Nine members of the RiverMonsters swim club attended the Chilliwack Stingrays’ meet last weekend, getting valuable experience for upcoming club, regional and provincial meets.
Friday’s overnight deluge prompted the set up of tens of canopies at Chilliwack’s outdoor Rotary Pool, though the weather improved steadily into Sunday’s final rounds. The canopies will still be needed at the Agassiz meet this weekend, though rain is nowhere in sight.
“It’s highs of 31 degrees in the forecast, both days,” said club president, Catherine Freimark on Tuesday. “We have 22 swimmers going and multiple families will be camping there.”
Winning in cuteness factor were the age 6 and under “minis,” who can be assisted in the water by a coach or other capable swimmer. Hope’s minis included Azarie Khan, Samuel Au-Yeung, Lucas Reist and Issah Malang. Assistant coach Taylor Lees helped on some races, as did club swimmers Danika Hope and Violette Freimark.
Freimark won the club’s only individual top finish on the weekend, with a 48.44 time in the Division 2 girls 50-metre breast-stroke. She also had seconds in the 100-metre individual medley (1:33.36) and the 50-metre freestyle (36.06).
She was looking at a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle but made a costly error at the start.
“She slightly wiggled on the starting block. You have to be very still, so she was disqualified,” said Mom, Catherine. “She would have set a provincial-qualifying time if she hadn’t been Dq’d. It’s a good lesson to learn, though — and better to learn it now.”
Four Hope girls teamed up for a first in the Division 3 200-metre freestyle relay, with Ayesha Malang and Violette moving up to join Div. 3 swimmers Avery Loring and Danika Hope.
Eli Reist added to the medals with a third place in the Div. 1 boys 50M free, in a time of 46.43.
The RiverMonsters are sure to go to the provincial finals in Surrey, August 18-20, as they already have one provincial qualifying time and are very close on two or three other times, said the club president.
