Brassard, Palaschuk making a splash with Dolphins
Cassie Brassard and Brian Palaschuk have a shared passion for swimming that has already paid off.
The members of the Regina Optimist Dolphins swim club have been identified as members of Swim Saskatchewan’s high-performance team. Brassard, 16, recently competed at the Paul Bergen Junior International short-course championships in Portland, Ore. Palaschuk, 14, was a member of Saskatchewan’s team at the 30th annual Youth Cup in Toronto.
“I love being in the water,’’ Brassard said when asked what she likes about competitive swimming. “I love the environment and the team aspect. It’s not a huge part, but the training is so much better with a team. It has just clicked for me.’’
Palaschuk likes the sense of accomplishment that can take place after a strong swim.
“Being on the podium is probably the best feeling,’’ said Palaschuk, who along with Brassard is competing this weekend in the Prairie Cup at the Lawson Aquatic Centre.
Palaschuk reached the podium four times during the Youth Cup, which was open to swimmers aged 17 and under. Palaschuk finished first in both the 1,500-metre freestyle and 200m freestyle and third in each of the 400 IM and 400m freestyle. Successful swims like that are among the reasons why Palaschuk attends 5:30 a.m. practices and returns for an afternoon session after attending Grade 9 classes at Riffel High School.
“Even if I get second or third, it inspires me to try harder to get the guy who finished ahead of me,’’ Palaschuk said. “The success also helps because you get to attend camps like Prospects West where you get exposed to some of the national-team coaches. You get to talk to them and see what it takes to get to the next level. It takes a lot of dedication to do that. You have to devote your life to it.’’
Brassard has already done that. She started swimming with the Dolphins as a five-year-old and has progressed through the competitive ranks. At 13, she was the youngest member of Saskatchewan’s team at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island.
“I was almost two or three years younger than anyone else,’’ said Brassard, who is in Grade 11 at Riffel. “Still, it was an amazing experience and lots of fun.’’
Brassard didn’t medal at the Paul Bergen meet, which featured an international field of elite swimmers. She qualified for finals in four individual events and was fifth in both the 100m backstroke and 800m freestyle. Brassard set a Saskatchewan record en route to a sixth-place finish in the 200m backstroke. Brassard had participated in previous Bergen meets, but found this year’s experience to be different.
“I was more relaxed than I normally am,’’ Brassard said. “I’m usually pretty tense, but I was calm and ready to go. I really enjoyed the experience and I wasn’t stressed out about it.’’
Brassard has earned medals at national events such as the age-group championships. As a 15-year-old, Brassard was first in both the 100m and 200m backstroke and second in the 50m backstroke at the 2011 age-group championships. That type of performance helped her through some of the challenges that take place in competitive swimming.
“When I do have setbacks, like every athlete does, you have to keep pushing because you know that success will come in the future,’’ Brassard said.
Palaschuk quit hockey at age 10 to take up swimming. He became interested in the sport after watching swimming in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Palaschuk’s ultimate goal is to compete at the Summer Olympics, but he understands reaching that goal takes a great deal of dedication and sacrifice.
“I do have less time to do other things, but it feels good because we are competitive,’’ Palaschuk said. “Sometimes it’s hard getting up for a 5:30 a.m. practice. Other times it’s not as bad. There are people who want to do other things, but I’m pretty committed to the sport. It’s a sacrifice, but it’s worth it because I get to travel and all that kind of stuff.’’
The high-performance team is to be recognized today prior to the start of the finals at 5:25 p.m. The Prairie Cup runs through Sunday.