Something to think about

At Grand Prix this weekend we saw that Canadian swimming is coming along nicely. There were some very good results for this early in the season and there was a lot of depth shown on the womens side. The men however are still looking very average but you can see some young guns starting to make a move looking to break on to the national scene.
We saw a huge upset in the mens 1500 this weekend. National record holder (the only Canadian under 15:00 long course) added over 30 seconds and Frances Zuccaro took off 19 seconds to take the gold medal. With Canada looking to send a strong womens freestyle relay to the Olympics this summer the sprint freestyles were quite week showing that the door is wide open for a new young gun to step onto the scene. And freestyle as a whole along with IM were very average this weekend.

It will be interesting to see who steps up and takes these spots. It could be anyone!!

Bell Grand Prix Alberta results and national records

The Bell Grand Prix was hosted this past weekend at the Etobicoke Olympium and there were some very good results only 3 months into the season. The meet was held with short course preliminaries and long course finals to help the swimmers prepare for Olympic Trials. Alberta age groupers stood out Lori Kremer and Deanna Mathews of OSC broke a hand full of provincial records. Lori broke the 100 fly both short course and long course with a long course time of 1:03.17 and also broke the 200 fly both short course and long course with a long course time of 2:17.60. Deanna also broke the provincial record in the 200 back both short course and long course with a long course time of 2:16.93 good for 3rd place. And finally Rachel Nicol of Lethbridge broke her 50 and 100 m breast stroke records in the finals with long course times of 1:11.33 in the 100 and 33.16 in the 50 both long course.
Other great swims included 1 new national record. Elizabeth Wycliffe broke the 200 meter backstroke record short course with a 2:07.05 and had a fantastic 100 back with a time of 59.85.
For a full list of results check out http://www.swimming.ca/liveresults/BGP_TO_07/

5 KM pool chamionships

We had a great distance challenge Saturday November 17th and I am looking forward to seeing how everyone stacked up against the rest of the country in the 5 KM championships. There are many challenges when taking on an event such as a 5KM swim or any distance swim that you have not done many times before. Everyone did very well and at the same time many left saying that they could have done better. That is a great attitude, it demonstrates a lot of pride and a desire to succeed. That attitude can take you a long way. This goes the same for all those who completed at 3 KM swim or a 1500. All of you did very well.

Stay posted for links to the results so that you can see where you stacked up compared to the rest of the kids in your age group.

Congrats!

Poppy

In 2007 the Poppy was back at Kinsmen with 496 swimmers but not without it's fair share of controversy. 8 lanes, 16 lanes, no lanes. And all because some little swimmer said "the sky is falling, the sky is falling". None the less everyone, from swimmers, parents and coaches responded with nothing but their best and we had some wonderful successes from top to bottom. And it all went off without a hitch, thank you to everyone, it could not have happened without you. The coaches and the 56 Silver Tide swimmers who competed are very grateful as to how well it went.

By now you have already seen the great results that we put up with all of the medals, aggregates and 66% best times. Olivia A and Sarah L achieved their Age Group Trials standards and we had many more swimmers come ever so close to achieving new Age Group Trials, Age Group Champs and Senior Champs qualifying times. There will be plenty of new qualifiers shortly. Also, a big highlight was to see: Jaeden and Liam S, Sarah L, Caylee K, Caleb J, Matthew W, Shelby B and Megan W compete for the first meet in the Silver Tide colors. Seeing such a big group of swimmers from all levels see so much success made the long days well worth while. And to see 56 swimmers decked out in their new Silver Tide tracksuits or other apparel all at the same time was a beautiful thing to see.

More than the great results the thing that I thought was even more special was to see everyone in the club interact with some of the swimmers that they do not get to train with on a regular basis. It is such a bonus to see the senior swimmers interacting with and setting an example for the young up and coming swimmers. It makes the team so much stronger. The tide is high and still climbing. This great start has the makings of a very successful season.

Next up for the Tide is the 5 KM pool championships and then we will be sending another huge group of 50 swimmers to JP Fiset. Should be a great time.

Thanks for reading!

5KM pool championships

This Saturday we are having the 5km pool championships and I feel that a number of you can do very well in this competition. If you prepare for it like you would any other race the results may surprise you. Thank you in advance to all parents who are able to help out with counting and officiating.

All of the results will be posted on the swim Canada website and you will be able to see where you stand across the nation. Doing well here is a big step towards being a strong contender on both the provincial and national swim scene.

Good Luck!

Some Halloween fun that many missed out on!!!