The Trail Stingrays Swim Club made a splash at the Regional Swim Meet in Castlegar on the weekend.
Six swimmers as well as every Stingray relay team qualified for the B.C. Summer Swimming Association’s provincial championship in Victoria next week by placing in the top-3 in their division.
“The Stingrays had a fantastic performance in the regional championship swim meet this past weekend in Castlegar,” said Stingrays coach Samme Beatson. “I am very proud of the teams performance. It was great to see all their hard work pay off.”
Logan Blair led the way for the Stingrays placing first in Division 6 boys 50-metre butterfly, 50-m freestyle, and 100-m freestyle, while taking second in the 100-m butterfly, and will compete in the provincials Aug. 21-23.
For most swimmers, even those who qualify for provincials, the Regional competition is the final swim meet of a busy and competitive season.
The swim club has faced unprecedented challenges the past two years, but the Rossland coach keeps her focus on the swimmers and ensuring the club remains viable, despite the divisive politics of Greater Trail municipalities.
“I think the most important part of coaching a summer club is to make sure it’s fun while the kids learn new skills and stay active,” Beatson said “If you’re doing it right it should definitely feel more like play than work.”
For Beatson, who will also compete in the provincial swim meet, individual results are satisfying, but success is measured by more than just medals.
“I hope the swimmers had as much fun as I did this year and hopefully they have found a sport that will keep them healthy, motivated and happy for years to come.”
In Div. 5 boys, Diego Greenwood raced to first in the 200 metre Individual Medley, 100-m freestyle, and 100-m backstroke, and took home bronze in the 50-m freestyle. Juliana Zhou placed first in the Div. 4 girls 100-m breaststroke, second in the 100-m backstroke, and third in the 50-m butterfly and 50 freestyle.
Fionn Miller placed third in the Div 1 boys 50-m backstroke. Maddy Fraser placed third in the Div. 3 girls 50-m backstroke. Reuben Demmler placed third in the Div 2 boys 50-m breaststroke.
All of the Stingray relay teams qualified for provincials by placing first or second in their events. The Div. 2 girls relay team consisting of Olivia Bruce, Indigo Miller, Sydney Dobie, and Ines Boiridy-Graves placed first in the medley relay and second in the freestyle relay.
The Div. 3 girls medley relay team also captured gold with the combined efforts of Maddy Fraser, Avery Zanussi, Paige Marrandino and Lea Boiridy-Graves. The boys Div. 5 relay team consisting of Fionn Miller, Reuben Demmler, Ripley Shubert and Diego Greenwood placed second in the medley and freestyle relays, while the Div. 8 women’s relay team with Keandra Billingsley, Juliana Zhou, coach Samme Beatson, and Kayla Fraser on the freestyle team and assistant coach Jennifer Chung on the medley team, placed first in both relays.
