More than 400 young swimmers from across the Fraser Valley were joined by 32 not-so-young parents in the water last weekend at the 2012 Haney Neptunes Invitational Swim Meet at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre. While the younger athletes swam in pursuit of personal bests, the adults swam in a parents-only relay in support of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Neptunes’ coach Nathan Stein, a member of the 2012 Canadian Paralympic swim team set to compete in London this summer.
“The parents relay was really a highlight of the meet,” said Jennine Benoit, Director of Swimming for the Neptunes. “It was amazing to see the level of participation, especially from those parents without a swimming background.”
The Neptunes’ home meet allowed all to showcase their talents.
“Our younger athletes from all age categories consistently placed in the top-ten across each event,” said Matthew Torres, head swim coach for the Neptunes. Torres attributed the success of the Neptunes to the dedication of the young athletes, who train for up to eight hours per week, jumping into the pool as early as 5:30 a.m. for practice.
“We’re looking forward to a great season,” said Torres. “We hope to place in the top-ten as a club at provincial championships held in Nanaimo this August.”
The club’s next meet is this weekend in Agassiz.
sports@mapleridgenews.com
