Bree Cooper returned home from Vancouver with five medals, including four silver, in the Senior Open Provincial Championships last weekend.
On the opening night, Cooper swam to a silver medal in the 50-metre butterfly event.
She was back on the starting blocks within eight minutes after winning her first medal, and went on to win her second silver medal of the night in the 100-m breaststroke.
Cooper completed her medal haul on the second night with a silver in the 50-m breaststroke, and then grabbed her fourth silver of the championships in a come-from-behind swim, after qualifying seventh in the 100-m butterfly.
Thomas Flahr also made the trip to the pools at the University of British Columbia, competing in his first senior championships.
Despite a few impressive swims, Flahr was unable to qualify for any of the finals as the competition featured Canadian national team members.
Flahr showed great resolve on the second day of the championships when he battled for a B final swim in the 50-m breaststroke moving up to thirteenth place.
In the process, he qualified for the Western Canadian Swim Championships as a senior swimmer in Winnipeg.
Flahrs’ hard work this season has seen him become a dominant swimmer within the Okanagan region, and is now a presence on the provincial scene.
Flahr became the fifth Salmon Arm swimmer to qualify for a national meet in
the past two weeks.
Cooper and Flahr will continue to train in preparation for upcoming meets.
Cooper will head to Toronto April 1 to 4 for her first ever Canadian Trials. The trials will determine the team for the Pan American Games in Toronto this summer, and the World Aquatic Championship in Kazan, Russia.
Flahr will continue training for upcoming Summer Provincials held in Victoria, and then will turn his attention to Winnipeg for Western Canadians. Training requirements will intensify for a number of the Selkirk youth swimmers as more swimmers are meeting national standards and representing Salmon Arm at the Provincial and National Championships.
