Championship Meets update - ROW Finishes 6th Overall at Festivals & solid showing at OYJs!!

This past weekend from June 15 ^th to June 18 ^th, two of Ontario’s biggest competitions of the season took place:

o   Ontario Summer Festivals 2023 @Etobicoke

o   Ontario Summer Youth-Junior Championships @Markham Pan AM

 

All clubs in Ontario who had athletes meeting the qualification requirements were in attendance at both these meets, making for a very busy weekend for most clubs.  Here’s how they went:

 

Ontario Summer Festivals 2023 @ Etobicoke Olympium

 

Ontario Festivals hosts many of the best 13&U athletes in the province twice per season (Winter & Summer), where ROW has opted to send a delegation of 12&Us for the past 5 years.  Summer Festivals 2023 we had 14 of our 15 qualifiers in attendance, numbers which show we are competitive amongst clubs two to four times our size!

From beginning to end, there was no shortage of excitement, with multiple ROW athletes battling it out for personal bests, placement and medals.  Parents, athletes and coaches alike displayed energy from the stands in spectating some phenomenal racing and performances, which were all the more impressive given the age of these athletes. 

 

“I haven’t seen a crowd so engaged, reacting and responding to races the way they did Festivals this summer” – Coach Carly

 

There were several noteworthy races over the course of the weekend:

·       Boy’s 12yr old 100 Breast – This saw three ROW athletes, seeded and placing TOP 8 to score points under the Team Banner – Nic W. Beckett S. Sebastian H.

·       Boy’s 11yr old 200 Fly – This race came down to the touch between ROW’s Chris R and LAC’s Arthur P resulting in a Silver for Chris by only .01.  This race had coaches and parents from other clubs amazed and gasping at the incredible race from start to finish.

·       Girl’s 12yr old 200 Fly – On the other side of the equation, Sophie R dominated her 200 fly in a win by 12 seconds, earning her a gold.

·       Girl’s 10&U 100 Back – Olivia S raced to her very first Festival Gold in Club Record Breaking Fashion!  She won the race by over 2 seconds and broke ROWs club record which stood for 17 years.

·       11&U Boys Medley Relays – It’s always a little more exciting with teammates by your side.  Relay team – Ethan W, Edan W, Nikkolai T & Chris R took home medals in both the 4x50 and 4x100 medley relays.

Overall, our club faired incredibly well finishing 6^th in the Team standings which has ROW finishing TOP 10 for the past 3 consecutive Festival Championships!  All this was done without sending any 13yr old athletes, leaving a lot of points open for the taking.  The three-day meet saw ROW with 46 Top 8 finishes, as well as 42 personal bests along the way. 

ROWs performance this weekend caught the eyes of many Head Coaches from other clubs as well as Swim Ontario employees, pointing out the technical foundation displayed by our athletes in addition to the amazing races they put together.

“I’m incredibly proud of the state of our development at Region of Waterloo Swim Club which was showcased this past weekend at Summer Festivals.  We will continue working hard and finding ways to improve our club from the bottom-up.” – Head Coach AJ

 

A ginormous Congratulations goes out to all the competitors for the work they’ve put in to their training such that they were able to compete their hearts out at this Summer Festival Championships! We’re excited to witness the future of these athletes as they continue to develop and grow through Region of Waterloo Swim Club.

 

Medalists:

Nic W - Gold 200 Breast, Silver 200im, Silver 400im, Bronze 100 Breast, Bronze 200 Back

Sophie R – Gold 100 Fly, Gold 200 Fly

Chris R – Silver 100 Fly, Silver 200 Fly, Silver 200 Breast, Bronze 100 Breast, Bronze 400im

Olivia S – Gold 100 Back, Gold 200 Back, Bronze 50 back, Bronze 200im

11&U Boys Relays – Ethan W, Edan W, Chris R, Nikkolai T – Silver 4x50 & 4x100

 

Club Record:

Olivia S – 9/10 Girls 100m Back LCM – 1:20.93

 

Meet Summary:

Medals – 18 [Gold – 5, Silver – 7, Bronze – 6]

Club Records – 1

Best times – 42

Top 8 finishes – 46

Overall Team Placing – 6^th

 

 

Ontario Summer Youth-Junior Championships 2023 @ Markham Pan AM

 

Further down the highway, saw 13- to 18-year-old athletes from across the province competing at Ontario Youth-Juniors.  With Ontario Swimming Championship time standards de-qualifying athletes from this meet, the general nature of the competition sees many events with very tight seeding, all attempting to work their way towards OSCs.

