Whitehorse Daily Star

Glacier Bear's have record setting day at swim meet

The Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club have 13 new club records and it's all thanks to two swimmers.

By Whitehorse Star on November 28, 2007

The Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club have 13 new club records and it's all thanks to two swimmers.

Bronwyn Pasloski and Alexandra Gabor each posted best times in four out of the five events they entered at the Bell Grand Prix Swim meet in Toronto on Sunday.

Pasloski's time in the 100 m breaststroke was only beat by one other swimmer at the meet, who is the current Canadian record holder in that event.

Her time in the preliminary race beat a 13-year-old B.C. Girls 15-17 record.

'I was really excited. I just gunned it and really felt good in the water,' she said. 'I don't want to let it go to my head because if you do then it is harder to train. You have to keep in mind your accomplishments, but then you have to set it aside and strive for new ones.'

She also won a bronze medal in the 50-m breaststroke and finished sixth overall in the 200 m breaststroke.

Pasloski, 15, has been a Glacier Bear since Kindergarten, however she didn't really begin to get serious about the sport until she was in Grade 5.

She currently holds the ranking of Silver Tip, which is the highest level that can be obtained for a Glacier Bear.

Pasloski trains 21 hours a week for the sport, usually two times a day, with the exception of Sunday, which is her off day.

She said despite the big commitment, it is worth it.

Gabor broke the B.C. Girls 13-14 record in the 100 m Freestyle. The time she posted in the long course final in that event beat another B.C. Girls 13-14 record.

She finished sixth in the 1500 m freestyle.

Former Whitehorse swimmer Mackenzie Downing swam great at the event, finishing with three gold medals in each of the three butterfly events.

The event had around 400 swimmers, which included some of the best in Canada as well as several small U.S. teams.

All Preliminary swims were held in the 25 m pool and the finals were put on in the 50 m pool.

It is uncommon to have swimmers compete in a long-course competition for this time of year, but it offered good practice for the Olympic trials, which will be held in early April.

Both Pasloski and Gabor swam at the meet without their regular coach, who is currently in Poland for personal reasons.

Pasloski said she was thinking about him at the meet and credits her success to his training.

'A lot of it was because of him because he got us to this level,' she said. 'So I would say he has a lot to do with it.'

The next event for Gabor and Pasloski is the Paul Bergen Junior International meet in Portland from Dec. 7-9. This meet will be really competitive, as it will feature teams from the U.S. and Europe.

Pasloski said she is confident going into the meet in Portland.

The Glacier Bears will also compete in the annual Christmas Cracker meet at Commonwealth Place in Victoria from Dec. 7-9.

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