The Estevan Golden Eels Swim Club were rained out of two meets this past weekend eliminating the chance for some swimmers to practise runs before the Saskatchewan South semi-final provincial meet starts in Swift Current this Saturday.
Cassidy Reich, coach of the Eels, said 21 Estevan swimmers were affected by the rainout at the Sprint Event scheduled in Assiniboia last Saturday, while 47 were sent home before finishing at a Full Event in Weyburn a day later. She said swimmers were able to get in only four or five races in Assiniboia while some kids could only swim in one event the next day at Weyburn due to the weather.
“They were both outdoor swim meets, so you have to wait for a half-hour period (after it rains) before you can go back on the pool deck,” said Reich. “Then it kind of got too late. The hosting managers just decided to cancel them.”
Reich said the cancelled meets, just a week before provincial south semi-finals, poses a bit of a difficulty for the club’s swimmers because they were hoping to use the meets, especially the Full Event at Weyburn, as a last run-through. She said the coaches will hold a “hard practise week” leading up to the semis to help the swimmers prepare for Swift Current and gain top-six ranking of their event in their respective age group leading them to a provincial final berth.
The Eels Swim Club won provincials last year and despite the rained out meets last weekend, Reich said the expectation is still that the swimmers will do well. She said Estevan has a large club compared to some of the other centres, which works in their favour.
“It’s really the numbers that help us out,” she said. “We have a lot of people that come out and its awesome attendance.”
High point winners from this past weekend include: Justin Linthicum (second); Racquelle Gibbons (two firsts); Sam Beahm (second and third); Jordyn Tarnes (first); Lucas Dzeryk (first); Logan Dalziel (third); Carson Wheeler and John Wilson (tied for third); Adah DeLeeuw (second); Payton Wilson (second) and Colin Sutter (third).
