By Eliza McGuire, Revelstoke Aquaducks
Most of the Revelstoke Aquaducks took a weekend away from the pool this past meet in Merritt, and with only five athletes in attendance, the Ducks were one of the smallest teams participating.
Still, small numbers did not stop the Aquaducks from swimming big at the surprisingly large meet; surprisingly large, as this year boasted over twice as many athletes as the year previous due to a strong presence from the coastal teams.
The Okanagan teams expected the meet to run fast and hot, with very little competition. With the arrival of more than 100 athletes from the coast and a strong wind, what the Okanagan got was a meet that ran late into the evening, only moderately warm, and with stiff competition.
While the Merritt breeze managed to keep the temperature to a bearable level, the exceptionally long first day took its toll on all the swimmers at the meet. Toughing it out the first day to swim the relay was six-year-old Rowan Marcinyshyn, and despite putting in more than eight hours at the pool on the first day, Rowan still swam a personal best the second day in the 25 meter backstroke.
Fatigue did not stop the senior Ducks from swimming new personal bests either, or breaking club records. Division 5 Girl Beth Granstrom broke the 200 metre individual medley record by nearly 10 seconds, and also squeaked out the 100 metre butterfly record by two one-hundredths of a second. While not a typical BCSSA event, Beth also won the 400 metre freestyle by almost 30 seconds on her way to a gold aggregate for her division.
James LeBuke also had a strong meet with multiple best times and even more season bests on his road to a gold aggregate for the Division 4 Boys.
Kaitlan Howard swam almost 100 per cent best times this weekend, propelling herself to a gold aggregate for Division 7 Girls. Kate Granstrom beat over half of her entry times and raced with a consistency and reliability of a mature swimmer all weekend, demonstrating her ability to keep her splits close even when exhausted.