compete with anyone. 

“I think it’s a big testament to a year of growth for the team with the opportunities the new aquatic centre afforded us,” Barkwell told Cabin Radio. “Getting those kids more training hours was essential to their success this year.”

Barkwell joined the club last year after coaching in Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick. When he came across the opportunity to lead the Polar Bears alongside the opening of the new facility, he saw the chance to build something special. 

“The excitement of the new aquatic centre opening and the opportunity to build up the performance level here is exactly the sort of thing that gets me excited,” he said. 

The biggest change, he says, has been space.

At Yellowknife’s former Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, limited lane availability meant the club couldn’t offer the amount of training competitive swimmers needed to keep pace with southern programs.

The new aquatic centre has expanded pool time for performance athletes, allowed the club to welcome more than 25 new members, and made it possible to offer additional programming, including a new masters group launching this fall. 

Beyond simply adding more practice time, the new facility provides competition-quality starting blocks, touchpads and improved lane conditions. 

“It allows us to host competitions that other teams from outside of the territory are now interested in visiting,” Barkwell said. “We have a lot of interest next year from clubs in Alberta and Saskatchewan to come compete here.”

‘I haven’t laughed this hard’

For sisters Josie and Louisa Henry, who’ve both trained at the old and new pools, the difference has been noticeable. 

“Since there’s so much more space in the new pool, we’ve definitely had a lot more practices added,” Louisa told Cabin Radio. 

“The blocks at the old pool were kind-of sketchy, so I’m glad we have new ones,” Josie added. “The touchpads are really, really good.”

But both swimmers say the biggest factor behind the club’s recent success has been Barkwell himself. 

“He definitely focuses a lot on technique, but then he adds so much more fun to the practices,” Josie said. “I always find myself laughing. I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard any season. I’ve definitely seen lots of improvement from him.”

“He knows how to talk to you after a bad race or after a good race,” said Louisa. “He just knows a lot about swimming, and it’s really helpful.”

Barkwell believes the relationship between coach and athlete is just as important as the facility. 

“It takes a really hardworking kid and coach-athlete relationship when you believe it can happen,” he said. “We have several kids in the program who aren’t willing to be limited by a stereotype about what’s possible in smaller communities with sport.”

Competing from Yellowknife still comes with challenges. Every major competition requires expensive travel south, often arriving just a day before racing begins. Even so, the club’s swimmers are proving they can compete with much larger programs. 

“I definitely feel proud,” Josie told Cabin Radio. “Even though I’m from a small town, I can still compete.”

Louisa says many athletes they meet are surprised to learn Yellowknife even has a competitive swim program.

“People ask if we even have a pool,” she laughed. 

With a modern facility, a growing membership, and athletes already climbing the national rankings, Barkwell believes the next step is clear. 

“We’ve had some awesome performances at the provincial championship level and now this summer in Saskatoon,” he said.

“Now we want to make sure next year we’re setting kids up to compete at the national level against the best in the country.”