Alberta Winter Trials 2026

The Provincial Trials at the Big Marble Go Center were essentially a high-stakes scavenger hunt for spots at the upcoming Championships. We walked away with plenty of hardware, securing 52 podium finishes and 17 golds, but the real win was the sheer number of swimmers who locked in their spots for Champs. Whether through race victories or hitting rigorous time standards, our roster is officially looking much larger for the next level.

Congratulations to Gibson, Aaron, Lauren, Charlie, Abigail L., Jayden W., Aiden, Sebastian, Yuseung, Desmond, Abigail F., and Quan for securing their tickets.

Gibson Hurd was a machine, walking away with four individual gold medals and anchoring the team’s relay success. Lauren Matiakis secured two individual golds, while Aaron Macdonald mirrored that feat with long-distance victories in the 400 and 800-meter freestyle. A special mention goes to 11-year-old Desmond Phillips, who earned a Top 10 Youth Recognition award for his efforts in the 200 back.

A few swimmers had massive time drops: 17-year-old Claudia Harmon shaved a staggering 7.7% off her 50-meter butterfly time, while 11-year-old Esme Hockey followed suit with a 6.3% drop in the 100-meter butterfly. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Ethan Lee improved his 50-meter backstroke by nearly 5%, proving that practice is paying off.

11-year-old Sophia Rippe had a breakout meet, climbing the rankings in four different events and setting a new #2 club record in the 400-meter freestyle.

We have successfully cleared the runway for Champs, though our caffeine intake for the upcoming travel season will surely hit record-breaking levels as well.

Check out the updated top-10 lists, and more, on our rankings site.