The Island team was in synch at the B.C. Summer Games.
Local synchronized swimmers struck gold in the pool, with first-place results in both team and individual competition.
Some of the big winners were the members of the Tier 4-5 team, including Nanaimo Diamonds members Jenna Krawchuk, Camrynn Myronuk, Hannah Proud and Maya Scott-Bradley of Nanaimo and Paige Wilson of Cedar, who swam with Parksville’s Julie Preston and emerged with gold.
Scott-Bradley said her team was nervous leading up to the Games because it knew that the Fraser Valley entry had swimmers with national experience.
“We trained really hard because we knew that they were going to be there, and we were trying really hard because they were really good,” she said.
Scott-Bradley said her team tried to give something extra and managed to do just that, when it mattered.
“I think we all agreed that we had our best run-through of the whole year…” she said. “So we were pretty proud of ourselves and it was a really nice moment when we got the scores.”
She said sometimes the Diamonds swim like six soloists, but they swam as a team at the Games. They kept their patterns close and executed their routine.
Winning in their home pool was special for the local girls.
“It was definitely nice to have it in our pool because it felt like less of a competition and more having fun,” Scott-Bradley said.
Also winning gold at Beban Pool was Nanaimo’s Emily Duff, who was part of a Tier 2-3 team along with Kaitlyn Aylesworth, Sidney Demuth, Marina Hurst and Mara Lambert-Wilson.
Island synchro swimmers also won gold medals in the Tier 2-3 duet and in figures, and Krawchuk won a silver medal in figures.
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