Mackenzie Padington amassed five medals and teammate Conner Skuse claimed two golds and two silvers last week as the Campbell River Killer Whales swimming club competed in the five-day AAA Provincial Championship meet in Victoria.
The five-day meet, held in record-high temperatures, included both pool and open-water disciplines.
The Killer Whales delegation included 20 swimmers, who placed eighth overall and fourth in the women’s team standings while facing more than 750 swimmers from across B.C. and the Yukon Territory.
In addition to the strong showings by veterans like Padington and Skuse, the Killer Whales got a promising glimpse of the future from some of their younger competitors.
Brooke Wegner and Kara Beauregard combined for seven medals, and shared the podium in both the 200-metre butterfly and the 800-metre freestyle. Beauregard rewrote the club 10-and-under record book with new record times in every event she entered, and Wegner won both the 100 and 200 butterfly.
On the boys side, Carson Dunn enjoyed a breakout meet with medals in the 50 breast stroke and the 200 individual medley in the 11-under class.
“Carson found himself moving up in the rankings all weekend by taking off big chunks of time in every race he swam,” Killer Whales coach Darryl Rudolph said.
The girls 13-14 relay team of Jasmine Skuse, Cianna Dunn, Malayna Beaudin, Jamiliya Wellard and Emmy Stapff teamed up to claim silver in the 4×50 medley relay and bronze in the 4×200 freestyle relay.
“The competition in this category was very competitive and the Killer Whales showed once again that they were one of the top teams in the Province,” said Rudolph.
The final day of competition was given over to open-water racing on Thetis Lake, a new experience for many of the swimmers. The races, open to competitors 11 to 19 years of age, ranged from one to five kilometres in length.
“Some of them were a little timid at first, as the course was quite daunting,” said Rudolph. “But the timidness went out the door once the race started.”
Paddington claimed bronze in the 15-over 5K race, and the Dunn and Skuse siblings combined with Beaudin for six top-10 finishes.
Six swimmers qualified for the national championships July 26 in Quebec City — Paddington, Conner and Jasmine Skuse, Cianna Dunn, Wellard and Beaudin.
The Killer Whales will begin their next season sessions this September. Those interesting in joining the program or seeking more info may visit www.crkw.ca.
