Submitted article.
The Yorkton Storm Speed Swim Club took to the water last week to kick off the season by hosting its annual swim meet. According to Meet Manager, Trevor Baker there were over 657 entries in the meet this year. Baker says the numbers were up slightly from last year's meet. "We were pleased to host clubs from Regina, The Pas, Dauphin, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and the Battlefords" adds Baker.
Swim Club President Tonia Vermette thanks all the volunteers who helped make the event a huge success. "All of our swimmers' parents roll up their sleeves and lend a hand. We even recruited some grandparents to help out as timers," says Vermette. "It takes a lot of people to stage the two day event, and special thanks should be extended to Trevor Baker for his work as meet manager" Vermette adds.
"With the pool closed during September for maintenance, we started our season a month later than usual," Head Coach Ashley Benko points out. "We had five swimmers qualify for the the Provincial "A" Short Course Meet in Prince Albert this March. That's the most since I took over coaching the club," says Benko. "Maybe the late start was a blessing," she adds. Benko says all of the club's swimmers had excellent performances at the meet and lots of personal best times were recorded.
Jayden Lang, Jennifer Haczkewicz and Jessica Santleflebin returned to the provincial meet for the second year in a row. Lang swam three "A" times in the Yorkton meet. Haczkewicz turned in five "A" time swims and Santleflebin finished up with three "A" times of her own.
Jillian Just and Kelsey Haczkewicz will swim at the Prince Albert meet for the first time this March. Just swam an "A" time in the 100m breaststroke while Haczkewicz swam her "A" time in the 50m breaststroke.
Coach Benko says the team will swim at a meet in Regina in early February. The meet will serve as another opportunity for her swimmers to shave precious seconds off of their times. "We have three swimmers who are extremely close to qualifying for the Man-Sask Short Course Meet in Winnipeg after the times they posted in Yorkton" adds Benko. "Santleflebin is 0.03 seconds away in the 15 and over 50m freestyle. Lang is 0.79 seconds away in the 12 and under 50m butterfly, and Haczkewicz is 0.42 seconds away from qualifying in the 12 and under 50m backstroke," says Benko.
The Winnipeg meet is scheduled for March 15-18 and is home to the best swimmers from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Western Ontario, according to Benko.
While the meet was a chance for Benko's elite swimmers to continue to hone their skills it was also an opportunity for a few of her up and comers to post big improvements. It was also seen as an opportunity for a few swimmers to get a taste of what competitive swimming is like. "It was the first meet ever for Kyra Feshak, and the 14 year-old was impressive, recording two third place finishes in the 100m backstroke, and 50m backstroke," says Benko.
Gabe Loster, 10 years-old, also found the podium, finishing third in the 11 and under 100m breaststroke, Benko reports.
