The Waveriders showed hard work pays off in a six medal showing at the Provincial Tier II championships in Victoria last weekend (July 6-8).
Paralympic swimmers Hannah Trimble and Logan Godsoe led the way with three medals apiece; while Audrey Jespersen, Billy Swyers and Garnet Currie all scored personal bests against the top racers in B.C.
Godsoe, 16, won a silver in 100-metre backstroke, another silver in 50-metre freestyle and a bronze in 200-metre individual medley.
“It feels really good,” Godsoe says of his medal winning performances.
“Before I started swimming, I didn’t medal in much.”
Hannah Trimble, 14, was equally pleased with her medal haul.
She credits dedication for a silver in 400-metre freestyle as well as bronzes in 50- and 100-metre freestyle. “I was practising four days a week for an hour each day,” Trimble says. If she keeps at it, she might be able to meet her goal of making it to the 2020 Paralympic Game in Tokyo.
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One of the Waveriders’ bright young stars, Billy Swyers, competed in the 50- and 100-metre freestyle events, as well as the 100-metre backstroke, securing a personal best in the 50.
The 14-year-old finished the 50-metre freestyle with a western qualifying time of 26.79 seconds.
His coach Jeritt Brink complimented Swyers’ “crazy kicking power.”
Swyers says it’s important to have faith in yourself.
“It’s intimidating once you get there and there are thousands of kids, but you get over it once you go there a few times.”
He has now competed at six provincial championships.
Garnet Currie, 18, is no stranger to big meets.
The Victoria competition will be his last with the Waveriders and the he says “it’s a little bittersweet.”
Currie managed to secure three personal bests and went to the finals in the 100-metre butterfly, placing 14th in a tough field.
“He was impressive and always a treat to watch in his butterfly sprint events,” says Brink.
“His nice technique was even admired by swimmers who raced faster than him. He just has amazing underwater kicks.”
Making the University of British Columbia swim team is Currie’s next goal, and he plans to keep swimming through the summer in order to realize it.
Also at the meet was Audrey Jespersen, 15, who managed two personal bests in the three events she competed in.
Jesperson went to the finals in 50-metre freestyle and qualified for the Western championships to boot.
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