Silver Shark Swim Club wraps up successful year

Times Reporter   

 

This season, Strathmore’s Silver Shark Swim club increased their numbers with 15 more participants than last year, totaling their swimmers to 94 after tryouts in April. The kids, ages 6-17, participated in either competitive or non-competitive meets, in the club’s sixth year.

“You can start out in the club as a non-competitive swimmer, where you don’t attend sanctioned swim meets,” said Coach Jen Mertz. “We’ll do some fun meets within the club but you can start off just doing it because you love the sport.”

Around ages 10-12, the Silver Sharks coaches encourage swimmers to make choices about where they want to see their swimming career go. Some choose to race at meets against other clubs, while others join Sport For Life—a group for swimmers who have probably decided competitive swimming isn’t for them. Heather Kelly, one of the coaches, leads the kids in swimming for fun, and keeps them fit.

The swim club trains out of the Aquatic Centre, but does their dry-land training out of the Bank Athletic Club. Most of their swim meets take place in Southern Alberta, but can travel farther once Provincials begin.

Swimmers race for Age Group Trials and from their times there, can compete in Age Group Champs. Kids can qualify for Champs by winning their age group, or making the provincial percentage standard for their age group. First they compete in heats with others in similar speed, and then in the finals they compete against their age group (U10, ages 11 and 12, etc.).

Kianna Doig of the Sharks won gold and silver at Age Group Trials, and moved on to Age Group Champs. Logan Schoepp won silver in the 50 m fly, but unfortunately did not qualify for Age Group Champs with his finishing time. A first for the swim club: Tamara Adamschek went to Age Group Champs, and qualified for Western Nationals. Overall, the club sent four swimmers to Age Group Champs, and four to Senior Champs.

“Medals are a pretty amazing thing at Age Group Trials,” said Coach Mertz. “They have you up on the podium. It’s great.”