The youngest members of the Estevan Golden Eels competitive swim club put their newly learned skills on display at the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre on June. 3.
Twenty-five Eels ranging in age from five to 10 years old competed in a fun mini-meet at the pool with each of the kids putting to use the different swim strokes they’ve learned so far this season. The older and more experienced kids completed races in the skills of front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, while the youngest just tried their best in the first swim meet of their competitive careers.
“It just gives them the experience of what a real meet sounds and looks like,” said Melanie Dzeryk, an executive member of the Golden Eels swim club. “Sometimes when they get up on those boxes and the horn goes they wouldn’t know normally what to do, so this gives them the full meet experience.”
Dzeryk said these Eels have greatly improved their performance in the water since the swim season began in early May. She said the coaching staff has been running more practices utilizing race speed as opposed to having the kids just doing laps, which should bode well for the club when they start competing in meets across the province this July.
“I believe the coaches have seen a progression in them already,” she said. “The coaches (are) increasing the laps and the speed and the intensity every week of what the kids are swimming.”
