There is no place like home.
The Okotoks Stingrays made the most of familiar surroundings with a stirring string of performances, including 97 personal best swims at their annual home meet on June 10-11 at the Riley Minue Pool to kick-off the 35th anniversary of the club in style.
“Our home meet — I feel like it’s the most important because it’s your territory and you want to show off to the other teams what you have,” said Stingray Teagan Broadley. “I feel like I’m more nervous at the home meet instead of anywhere else because your family actually gets to see you swim and it’s important to most people.”
For, the 14-year-old racing to the finish line first in both of her butterfly races, 50m and 100m, was a matter of pride. Broadley added silver in the 50m and 100m backstroke.
“It kind of runs in the family, the butterfly,” she said. “I just have a goal of swimming fly. I think it’s my most important.
“Normally our Friday and Thursday (practices) we do a lot of turns and dives, especially our fly kick we try to do an underwater all-the-way fly-kick. I feel like that helps a lot.”
Siblings Dieter and Heidi Frehlich combined for five medals in the Rec Centre.
“The home meet has always been one of the first main meets of the year so it’s always been a good way to kick-off the season,” said Dieter Frehlich. “We swim some of our stronger events, but we also want to get in some of our weaker ones to help us practice.
“It’s a good meet to see where you’re strong and where you’re not.”
He’s off to a flying start to the Alberta Summer Swimming Association campaign. He finished first in the 200m individual medley and was second in the 100m backstroke.
“My 100 back I didn’t get a best time, I slipped off the start, but from there I was able to get within a second from my best time,” Frehlich said. “Without that faulty start I would have been able to cut off a couple seconds, looking towards the future it will be a strong event. With this meet it’s keeping those times and in the next couple meets we want to break those times and go faster.”
Jorja Inglis enjoyed a flawless weekend in the pool, earning the Stingrays a meet-high 36 points with four gold medal performances. In the 9-10 age group, Inglis finished first in the 50m breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle and 100m individual medley. Younger brother Brock also hit for a strong batting average in Okotoks.
He finished first in the 50m and 25m freestyle and 25m backstroke.
Veteran Stingray Will Blackie produced four medal races, touching the wall first in both the 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley along with silver in the 50m breaststroke and bronze in the 50m butterfly.
Fellow-stalwart Branden Bonham was an ace in the butterfly, striking gold in the 50m and 100m final.
In the 18 and over division, coach Gina Guillemi notched 32 points for the team, winning the 100m freestyle as well as the 100m and 50m backstroke races and Taylor Clark notched gold and silver in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, respectively.
Wells Ginzer walked away with a medal of every colour in the boys 9-10 division, producing gold in 50m butterfly, silver in 50m backstroke and bronze in 100m freestyle.
Austen Hall was the picture of consistency in adding a trio of silver medal swims in 50 and 25m freestyle and 50m backstroke.
Also adding podium finishes were Kaitlyn Lumby (gold in 200m individual medley), William Whaley (second and third in the 200 and 100m individual medley), Madeline Hrycay (silver in 50m backstroke, bronze in 25m backstroke), Laurence Ricard (silver in 100m backstroke, bronze in 200m freestyle and 100m individual medley), Catherine Ricard (silver in 50m breaststroke), Charles Antoine-Ricard (bronze in 100m breaststroke), Jonah Moser (silver in 100m butterfly), Kai Joustra (bronze in 200m freestyle and 100m individual medley), Dawson Haffey-Leal (third in 50m backstroke) and Eirian Broadley (silver in 50m backstroke).
In the relay races, Okotoks picked up three gold, seven silver and one bronze medal.
Next up for Okotoks is the High River Otters swim meet.
For more information on the Stingrays go to okotoksstingrays.com
