The high stakes pressure of one of the worlds’ biggest international competitions hasn’t stopped an Okotoks para-swimmer from stopping to smell the roses.
Okotoks swimmer Kirstie Kasko said the Paralympic experience is more enjoyable than she could have possibly imagined, both in and out of the London Aquatic Centre.
“It’s a lot of fun, it’s one of the best things because I get to compete with the best in the world and I’m making a lot of friends from all over the world too,” said Kasko, in a phone interview from London on Monday. “It’s more than expected because not only do I get to compete with them I get too eat with them.”
Kasko’s rooming with Valerie Drapeau at the Paralympic village and is next door neighbours with visually impaired swimmer Valerie Gran d’Maison, winner of two silver medals in London.
As of Sept. 3, the paralympic swimming team has contributed eight of Canada’s 12 medals in London.
“We all cheer for each other and it’s a better atmosphere than I have at home,” Kasko said. “Not to say that I don’t have friends on my home team, but more kids here are my age.”
Kasko missed out on the opening ceremony at the Paralympic stadium in East London and is going to travel back to Okotoks before the closing ceremony.
“The kids that were racing day one or two our head coach (Craig McCord) told us that we couldn’t (go),” Kasko said. “He wanted us to get rest.”
She hasn’t had much of an opportunity to sight see in London either.
“We’ve been pretty much up in our rooms resting,” Kasko said. “It’s not really a holiday, it’s more of a job. I wasn’t really expecting to see London.”
For the Okotokian, stepping into the Aquatic Centre was the real jewel of England’s capital city.
“It’s in the shape of a manta-ray and it made my day the first time I walked in there,” she said. “It’s even better than I thought it would look like.”
The raucous crowds at the pool, part of the best-attended Paralympics in the history of the Games, have also been unforgettable for the Okotoks swimmer.
“It’s crazy, (Monday) we were trying to have a little bit of a conversation and the coaches kept saying we can’t hear you, the crowds are way too loud,” she said. “When I was swimming the 100m back I did hear my name a couple of times.”
The vocal support might have come from a specific group of Canadian fans in the crowd, her parents Dave and Gail and younger sisters Madison and Miranda.
Kasko, competing in the S14 category for athletes with intellectual disabilities, made her Paralympic debut on Aug. 31 in the 100m backstroke, where she finished 12th overall with a time of 1:19.84.
“In my 100m backstroke I had almost a perfect start,” said Kasko, who finished two seconds off her personal best in the event. “I was third at the 50, I came fourth in my heat and just missed third.”
She got back in the pool two days later for the preliminaries of the 200m freestyle, where Kasko finished fourteenth overall and fourth in her heat with a time of 2:27.25.
“I followed my race plan,” she said. “It was to not go all out in the first 50, to stay medium pace and then, second (50) to build, third and fourth one all out and I managed to do that, but on the last stroke touching the wall I didn’t do so well, if I touched faster I would have got closer to my best time.”
Kasko’s last chance at qualifying for a final is Thursday in the 100m breaststroke, an event she made considerable strides in at the Para Can Am Games this summer.
“In Winnipeg I took off two seconds,” said Kasko, whose goal was to make a final in London. “I’m ranked 19th right now, but most of those swimmers aren’t here right now, some of the best of the best like Bethany Firth don’t even swim the 200m free so I don’t know if she’s going to do the 100m breast.”
Kasko’s 100m race is at 3:45 a.m. MST on Sept. 6. The final for the event is at 11:26 a.m. All swimming events are live and streamed on the Swim Canada website at www.swimming,ca.
Okotoks wheelchair rugby player Zak Madell begins his Paralympics when the Canadian team faces off with Australia in their pool play opener today, Sept. 5, at noon. They play Belgium on Sept. 6 and square off with Sweden on Sept. 7.
For more information on the Paralympic Games go to www.london2012.com/Paralympics.
