The recently-formed Yukon Graylings Masters Swim Club put together a record-breaking performance in Victoria, B.C., last Saturday.

Mary Anne Myers, Angie MacNeil and Victoria Ryan represented the territory at the annual Victoria Masters long course meet.

Competing in the 60-64 age group, Myers had her sight set on breaking some records, and she did just that, setting a new B.C. provincial record in the 400 free with a time of 5:48.80.

Myers’ second swim – the 1,500 free – proved even better, as she broke four records in one fell swoop.

Her 800 split of 11:47.81 was both a B.C. and Canadian record, while her final time of 22:13.73 also set a new benchmark in her age group for both B.C. and Canada.

Myers is a well-known name in swim circles. In 2013, she took home two silver and two bronze medals from the Canadian Masters Swimming Championships in Nepean, Ont.

MacNeil swam in the 45-49 age category, and placed first in both the 100 breaststroke (1:41.91) and 200 free (1:41.91).

Meanwhile, Ryan, who is 25 weeks pregnant, had some relaxed fun in the 400 free, finishing with a time of 5:45:09 in the 35-39 age group.

The club was formed last summer and took up regular practices in September. Registered provincially and nationally, the group was an initiative of Ryan,

Myers, MacNeil and Olwyn Bruce – each of whom has extensive competitive swim experience.

The goal is to promote swimming among adults, and the club welcomes fitness swimmers, open water swimmers, triathletes and former competitive swimmers

interested in practising alongside likeminded friends, Ryan said in an email.

Masters swimming sees athletes compete in age groups from 18-24 and up, with each group including a five-year age range.

Many swimmers hit the pool for fitness and there is no requirement to compete even though some swimmers will tackle both domestic and international masters swim meets, Ryan explained.

“The idea with Yukon Graylings is to grow slowly, organically,” she noted. “We haven’t spent a lot of efforts on marketing the club and have so far relied mostly on word of mouth.

“We do believe, however, that there is a sufficient base of interested people in the Whitehorse area among former competitive swimmers, triathletes and fitness swimmers to grow to at least 15 to 20 swimmers within the near future.”

At the moment, the club consists of eight registered swimmers. The group swims between 2,000 and 4,000 metres per workout and there is always room for individual adjustments to fit a range of swimming abilities.

The Graylings currently swim Sunday mornings from 7:30 to 9. Anyone interested in more information about the club can email graylingsmasters@gmail.com or visit yukongraylings.wordpress.com.

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In other swim news, 25 members of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears attended the annual Winter Games North meet in Haines, Alaska, last weekend.

The group was led by coach Kathy Zrum, competing against 40 Juneau swimmers and 25 from the host squad.

It marked the first Outside meet for the majority of the Yukon swimmers, many of whom achieved top finishes in the pool.

“This is a wonderful meet as it encourages swimmers to swim all four strokes in a variety of distances,” Zrum said in an email to the Star.

“Most swimmers will swim the 50 or 100 fly for the first time as this meet is swum in a yards pool, and these distances seem that much shorter.”

Yukon swimmers from six different age groups attended the event with many playing starring roles.

From the Kodiak swim group, Mackenzie Berry showed a strong work ethic, finishing with four firsts, one second and four thirds.

Ella Pollock-Shepherd led the Polar Bears with nine firsts, while Emma Boyd was a true team leader, leading stretches and cheers throughout the weekend.

Amongst Black Bear swimmers, Kassua Dreyer concluded her meet with five firsts and four seconds, while Noah Connell had two firsts, one third and four fifth- place finishes.

From the Brown Bears, Amelia Ford led the way with one first, five seconds and two thirds, while Makinen Leong-Allan was the top male of the group with four seconds and three thirds.

Cub swimmer Jackson Berry scooped up three firsts, two seconds and a third, while Ava Dedon had three second-place finishes to lead the women.

Tuja Dreyer and Liam Gishler also competed for the club in the youngest division – Teddy Bear.

The Glacier Bears swimmers impressed the Haines club with their positive attitudes, said Zrum. Many gave congratulatory high fives to rival swimmers following their races.

“This young team of swimmers excelled in their underwater dolphin kicks and were very strong in all breast stroke and butterfly races during the weekend,” said Zrum.

The next event for the swim club will be a time trial held locally Feb. 14. A small team will also attend Swim BC’s AA provincial championships in Chilliwack.