The Salmon Arm Sockeyes recently had their last swim meet with head coach Jordyn Konrad (on deck, back right), who is leaving for Ontario to further her boxing career. (Brad Calkins photo)

Salmon Arm Sockeyes offer fond farewell to head coach and longtime member

Jordyn Konrad leaving swim team and city to further boxing career

The Salmon Arm Sockeyes aren’t just saying goodbye to this summer’s swimming season.

In addition to celebrating the end of their 2021 swim season, coach Trinity Blacklock said the local swimmers are saying farewell to head coach Jordyn Konrad. A part of the Sockeyes for 25 years, first as a swimmer and later as a coach, Konrad is heading to Ontario to continue with her boxing career, training for the next summer Olympics.

To close off the swim season, the BC Summer Swimming Association recently hosted a regional celebration in Kamloops, where swimmers from across the region competed. Blacklock said the Sockeyes swam hard and showed great team spirit, winning the meet overall.

For some Sockeyes, this was their first swim meet ever. For others, like Konrad, this was possibly their last, said Blackock.

For their final week of the season, the Sockeyes have planned several team-building games, as well as “bring a friend to swimming” days. These days offer swimmers a chance to show the sport they love to their friends, as well as to open the door to potential new Sockeyes.

“As the Sockeye family continues to grow, it will never forget Jordyn and the impact she has made on her swimmers, the team, and the community as a whole,” said Blacklock. “As she goes forward, the team sends her off with love but also with a reminder: wherever she may journey in this big ocean of a world, she can always come home, much like a sockeye, to our little river bed of Salmon Arm.”

For more information, visit the Salmon Arm Sockeyes website or Facebook page.

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