Photo by Photo submitted
STARTING BLOCKS 鈥� Ten-year-old Aidan Harvey of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears prepares for the start of a swim at the 2012 Christmas Cracker Invitational in Victoria, B.C. Photo by SIMON BLAKESLEY
Swimmers show improvement in Victoria
Eleven Whitehorse swimmers improved on their seasonal-best times at the Christmas Cracker Invitational at Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, B.C. last weekend.
Eleven Whitehorse swimmers improved on their seasonal-best times at the Christmas Cracker Invitational at Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, B.C. last weekend.
"It's our favourite meet of the year,鈥� said Whitehorse Glacier Bears head coach Stephanie Dixon. "It's targeted to be a fun meet, but with some very fast swimming. It's really a unique combination.鈥�
The Glacier Bears swimmers ranged from 15-year-old Haley Braga, who competes at the national level, to nine-year-old Thomas Bakica.
"It's not a championship meet, but it's definitely an opportunity to go and do seasonal bests,鈥� Dixon said. "A lot of the time they do personal bests, especially the younger swimmers.鈥�
The young Whitehorse swimmers relish the chance to compete against different athletes, Dixon said.
"It's a fantastic meet because you have 10-year-olds 鈥� we had a nine-year-old there 鈥� and there's also Olympians. There was five Olympians there,鈥� she said. "For our young guys, it exposes them to some really fast swimming, but the pressure isn't too great. It's kind of the best of both worlds.鈥�
In the spirit of the season, Christmas crackers were given out to heat winners, and Santa Claus and the Grinch made celebrity appearances.
Dixon said the trip was "great for team-building.鈥�
Yukon swim 麻豆社区MacKenzie Downing made an appearance at the meet to cheer on the young swimmers.
"That was awesome,鈥� Dixon said. "They just totally lit up as soon as she walked on the deck. She continues to be a mentor for them.鈥�
Ryan Cochrane, a silver medal winner at the 2012 Olympics in the 1,500-metre freestyle, was also on hand.
Swimmers in attendance included Luke Bakica, Thomas Bakica, Matthew Blakesley, Haley Braga, Emily Crist, Aidan Harvey, Taylor Harvey, Benjamin Janzen, Shailyn Moore, Dannica Nelson and Caelon Workman.
"All of the swimmers did amazing for different reasons,鈥� Dixon said.
Luke Bakica and Blakesley are both becoming leaders at a young age. Both 12-year-olds took times off their races en route to qualifying for the AA championships.
Nine-year-old Thomas Bakica just missed a AA time of his own.
Clubs from Edmonton and two from Vancouver also competed at the local Island meet.
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Kelly Juhasz on Dec 15, 2012 at 5:11 am
Congratulations Whitehorse Glacier Bears! Wonderful photo Aidan! Keep up the great work Coach Dixon. Wishing all of the team personal bests and making AA's and AAA's in the upcoming meets.