After a summer of success in the pool, the Cochrane Piranhas Swim Club has closed down its year in style.
The 2016 Alberta Summer Swimming Association (ASSA) hosted the provincial championship over the week of Aug. 19 to 21, and the Piranhas can hold their heads high.
Swimmers from all across Alberta flocked to Edmonton to take part in the event, with the Piranhas sending 18 competitors, several of who medalled and many of who recorded personal best times in the field of 800 competitors.
“It was a pretty good meet,” Piranhas coach Breanna Hendriks said. “We had a few missed swims, especially Saturday morning where the kids were a little nervous and that went into a couple of the swims, but we had quite a few best times and a lot of improvement overall.”
Ben Barclay ended his season with another excellent display, bagging gold in the boys (ages nine and 10) 25m butterfly event, and a bronze in the 50m backstroke competition. He also grabbed a fifth place finish in the 100m individual medley event.
Not to be outdone, Sarah Nusl nabbed a silver medal in the girls (ages 13 and 14) 50m freestyle swim, and a couple of bronzes in the 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle competitions.
Eric Swedlo also picked up silver in the boys (ages 13 and 14) 50m breaststroke event, and bronze in the 100m breaststroke.
“Provincials is always tough because you go from regionals where you get huge best times, to swimming the same events a week later,” Hendriks said. “We didn’t see a huge time change for a lot of the swimmers but the kids did a really good job.
“I’m proud of them, it’s been a good season all around.”
Connor Swedlo had a strong showing, picking up a fourth-place finish in the boys (ages 15 to 17) 50m backstroke, fifth in the 100m backstroke and 12th in the 50m freestyle competitions.
Zachary Michalski picked up fifth-place finishes in the boys (ages 15 to 17) 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 100m freestyle events.
His younger sister Bria finished 11th in the girls (ages 11 and 12) 50m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke swims.
Max Kruger nabbed ninth-place finishes in both the boys (ages 11 and 12) 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke events, as well as 11th in the 50m breaststroke competition.
Savanna Knisely picked up 13th in the girls (ages seven and eight) 25m backstroke, while Kaitlyn Eiserman finished 15th in the 25m freestyle event in the same age category.
Owen Johnsen took home ninth in the boys (ages nine and 10) 50m freestyle and 14th in the 200m freestyle events.
Jordyn Johnsen finished just out of medal reach in fourth place for the girls (ages 11 and 12) 200m freestyle event, as well as eighth in the 400m freestyle, 13th in the 100m freestyle, and 15 in the 50m freestyle competitions.
Bryson Hammer managed 16th place in the boys (ages 11 and 12) 50m backstroke contest.
Nicole Gross finished fifth in the girls (ages 13 and 14) 50m butterfly and 13th in the 100m butterfly events, and Natalie Barreto-Waringer was 14th in the girls (ages 11 and 12) 50m breaststroke swim.
On the team side of things, the girls under-14 team of Nusl, Gross, Johnsen and Kennedy Michalski finished seventh in the 200m medley relay and sixth in the 200m freestyle relay events.
The boys under-10 squad of Johnsen, Aaron Swedlo, Quinn Fitzsimmons and Keegan Lewko were unfortunately disqualified in the 100m freestyle relay.
The under-12 boys team consisting of Barclay, Hammer, Kruger and Levi Lewko had better luck, picking up eighth in the 200m freestyle relay event.
The 12 and under mixed team of Barclay, Michalski, Kruger and Swedlo took home a fourth-place finish in the 200m medley relay and a second mixed team of Hammer, Johnsen, Barreto-Waringer and Kruger took 12th in the same event.
“We definitely had an expectation of doing well going in,” Hendriks said. “We had a few of our older swimmers we thought would win medals, but our club is changing a lot and we’re more based on personal improvement and building the club as a whole.”
The future is certainly looking bright for the Piranhas, as the demographic at the club has switched in recent years to younger swimmers.
“Last summer we lost a couple of our older swimmers and shifted to the younger ones,” Hendriks said. “We’re in a building process and every year it’s going to get better, I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years because we’re going to have a lot of up and coming swimmers.
“Those kids will be going to provincials at ages seven, eight, nine, and 10, which are some of the toughest age groups to compete at, and a lot of our kids have done that, so it’s very impressive.”
