From April 13-17 the Whitehorse Glacier Bears sent 17 swimmers to Calgary for the Dino Cup. The Glacier Bears competed against athletes in their age group from across Alberta.

The female swimmers were 10 and under and the males 11 and under.

The coaches who joined the athletes were Shereen Hill and Julia Veidt. In their coaches’ report, they said the swimmers adjusted to the new atmosphere.

“For many athletes, it was their first meet outside of Whitehorse and for some, it was their first swimming competition ever,” read the report. “… You swim in a new pool that is not like the one you swam in at home. At home people are familiar and in Calgary, it was very unfamiliar, but the athletes took it in stride.”

The coaches said they were very proud of every swimmer for being a great ambassador for the club.

“All swimmers swam their hearts out and achieved personal best times in many of their events. It was a joy to see them have fun and supporting each other in between the races.

There was always a smile on their faces. When they were not smiling because a race did not go as they wanted it to, they were supported by their teammates, coaches, and parent volunteers.”

The Glacier Bears also showed respect to their fellow swimmers and the event volunteers which impressed the coaches.

“Glacier Bear swimmers were very supportive and sportsmanlike, taking the time to say thank you, high-five their competitors after races, and clean up our team area at the end of the day,” read the report.

At the meet, everyone accomplished something they had never done before, said the report.

“Whether it was their first swim meet ever, diving off the blocks for the first time, trying a new event or stroke, or simply getting a new personal best in a race, all of the athletes stepped up to the challenges that they were faced with.”

The coaches said they were impressed with the swimmers’ attention to detail. Out of over 150 races during the meet the Glacier Bears only had seven disqualifications.

All the swimmers earned at least one personal best time.

Finn Bradford, Minty Bradford, Erin Delaurier, Deneisha Hoffman, Quin Lalonde, Hanna Ryan and Hugh Stopps all raced to new personal bests in their races.

Six swimmers scored points by placing in the top eight for their events.

Tuja Dreyer and Sabine Keesey earned themselves a spot on the podium, both coming in first place in the 400 meter freestyle. Hugh Stopps also medalled, placing second in the 25 meter freestyle.

Other top eight finishers were Delaurier, Naomi Pearce, and Hanna Ryan.

The coaches said Dino Cup was a very successful meet and that everyone learned a lot, raced hard, and had a lot of fun and that they hope to see everyone back next year.