Barracudas host provincials this weekend

The top youth swimmers in the province will be in Swift Current this weekend for the Saskatchewan "A" Provincial Championships & Junior Cup.

Every swimmer in Saskatchewan who has achieved 'A' level status has been invited to attend the meet. The Swift Current Barracudas Swim Club is hosting the event and will have 13 swimmers compet- ing. Megan Hodgson, Faith Biem, Blake White, Kyle Kissick, Quinn Mittelholtz, Griffin Duncalfe, Elliot Duncalfe, Stephanie Saemann, Aiden Burns, Kaitlyn Burns, Brydan Neufeld, Dakota Mulhall, and River Mulhall will all swim in their home pool for the Barracudas.

Head Coach Gary Cheung expects that approximately 150 swimmers from across the province will participate in Provincials this weekend. The Barracudas also hosted Provincials last year.

"This is definitely a big thing for our club because we have never done anything big like that before. When I first got on board with this club I asked the board why not host an event like this? It would be quite inspiring for the club and for the whole province as well. We need to promote the sport of competitive swimming," said Cheung.

"It has been exciting," said Cheung of his second season in Swift Current. "Last season we ended up having only four ManSask qualified swimmers. This year we are up to eight, so we have pretty much doubled the qualifiers we have on the team."

The Barracudas swimmers will be looking to achieve their 'AA' times, which would qualify them to swim in the ManSask championship in July in Winnipeg.

"One reason is a lot of swimmers they have seen what they are capable of," he explained. "For a little guidance, show them this is the way, this is the door they have to walk through. Of course they are the ones that have to put in the hard work to get to where they are, which I have been reminding them all season

SSlong, you need to put in the hard work."

Cheung said that the goal this weekend is twofold, to win races and to achieve fast times.

"My emphasis for my swimmers is usually that you have to beat your personal best, that's the basic goal," he explained.

The meet begins Friday at the Swift Current Aquatic Centre at 5:35 p.m. Action gets underway on Saturday and Sunday at 8:35 a.m. each day.