OLDS — Eight members of the Olds Rapids Swim Club (ORSC) have qualified for invitation-only, provincial-level swim meets over the next few months.
One swimmer, Aidan Fox, has qualified for the 50 metre (m) and 100m Butterfly for provincial championships to be held March 2-5 in Edmonton and the 50m Butterfly at the Western Canadian championships, taking place in Calgary March 16-19.
Four athletes will represent ORSC at provincial trials, being held Feb. 24-26 at Calgary’s MNP Sport Centre. They are Kepler Fitzner, 14; Brooke Rosevear, 15; Seleah Organ, 16; and Thomas Andrews, 16.
Andrews and Rosevear qualified for those trials in 50m Free. Fitzner qualified in the 50m Butterfly and Organ did so in 50m Backstroke.
Three swimmers qualified for Festivals. They are para-athlete Landon Baker, Liviah Leger (50m Breaststroke) and Max Martin (50m Breaststroke).
In January, athletes broke six club records.
Competitive swimming is a year-round sport, officially running from Sept. 1-Aug. 31. However, practices run mid-September to the end of June and extend into July for swimmers who qualify for Swim Alberta (Swim AB) championships or other events. They have the rest of the summer off.
Swim meets are categorized into short course or long course. Short course pools are 25m in length and require more turns than the 50m long course pools. This also means there are Swim AB Festivals, Swim AB provincial trials (Provincials), and various championship events for both short course and long course.
Festivals SC
Twice a year, Swim AB hosts Festivals across the province. Festivals provide an introduction to provincial-level competition, with exposure to heats and finals for athletes between ages eight to 11.
During the weekend of Jan. 28, three athletes represented ORSC in individual events at Calgary’s MNP Centre, where all three: Liviah Leger, 10; Landon Baker, 11; and Max Martin, 11; shaved seconds off their times.
A special appearance from Camryn Opheim, 10; allowed all to participate in team relay events.
Leger made the big move to Olds all the way from South Africa in November, 2021 and joined ORSC in 2022. She has been swimming her whole life and began competitive swimming at age eight.
Her favourite stroke is the Breaststroke which she competed in at Festivals, placing ninth in the 50m and eighth in the 100m.
She loves learning new techniques during practice and especially enjoys swimming with her best friend. Her goal this year is to qualify for Provincials and break a club record in the Breaststroke.
Baker has been swimming for five years. He recently switched to para swimming after his cancer journey resulted in a below-knee amputation.
This event was Landon’s first event as a para swimmer. He is happy to be getting back in the pool and competing again.
“Landon is swimming amazingly, and he continues to surprise me,” coach Wesley Wilks said.
Martin has been with ORSC since he was five years old. At the beginning of the season, he set a goal to qualify for Festivals and was thrilled to achieve a qualifying time in 50m Breaststroke.
When asked what he likes most about swimming, he said,“I like going to swim meets, they are so much fun and shaving time off during swim meets is really cool.”
Provincials SC
In addition to competing in Provincial trials Feb. 24-26, Fitzner, Rosevear, Organ and Andrews all have the opportunity to qualify for the Swim AB Provincial Championships (Champs) the following weekend in Edmonton.
Andrews has been involved in competitive swimming for the last nine years and has qualified for Provincials with his impressive 50m Freestyle. Thomas enjoys how training with ORSC continually tests his physical limits and tires him out.
He is hoping to achieve qualifying Champs times in both the 50m Freestyle and Butterfly (Fly).
Fitzner has been swimming for four years. His favourite strokes are Freestyle and Fly.
When asked what he likes most about swimming with ORSC, Fitzner said, “I like it because it’s a good mix between recreational and competitive, so I can play other sports and also work to meet my goals.”
This will be Fitzner’s second year competing in provincials and his aim is to improve his times in order to qualify for the Alberta Summer Games this July.
Rosevear said one of her favourite things about swimming with the club is her teammates. She is close with them, which makes being on the team very gratifying. She loves to be at the pool to swim, be fit, and get regular exercise.
In her several years of competitive swimming, this is the third time Rosevear will be competing at provincials. She set her goal at the beginning of the season to qualify for provincials and after dedication, hard work, and many hours in the pool, she achieved her qualifying time.
After nine years of swimming competitively, this will be Organ’s second provincial competition. She will be competing in the 50m Backstroke. She loves to train to beat her personal best times and with hang with her teammates.
Organ’s goal this season is to qualify for the 50m Backstroke to attend Champs in Edmonton March 2-5.
Swim AB Provincial Championships LC & Western Canadian Championships LC
Aidan Fox, 17, is currently ranked 10th in Alberta for 50m and 200m Fly among all athletes between 17-18 years old.
Last season, Fox achieved his goal by qualifying for Westerns and this season, his goal is to qualify in additional strokes and improve his times, overall.
With over 10 years of swim club training and competition, this will be Fox’s last season with the club, as he has been applying to engineering programs at various universities.
In his four years with ORSC, Fox has really appreciated the club’s approach to training that allowed him to remain competitive while also giving him full weekends to spend with family and friends.
Last season, when Wilks accepted the head coach role, he quickly identified and corrected Fox’s Breaststroke, which is now a stroke Fox enjoys and is working to improve on.
As a smaller club practising out of a rural facility, ORSC is able to offer increased one-on-one coaching time with athletes, flexible practice schedules that families can work into their other commitments, lower fees, and minimal volunteer/fundraising requirements.
As a result, the club has members commuting from Crossfield, all across Mountain View County, Torrington, and Innisfail to attend practice and participate in swim meets.
Three times a year, ORSC opens its doors for youth to attend practice, allowing them to get a feel for competitive swimming and the team during “Try It Week.” The next, and final Try it Week for this year runs from April 17-21.
More information can be found at oldsrapids.com. If you would like to show your support for the club, the recycling centres in Didsbury and Olds will set your funds aside for the club. For any other interested donors, or general questions, reach out to president@oldsrapids.com.