It was a good learning experience.
That is how the coaching staff and the swimmers of the Barrhead Swim Club characterized their first swim meet of the season.
On Nov. 18 and 19, 11 members of the swim club’s competitive program took part in a nine-team swim meet in Edson, finishing seventh out of nine teams.
“I am really happy with how we performed, especially for many of our kids, it was their first swim meet,” said head coach Gerald Jenkins, noting he did not actually attend the meet in order to give his junior coaches Rylyn Laing and Elizabeth Kletzel more experience. It was the first time Laing and Kletzel took an active coaching role at a swim meet.
He said he was especially pleased with some of the younger swimmers, singling out Ryan Boutilier, 11, and Fletcher Greenstien, 9, who finished first and third respectively in the 25 metre backstroke for their age groups. Boutilier also finished seventh in the 25 metre butterfly and fifth in the 25-metre freestyle.
“As a coach when you watch them come from where they are struggling a bit to where they are shinning, it is just a beautiful feeling,” he said.
Although Kletzel was pleased with how the team performed as a whole, she said the most important part of the competition was just being able to participate.
“It was all about learning, whether you are a coach, like myself, who had never assumed a full coaching role at a meet or one of our swimmers coming back after a three year break or their first time at a meet,” she said, adding Edson was the perfect meet for them to start the season. “It is one of the smaller meets [and venues, sporting a five lane competition pool] and it has a really great atmosphere.”
Kletzel noted because of the pool’s size, not only does it limit the number of competitors, but it also brings teams closer together literally and figuratively.
“It is really cozy and that really helps team bonding,” she said.
Sydney Miller, 12, said she was happy to be able to compete again as part of the club. After the old pool closed she started competing as part of the Westlock Gators in their summer swimming program.
“It was really fun and I am happy with how I swam,” she said, noting she competed in seven events placing placed seventh in 50 metre butterfly, sixth in 50 metre breaststroke and 100 metre backstroke, fouth in 100 metre breaststroke.
For Ashlee Laing, 14, Edson was the first time she has swam competitively in three years.
“It was kind of hard because I haven’t been at a meet for so long. I didn’t have everything down pat, but I got better as the meet went on,” she said, adding she did all of the strokes, back, fly, breast and freestyle. “I didn’t finish as I hoped, but that’s OK because I got back into the pool and had a lot of fun hanging out with my friends and all the other teams.”
Colby McCarthy, 10, also said having fun was the most important part of the weekend, noting that to help him do so he had his teammates write something on his back.
“It said, “eat Colby’s bubbles,” because I wanted people who I was passing to be able to read it,” he said. McCarthy placed seventh in 50 metre breastroke and 50 metre free style, fourth in 25m butterfly and 25m breaststroke and second in 25m freestyle.
As for what is next for the club Jenkins said they are hoping to go to Ponoka in early December.
“It is a closed meet, meaning it is invite only and we are a new team in that we haven’t been on the circuit for three to four years, so not everyone remembers us.”
