Three members of the Foothills Stingrays got an early head start on graduation at a last chance qualification meet.
Stingrays Rylee Krauss, Kaitlyn Lumby and Sophie Cives qualified for provincial trials at Foothills’ Spring Fling, May 4-5 at the Riley Minue Pool, the last Junior circuit short course meet of the season.
“I’ve been going for that for two years,” Lumby said. “To get it is amazing. I felt like I was almost going to start crying.”
Qualifying through to provincial trials is akin to landing on a stepping-stone to competitive swimming. The Junior circuit is composed of competitors who have yet to earn qualifying times for provincials. Once swimmers earn a provincial, or A time, in an event they graduate from Junior to invitational and qualifying meets.
Lumby and Cives, both 11-years-old, broke the 6:30 provincial time standard in the 400m freestyle with a little friendly competition going on between the teammates.
“We were in the exact same heat, we were side-by-side in the lane so it was pretty fierce between us,” Lumby said with a laugh. “She was looking at me I was looking at her the whole time and at times I gave her faces. We really enjoy that. I normally do awful if I don’t have someone that I know beside me.”
Thanks to a quick kick in the last 100m, Cives touched the wall in a time of 6:27 mere moments before Lumby.
“I did a bit of a change this time, instead of speeding at the last 50, I sped on the last 100 to make it a little faster,” Cives said. “I was relaxed and I didn’t really tense as much.”
Krauss was in the zone for her 200m individual medley. Needing to eclipse the standard of 3:18, the 12-year-old had a specific time in mind and would not be denied in the Riley Minue Pool.
“I was sitting on the sidelines for about 30 minutes just picturing in my head the numbers 3:16,” Krauss said. “Then when I was in the water I felt like I was going to die at some points, I was super tired, but I knew I had to get this time. It was my absolute goal so I just remember having that power of mind.”
The third-year Stingray fought through an exercise in frustration this swim season in a few near misses by mere seconds from the provincial trial standard. After finally breaking through, she’s hoping to ride a wave of confidence into the trials.
“I’ll see if I can get some A times or B times and get all best times,” Krauss said.
Foothills broke eight club records in the Junior circuit at Spring Fling, easily eclipsing its mark for the last several years at the home meet.
The provincial trials are at Calgary’s Talisman Centre from June 14-16.
“We’re hoping that we’ll get some A (time) qualifiers that will go on to provincial championships,” said Stingrays head development coach Emma Hesterman. “Either that or if they win an event they get to championships as well.”
The same weekend at the Edmonton Keyano Invitational, the most advanced members of the Stingrays put in an excellent showing in their first long course swim meet of the season.
Fourteen-year-old Blaise Evelyn earned his age group national time in the 200m breaststroke. Teammate Layne Guidinger, 13, surprised in the 100m backstroke by racing to a 1:09, the third fastest in the country for her age group, in an event she does not focus on in training other than in preparation for individual medley swims.
Emilia Hesterman enjoyed a breakthrough swim in the 200m breaststroke, finishing just off the age group national time in the event. Hesterman has two of three required age group times needed to book a ticket to the Age Group Canadian Championships this summer in Montreal.
Also in Edmonton, 11-year-old Alycia Weber’s race of 1:18.56 in the 100m backstroke placed her as the sixth fastest at her age in Canada. The Stingrays’ 11-12 year-old girls relay team, made up of Weber, Megan Deering, Abby Griffiths and Kennedy Loewen, also impressed, setting a club record in the 4x50m freestyle relay.
All told, the Stingrays established 25 new age group club records and two relay club records.
All told, the Stingrays established 25 new age group club records and two relay club records.
