The Salmon Arm Sockeyes Swim Club competed in the Regional swim meet in Kamloops this past weekend. The smoky air meant that the meet was moved from Brock Pool, which is an outdoor pool, to the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.
The Salmon Arm Sockeyes had 47 swimmers participate in the regional meet, some for the very first time.
The regional swim meet is the qualifying meet for the BCSSA Provincial Swim Meet that is also being held in Kamloops, Aug.18 to 20.
The top three finishers in every individual, as well as the top two relay teams qualified for provincials.
Each swimmer can only swim four events at a regional meet. Out of the 47 swimmer, 15 qualified for provincials in individual events.
Max Calkins, Eric Moore, Julianne Moore, Matthew Bushell, Tyler Bushell, Emma Levins, Claire Hall, Emma-Leigh Chapman and Benjamin Novakowski qualified in all four of their individual events.
Aden Nadrozny and TJ Howard qualified in three events.
Brayden Gilliam, Bree Cooper and Matthew Nesdoly qualified in two events each and Bradley Zurowski qualified in one event.
The Sockeyes also qualified nine relay teams for provincials, one being a division-one girls Medley Relay, made up of three swimmers that competed at regionals for their first time.
It was swum by six-year-old Olivia Worton (backstroke), eight-year-old Vienne Bredick (breaststroke), eight-year-old Katy Calkins (butterfly) and seven-year-old Ali Nadrozny (freestyle).
Both Julianne Moore and Matthew Bushell beat long-standing Sockeye club records. Moore surpassed a record held since 1996 by Andrea Lazzarotto in the Division 4 Girls 50-metre freestyle swimming with a blistering 28.79 seconds.
Bushell beat Pete Wilkins’ record in the 100-metre free from 1997 with a time of 1:00.83.
Bree Cooper broke Suzanne Wuolle’s record from 11 years ago in the Div/ 7 girls 50-metre butterfly with a time of 29.84 seconds.
The regional swim meet is the last of the summer season for most swimmers and Tanya Bushell, mom of three young Sockeyes, summed it up best, “At the regional swim meet this weekend there were lots of personal bests, but also tears shed over goals not met – but in the end, they learn from it, pick themselves up and try even harder.”
