The Golden Dolphins are prepping for a busy season ahead, with co-head coach Savannah King saying the team is quickly making up for lost time after a full season out of the pool.
“All the kids were very eager to get back at it,” said King.
“They wanted to be in the pool last year. We were all disappointed, but this year, having a season, it’s amazing.”
King says that there’s work to do after the extended nearly 24 month layoff from in-pool training, but that she’s confident the athletes can get over the hump.
Since it’s still early season, there was going to be work to be done anyways, even if there was a season last year, as the lack of an indoor facility means that swimmers normally have an extended off-season in the winter months anyways.
While some may still be a little green to the swim program, King says the athletes are willing to put in the work and time to get caught up.
“It’s early season, there was going to be some work to do regardless, that’s always the case,” said King.
“But they’re all just so eager to learn and just be there and have, they’re all really enjoying themselves.”
King also says the Dolphins are hoping for an indoor facility sometime in the future, so that kids can stay in the water year round, calling it a “great investment” into making sure that kids are water-smart.
For King and her co-coach Brad Crocker, the long layoff from 2019 may mean making some adjustments to their program to reflect the reality versus their expecations, but the pair are confident they’ll be able to adapt on the fly, especially as restrictions ease province wide.
“There’s always going to be challenges, even in a normal season,” said King.
She says the Dolphins swim club is working towars competing with virtual meets this summer, where teams across the province share times through the Summer Swimming Association.
As things start to open up, they are also hoping to compete in person, with King saying that the team is even hoping to host a meet in Golden once restrictions allow, possibly in July.
“We’re not holding our breath for a very large meet, but even to have a regional sized event, it would be amazing and so good for the kids,” said King.
“It gives them something to look forward to and work towards.”
While registration filled up quickly, as things reopen, spaces may begin to open in the program.
