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Mavericks make their mark on two fronts

Swimming: Okotoks club races to top of the charts at Edmonton, Calgary meets

The Okotoks Mavericks made waves across the province last weekend.

Okotoks picked up 10 medals, numerous personal bests and championship and provincial time standard swims and a new club record from Dec. 13-15 at the JP Fiset Invitational in Edmonton while its younger swimmers shone at Calgary’s Cascade Age Group Challenge.

“They swam really well in Edmonton, my new crop,” said Mavericks head coach Todd Melton. “It’s building, last year I had eight swimmers, maybe nine and this year I have 17 (in my group). We’ve got a couple new kids from summer club, but the majority are our (returnees).

“Everybody did well, they started to bond which is nice because this is a fairly new group and some kids had huge breakout swims.”

Wells Ginzer was among the standouts at the Invitational with a team high five medals — gold in 100m butterfly, silver in 50m backstroke and bronze in 100m backstroke as well as 50m and 100m freestyle.

The 13-year-old credited some minor tinkering and more training time to his improvements in the butterfly.

“There was one thing in particular that changed it,” he said. “I needed to get my wrists out and reach.

“I don’t usually think when I swim, but I do remember feeling really good after. When I finished, touched the wall and saw that 1:02 on the screen I was so hyped.

“I felt really good.”

Impressively, Ginzer is ranked top three in the country in the 50m backstroke after his performance in the capital.

“I didn’t think I was at that standard and when I got told that I was like ‘wow,’” Ginzer said. “I wasn’t expecting that. It’s kind of nice having that.”

Alexander Holt earned two medals in the breaststroke, silver in 200m and bronze in 100m, but it was his performance in the 50m that was the most rewarding.

“I had been working on that for a long time and it hadn’t really been improving,” Holt said. “At this meet I took off a whole bunch of time, about four seconds.

“Working with (head coach Todd Melton), it’s a very different training style and it was just a change in my technique, that definitely helped.

“Initially what we had been doing with breaststroke is you come out (with your arms) and then down and then we ended up changing it to just go down so we can increase the stroke rate, but you still get just as much power.”

Caden Kotowich’s performance in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, when converted to the long-course season, are Western national standard times.

“It’s always been a focus because I used to think freestyle was my best event,” Kotowich said. “Then this year it has changed since I’ve been working on my breaststroke.

“I’ve been working on throwing my head down to make sure my stroke is lining up all perfectly.”

Also adding medal swims in Edmonton were Tess Barber who earned gold in the 50m breaststroke along with two silver in the 100 and 200m breaststroke.

Jada Cotnam swam to a new club record for 17 and over girls, finishing the gruelling 400m IM in 5:28.16.

Those earning championship qualifying times include: Tess Barber, Filip Bednarz, Cotnam, Justin d’Ailly, Emma Hicklin, Alycia Weber, Kotowich, Ginzer and Holt.

Adding provincial qualifying times were Christopher Giles, Domenic Griesser, Maxwell Harrison, Mackenzie Hurd, Jaden Melton, Molly Penn and Abby Thiele.

Up for the Challenge

On the same weekend 41 Mavericks competed at the Cascade Age Group Challenge in Calgary.

Clayton Lindenback was among the stars in Calgary with three individual medals and two relay medals. The 11-year-old took gold in both 100 and 200m backstroke and silver in 100m butterfly.

“I think that meet I tried to go my fastest, I worked a lot harder,” Lindenback said. “And I went to bed a lot earlier so I wouldn’t be tired for my races and I’ve also been going to sleep earlier for practices so I can train harder and go faster at meets.

“I’ve really been working on my backstroke and I’ve been getting really good at it.”

Lindenback teamed up with his twin brother Mychael along with Slade Diakiw and Ethan Lake for a silver medal in the 4 x 50m medley relay. The Lindenbacks, Lake and Liam Pillay added a bronze in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay.

“I find (relays) more hyped up than a normal race,” Clayton added. “Because you always know that your teammates are cheering you on from the end of the lane and you strive to go your fastest so you do good for your team.”

The girls 10 and under team of Hudsyn Watt, Peyton Jones, Charlotte Johnston and Katherine Kohn were silver medallists in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay.

William Whaley had a sterling performance at the Challenge, picking up silver in 100m backstroke and bronze in both 50 and 100m freestyle.

Whaley, Kaitlyn Zawaski and Jasper Kotowich earned provincial time standard swims.

For Jasper, 12, his performance in the 50m backstroke, a crisp 36.15 seconds, was the first provincial time he’s achieved.

“I like it because I’m kind of a backstroker after all the years I’ve been swimming,” Jasper said. “I remember the first time I did I was like ‘man I don’t know if I can make it to the end, but it’s better now.
“It kind of tells me how much more I can achieve this year if I really work for it.”

For more information go to okotoksmavericks.com


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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