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DOMINANCE 鈥� Members of the Glacier Bears swim team pose for a group photo at the Nanaimo RipTides invitational Swim Meet in B.C. The team posted 158 personal bests in 184 races and reached the podium 26 times over the two-day meet. Photo courtesy of Kat Zrum
Eighteen Glacier Bears traveled south on the weekend for the Nanaimo RipTides Invitational Swim Meet.
Eighteen Glacier Bears traveled south on the weekend for the Nanaimo RipTides Invitational Swim Meet.
Led by coaches Kat Zrum and Shereen Hill the Whitehorse swimmers were on the podium 26 times over the two-day meet.
It was the first time the Glacier Bears participated in the invitational, which featured a 50-metre course.
The longer course didn't slow down the team as they posted 158 personal bests in 184 races.
After training in a 25-m long pool, the Glacier Bears embraced the longer distance.
"Some of the younger kids told me after their races, 鈥榃ow, this is so fun, even though it's longer than our pool, we get to do less turns so we feel like we go quicker,'鈥� said Zrum.
Zrum said the team was boosted by the camaraderie that accompanies traveling in a large pack and the cheering parents that lined the stands.
"There's so much synergy with having 18 swimmers there,鈥� she said.
"As a group we don't always travel together but they really gelled and we were really supportive of each other. It was a great way to finish out the season.鈥�
Eleven-year-old Luke Bakica and 12-year-old Taylor Harvey were standouts, making the finals in all eight of their events.
Erin McArthur made it into seven finals while Taylor Campbell also put in a strong performance, swimming her way into six finals.
The meet finished up the swim season for the majority of the team, but a few members, including Harvey and 12-year-old Jane Lyon, had their seasons extended by posting Swim B.C. AA qualifying times.
"Jane created her swimming plan and put it into action. It was very impressive to see,鈥� said Zrum. "It's pretty good to go out for one of your first big meets and do that well.鈥�
In the ten and under division, top performances came from Thomas Bakica who posted two second place finishes, four third place finishes and one fourth place finish.
Brooklyn Massie, Hannah Kingscote and Aidan Harvey also turned in impressive performances.
"It was great to see the maturity of the kids and their focus in the pool,鈥� said Zrum.
With strong performances from across the board, the future looks bright for the
young team.
Zrum said the Glacier Bears are hoping to return to the meet next year.
"It was such a good meet and got a wide range of ages swimming,鈥� she said.
"I think it was a big positive hit for everyone.鈥�
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