Sault swimmers shine during weekend competition

NEWS RELEASE
SAULT SURGE AQUATIC TEAM
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An annual competition held in Timmins saw 14 Sault Surge Aquatic Team swimmers impress their parents, coaches, and peers last weekend. The Fred Rams B Championships are a capstone meet for competitive swimmers under 14 years of age, and Sault Ste. Marie was well-represented this year with the group of athletes who made the trip.

Throughout the weekend, team spirit was at an all-time high as swimmers donned their signature purple t-shirts and cheered each other on. The enthusiasm was contagious, and fuelled some of the best swimming Sault Surge has seen from the young contingency all season!

One of the toughest events offered at Fred Rams is the 400m freestyle, wherein swimmers complete 16 lengths of the pool without stopping. Lyla Watson (12) swam the event for her first time and finished strong with a new personal record to add to her list. In the same event, Oliver Brown (11) managed to drop a whopping 22.28 seconds off of his previous record while teammate Emma Broadbent (13) swam both halves of her 400 in the same amount of time for an “even split,” which is an impressive feat.

Ava Rocca (9), Cree Chakasim (10), and Georgia Burns (10) all managed to come away with new personal records in all the events they competed in, making the meet a huge personal accomplishment for each of them. It’s difficult to continually race your fastest over the course of a competition like Fred Rams; fatigue sets in after the first couple of events, the days are long, and it takes a toll. These three girls managed to overcome those difficulties to perform the way they did, supported by their teammates and coaches.

Liam Watson (8) was the standout competitor of the weekend, earning medals in all of his events. Watson came away with bronze in 100m freestyle, silver in 100m backstroke and 100m Individual Medley, and gold in 50m butterfly and 200m freestyle. Even at such a young age, he walked onto the pool deck ready to race, and that attitude carried him through the weekend and earned him a fistful of hardware.

Congratulations to all athletes who competed in Timmins, and best of luck to those attending the First General International Grand Prix in Thunder Bay at the end of the month! Sault Surge has a handful of competitions remaining this season and are planning for another fruitful year of swimming to commence in September 2019.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sault Surge and what the club has to offer is welcome to contact Head Coach Sarah MacDonald at [email protected].

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