By Eliza McGuire, Revelstoke Aquaducks
The Revelstoke Aquaducks enjoyed a fun-filled meet this weekend in Golden. Once the swimming was done for the day on Saturday, all the teams enjoyed a fun dress-up relay, with teams ranging from Superheroes to Greek gods and goddesses to Spice Girls. However, the fun was not done there — the Ducks and the Dolphins engaged in a water fight soon after the relays ended (with the Ducks clearly victorious despite a severe disadvantage in numbers) and a movie to end the night.
Even with all this extra distraction, the Ducks still remembered what they went to Golden to do — swim fast and have fun racing. Many children won aggregates as a result of their efforts in the pool. Autumn Griffith-Doyle (Division 1 girls bronze), Zach Veninsky (Division 1 boys bronze), Sara Supinen (Division 3 girls silver), and Logan Marcolli (Division 4 boys bronze) all won their first podium finish for over-all points.
Other aggregate winners were Kayln Gale (Division 1 girls gold), Madeline Hobgood (Division 1 girls silver), Murdoch Tegart (Division 1 boys silver), Devyn Gale (Division 2 girls silver), and Megan Hoshizaki (Division 2 girls bronze).
Tye Hoshizaki, after years of winning silver and bronze aggregates won a gold aggregate in Division 2 boys. Kale Jay won a silver aggregate for the same division and his brother, Alex, won gold for Division 3.
Completing the sweep of the Division 4 boys and girls from Revelstoke were Colm Molder (silver), with his first aggregate of the season, Nolan Gale (gold), Beth Granstrom (gold), Brynn Hoshizaki (gold) and Kate Granstrom (bronze) with her first aggregate of the year as well.
But this meet held more firsts than podium finishes. Division 1 boy Zach Veninsky swam his first 100 meter individual medley without a disqualification; 6 & under Yorke Parkin swam his first 50 meter freestyle on a relay without assistance, and 6 & under Norah Painter swam her first 25 meter event without someone in the water with her. 6 & under Cecelia Hobgood swam not only the 50 meter freestyle, but also her first 50 meter backstroke on her own and without disqualification.
The end of the Golden meet signals the beginning of challenge week, the hardest week of training and activities of the club’s season, which this year starts with a full triathlon and ends with the trip to the Salmon Arm meet next weekend. The Salmon Arm meet is the last meet before regionals, which are being held in Kelowna this year, and determines who qualifies for the BCSSA Provincial Championships, which will be held in Kamloops in mid-August.
