This weekend, the Battlefords ORCAS Swim Club hosted their first Winter Sprint Classic swim meet at the Co-op Aquatic Centre.
It was the club's first official swim meet in the new pool, and first official meet in the Battlefords in several years.
Nine teams from across the province including Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Meadow Lake and Prince Albert brought out 171 swimmers for the two-day event.
The ORCAS swim club had 14 swimmers entered.
The team was led by a strong performance from Alexandria Anderson Callbeck, Bjorn Prollius and Sean Brehon. Alexandria took gold in the 15 and over girls' 200m freestyle, silver in both the 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke and a fourth and two fifth place finishes.
Bjorn had two sixth place finishes in the boys' 12 to 13 class, those came in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle. He also had two seventh place finishes in the 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke. He qualified for the Saskatchewan A provincials and broke four of the ORCAS club records.
Sean took silver in the boys' 14 to 15 50m butterfly, and posted a fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place finish. Sean broke two ORCAS club records and also qualified for A provincials.
Also turning in strong performances were 10-year-old Anika Cottini, who took silver in the girls' 10 and under 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m freestyle. Anika also posted fourth, seventh and eighth place finishes.
Katie Rathwell, 9, posted a fifth, sixth and two seventh finishes after some spectacular performances.
Cassidy Serheinko took the silver in the girls' 13 to 14 category in the 200m individual medley, bronze in the 100m butterfly, as well as a fourth, two fifth and a sixth place finish. Cassidy qualified for the A provincials as a result of her performance.
Older sister Katie posted a strong showing, with a silver in the girls' 15 and over 50m freestyle, bronze in the 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 100m backstroke and a fourth and seventh finish as well.
Brittany Gammon qualified for A provincials while posting a fourth, sixth and two seventh place finishes. This will be her first time attending the provincial championships after swimming for just one year.
Meghan Brehon also qualified for A provincials in the 11 to 12 girls' 100m freestyle and took the bronze in the 100m butterfly.
Taylor Parker took bronze medals in both the boys' 11 and under 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle.
New swimmer Julia Kowalski took part in her first competitive swim meet and helped anchor the relay teams to top three finished on both days.
Veteran team member Lindsay Reimer posted several new best times as she prepares to make a run at qualifying for the Canada Summer Games this summer in Sherbrooke, Que.
Finally, both Jacob Poitras and Spencer Hargreaves were key members in the 12 to 13 boys' relay teams that took second and third. Both boys posted great swims, with many new best times.
Not only was it a successful meet for the local swimmers, but swimmers from all teams posted new provincial qualifying times for both the Saskatchewan A and Manitoba/Saskatchewan AA levels.
The next meets for the swimmers will be the Saskatchewan A provincials March 1 to 3 in Prince Albert. The Manitoba/Saskatchewan AA provincials to be held in Regina March 14 to 17.