 

This meet tends to be a little trickier in the calendar than most, for a few reasons:

·       The tight qualification standards (between OYJs and OSCs)

·       A competition for high school athletes during exams

·       End of year vacations

·       Summer Break mode for most students.

 

Given the challenges which need to be overcome at this time of year, athletes faired well.  Region of Waterloo Swim Club had 15 out of 16 qualified athletes race at this Summer’s OYJ championships.

 

Day 1:

·       Double gold evening with both Katherine S and Michael T destroying their respective events – Katherine in the 50 Free and Michael in the 200 Breast. 

·       Additional final swims:

o   Aleksa Z – 10^th Place 50 Free

o   Michael T – 10^th Place 50 Free

o   The 14&U boys 4x50 Medley Relay placed 5^th missing a podium finish but a mere 1 second - Lucas LB, Michael T, Nathan W, Aleksa Z

 

Day 2:

·       Allison N competed in an incredibly tough double, racing a very solid 1500 Free and within minutes, hopping back into the pool to race in the 200 Free which she had qualified for in the preliminary session that morning. 

·       Additional final swims:

o   6^th place 200 free & 10^th place 200 free for Katherine S,

o   8^th place 400im for Lucas LB,

o   6^th place 400im for Devin PW,

o   10^th place 100 fly for Ariel C,

o   7^th place 100 fly for Aris C.,

o   7^th place for the 14&U 4x100 Free Relay – Lucas LB, Aris C, Nathan W, Michael T

 

Day 3:

·       Michael T took home a bronze medal in the 13&U boys 100 breast, which was a very tight race through to the 50m mark, although started to separate on the 2^nd 50.

·       Additional final swims:

o   Katherine S – 6^th Place 100 Free

o   Devin PW – 5^th Place 200 Fly

o   Aris C – 8^th Place 100 Breast

o   8^th place for the 14&U 4x50 Free Relay – Aris C, Nathan W, Michael T, Lucas LB

 

Day 4:

·       Lucas LB added to the medal count on the final day of competition in a massive personal best, earning himself bronze in the 200m backstroke.

·       Additional final swims:

o   Aris C – 7^th Place 200im

o   Allison N – 4^th Place 400 Free

o   Ben R – 8^th Place 400 Free

o   14&U Boys 4x100 Medley Relay – 6^th Place – Lucas LB, Michael T, Aris C, Nathan W

 

Congratulations to all of the athletes who competed at Ontario Youth-Junior Championships!  Way to represent ROW at the end of a long season!

 

Meet Summary:

Team – 23^rd with 275.5 points

Personal Bests – 21

Finals Swims – 18

Medals – 2 Gold, 2 Bronze

 

 

 

With Festivals and OYJs all wrapped up, the remainder of our season looks at follows:

 

·       BAD Outdoor Invitational – Friday, June 23^rd to Sunday, June 25^th

·       ROW Picnic – Wednesday, June 28^th 6:00-8:00pm

·       Ontario Swimming Championships – Thursday, July 6^th to Sunday, July 9^th

·       Ontario Open Water Championships – Saturday, July 15^th to Sunday, July 16^th

·       Canadian Swimming Championships – Monday, July 31^st to Sunday, August 6^th

 

For many, the season finish line is in sight, however let’s continue to support our athletes racing through the summer months!

 

#GOROWGO #ROWNATION

 

-ROW Coaching Staff