Photo by Whitehorse Star
MEDAL HAUL – Whitehorse swimmer Amelia Ford, left, chats with teammate Amelia Barrault after finishing a race at the Canada Games Centre earlier this season. Ford won three medals in Penticton, B.C., last weekend.
Glacier Bears roar to 16 medals in Penticton
The city’s competitive swim team turned in another impressive performance last weekend in Penticton, B.C.
The city’s competitive swim team turned in another impressive performance last weekend in Penticton, B.C.
The Whitehorse Glacier Bears took home 16 medals from the AA B.C. Championships, held Feb. 12 to 14.
Fifteen swimmers qualified for the event, which is based on time standards, and 12 of them actually made the trip, said head coach Malwina Bukszowana.
“Our athletes didn’t go there to watch it,” she said in an email to the Star. “They were busy swimming heats in the morning and fighting in the finals every afternoon.
“It was an amazing performance for our isolated club from Yukon. Those kids from our team should be proud of themselves.”
Out of the 38 clubs competing, the Glacier Bears finished sixth overall.
Individually, Yukon swimmers returned home with 16 medals – nine golds and seven silvers.
Those totals came out of 41 A final appearances, alongside nine B finals.
The team was led by Thomas Bakica, who “swam his pants off.”
He collected three gold and two silver medals after qualifying for eight A finals.
“He was on fire – very excited and very fast,” Bukszowana explained. “He ended up going back to the hotel with his swimsuit on, leaving his pants lost in Penticton.”
Aidan Harvey also shone, with two golds and two silvers, while Amelia Ford and Kassua Dreyer each took home two golds and a silver.
Brooklyn Massie rounded out the medal wins by earning a silver.
“The entire AA team from Whitehorse deserves their achievements,” Bukszowana said.
The Glacier Bears weren’t the only swim team competing out of town, recently.
The Yukon Graylings had two swimmers at the Love to Swim meet in Vancouver, Feb. 14.
Mary Anne Myers and Angela MacNeil both swam three events each.
Myers earned two wins – in the 100 backstroke and 400 free – alongside a runner-up finish in the 200IM for swimmers between 60 and 64.
Meanwhile, MacNeil earned three victories in the 45 to 49 age group – winning each of the 50 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke and 100IM.
In total, 172 swimmers representing 28 clubs attended the meet.
Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar
In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.
Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.
Be the first to comment