Making great strides
Swimmers dive into opening season event in Summerside
More than 100 swimmers jumped into the Credit Union Place pool in Summerside for a fun event on Saturday.
“It’s a great way to start our swim year,” said Summerside Dolphins vice-president Bill Meisner. “It gets two clubs from the Island out, with a huge participation.”
The Summerside Dolphin Swim Club and the Charlottetown Bluephins Aquatic Club gathered for the annual Swim P.E.I. Homecoming Fun Meet, which was followed by the Swim P.E.I. awards presentations in the Veterans’ Convention Centre.
Swim P.E.I., which is the provincial sport organization, sponsors the fun meet. “We’ve had a cannon ball and noodle contest, and some 25-metre free and back laps, but it’s really a day to get the younger swimmers involved,” Meisner said.
All abilities
The opening-season swim is geared for swimmers of all ability levels, as well as an introduction to competition in a fun atmosphere.
“We have a Canada Games medallist swimming, right down to the five-year-olds,” he added.
Tom Ponting, head coach of the Bluephins and UPEI Panthers, says his expectations are one step ahead.
“There’s a difference between the provincial, regional and international level of swimming, and some of the 15- and 16-year-olds are starting to see this and race against people who are gong incredibly fast.” He continued, “And you have to figure out your next step when racing.”
Ponting won a silver medal
in the 4×100 medley relay at both the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as well as a bronze medal in the 4x100 medley relay at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
“Having gone through that minefield myself, I can help the parents and the swimmers on their path to success,” he said. “And one day we are really going to hit the ball out of the park. We had a great swim season last year.
“Lots of provincial records were broken in P.E.I., and we had the Island’s only medal at the Canada Games from one of
our swimmers.”
Alexa McQuaid, 15, of the Bluephins, captured a silver medal at the 2016 Canada Games in the 50-metre breaststroke.
McQuaid shares this special accomplishment with her mother.
“We were training all summer about six times a week, and it’s pretty cool that my mother also won the same silver medal 32 years ago also in the summer,” she concluded. The swim season will wrap up in June 2018.