The Columbia Shuswap Selkirks swim club is quickly expanding and taking their first steps in hosting competitions.
The meet, which was held at the SASCU Rec Centre last weekend, was only the second the club has ever hosted. It was a single-A regional championship, allowing swimmers who have not been to the AA or AAA championships to compete for medals, and those who have to swim in exhibition.
For 18 Selkirk swimmers, this was their first sanctioned meet. Selkirks head coach Barry Healy said a home meet was a good introduction for the new swimmers many of whom are 12 years old or younger.
“I was really really pleased with that whole group, some of them medalled out of that group which was nice,” Healy said.
The meet drew approximately 135 swimmers and 150 parents and spectators. Thirty-five Selkirks swam in the meet.
Healy said an undertaking like the weekend’s meet put a strain on the Selkirk’s volunteer base as well as Salmon Arm’s pool. The meet required about 40 volunteers, including three timers for each of the pool’s six lanes.
Plans for new pool must look beyond single A. For a facility that could host provincial championships and the BC Senior Games, Healy said the city’s pool space would have to be significantly expanded. National and international regulations specify the pool must be eight lanes in order to host the larger events.
Other things such as a warm-up and cool down pool is usually necessary for hosting larger meets, Healy said.
Healy said meets regularly hosted in Salmon Arm would be great addition to the competitive swimming schedule in the region.
The Selkirks have a number of swimmers ranked top five in the country for their age groups: Chantel Jeffrey, Molly Fogarty, Maggie Manning and Ethan Skofteby. The 15 to 17-year-old girls relay team is also ranked in the top-five nationally. Healy says new swimmers in the club have no shortage good examples to follow.