Ten swimmers with the Langley Olympians Swim Club have been recognized for their achievements during what has been a difficult year due to pandemic restrictions that closed local pools.
Ella Belgica, Isabella Brunoro, Aiden Erickson, Lelia Fack, Sienna Harder, Bailey Herbert, Piyush Kaul, Hugh McNeill, Sam Park, and Katie Schroeder have been recognized and targeted by Swim BC for the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific for their achievements this year and for their ongoing commitment to training and their pursuit of athletic excellence.
READ ALSO: Golden: LOSC swimmers Herbert, Schroeder and McNeill finish first and often in Victoria
It represents recognition of the potential displayed by the young competitors, LOSC head coach Brian Metcalfe explained.
“It shows kids that are on track,” Metcalfe told the Advance Times.
“It’s testament to the hard work they do.”
The Canadian Sport Institute Pacific provides Olympic and Paralympic daily training environments to elite athletes and coaches in British Columbia.
It hasn’t been a great year for the Langley club, which has had to struggle to find pool time for training and is still waiting for word on exactly when the Walnut Grove pool, their home base, will open in the new year.
“We’re down about 70 percent of our members,” Metcalfe said.
READ ALSO: Meet the BC coach and swimmer of the year, both from the Langley Olympians Swim Club
In November, Metcalfe and LOSC swimmer Bailey Herbert received two top awards given by Swim BC for the 2019 – 2020 season.
Herbert was named Provincial Female Swimmer of the year and Metcalfe was named Provincial Male Coach of the Year. Instead of the usual in-person awards, recipients were named online over several days during the week of Nov. 2 – 6 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
It was the first time the awards, which are based on performance, have been handed out by Swim BC, the provincial sport organization and governing body for competitive swimming in the province that includes more than 100 clubs and four university teams.
LOSC is one third through their 2020 – 2021 season and is looking to sign up swimmers. They will be offering 30 per cent off family membership fees and fundraising fees in the new year.
The club offers programs for swimmers four to 18. Minimum requirements are for swimmers to be comfortable in deep water and be able to swim 25 metres on their front or back.
Please call 604-532-5257 or visit their website at www.langleyolympians.com for more details.
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