The Crowsnest Pass Piranhas had a wet ‘n’ wild swim season this year and team coach Heather Dutton said that it was a very respectable year.
The Crowsnest Pass Summer Swim Club, (also known as the Pass Piranhas) headed to Regionals this past weekend, in Lethbridge, a competition that the team of young swimmers have been preparing for all summer.
“We’re hoping for lots of best times this weekend,” said Dutton, explaining that most kids on the swim team are on a “down year”, which means that they are on the younger age range of their age group. “That makes it tough,” she said. “It makes it more difficult for them to qualify for provincials but some of them can still make it.”
There were 17 swimmers from the swim club signed up for the weekend, a small number compared to the 225 total competitors, many of whom from Lethbridge.
Eight teams from Southern Alberta will be competing in the Regionals.
I’m hoping to have at least five kids qualify for Provincials,” Dutton said, adding that the team has a good shot at a relay team to qualify.
The top two swimmers from each event and the top two relay teams qualify, in addition to the “wild card” swimmers.
Wildcard swimmers are the fastest swimmers of their region that will occupy the four remaining spots after the top two swimmers have vacated two of the six spots in the six swimming regions. “We can usually get some kids in with the wildcards,” said Dutton.
This summer was Dutton’s first summer as head coach of the Crowsnest Pass Summer Swim Club and she was the developer of the program this season.
In May, the club trained in Sparwood, as the Blairmore pool was not open for the summer yet. “We had to play a bit of catch-up with the other teams who have been training in an indoor pools,” she said, adding that catch up wasn’t too difficult due to the good attendance and participation from the swimmers.
Although membership of the swim club this summer was reportedly high with a total of 49 swimmers, when the team travels to Regionals, they are still considered a small team. Any team over 50 in considered a large team, and under 50, a small team. Large teams compete with large teams, and likewise for the small competing teams.
This summer, the Summer Swim Club travelled to Raymond for the Southern Alberta Summer Games. Every single swimmer got at least one medal, either individually or while competing in a relay. Many best times were also made by the young swimmers at that meet.
The club also travelled to Nanton this summer.
The next two swim meets will be at in door pools, which will be easier for the swims, as Dutton explained that it is tougher to compete in an outdoor pool, for the swimmers not only have to compete against each other, but also against the sun.
“The kids are ready to swim fast and they just need confidence now. The work that they put in this season will pay off.
