Winter Festival Summary

Our qualifying 12-and-unders had a very busy weekend at the Winter Festival, and quite frankly, the older kids should be nervous. We’re looking at 22 podiums and 26 new provincial standards. The Swim Alberta Festivals are always a big test for our younger swimmers, and the whole squad really stepped up.

Audrey Thompson basically lived on the podium, taking four golds across the IM and Breaststroke events. Silas Kwok did similar damage in the freestyle, grabbing two golds and firmly planting himself at #3 on the club’s all-time list for the 200 Free and IM.

We also saw some serious clutch performances. Esme Hockey had a "borrowed suit, don't care" moment in a 50 Fly swim-off, winning the heat and securing her first Trials time. She was joined by Maddyn Rushfeldt and Jameson Young who also punched their first tickets to trials.

Our 11-year-old mixed relay team (Josie Johnson, Ria Veronica Mangubat, Nolan Curtis, and Tian Ren Shi) climbed to the top of our club relay records, while Desmond Phillips and Sophia Rippe left their own marks on our record books.

The time drops were the real story, though. Lucas Percival found a shortcut in the pool and shaved 11% off his 200 Free, and Roan Gatzke and Nathan Yungwirth made huge improvements in their Fly times.

It was a fantastic team effort all around, and we’re incredibly proud of how these young athletes supported one another on the deck throughout the meet.