The biggest home event of the season once again served as a launching pad for the Foothills Stingrays.
The annual Black and Blue meet featured all 86 Stingrays in action with over seven clubs shooting for best times in the Riley Minue Pool from Feb. 5-7 as the Alberta short course swim season reaches the stretch drive.
“The importance is getting to age group trials and getting to age group champs,” said Stingrays head assistant coach Emma Hesterman. “They’re the two big meets my swimmers are after.”
Several Stingrays did their trial and provincial hopes a world of good in familiar surroundings at the Okotoks Rec Centre.
Montana Dobry used the home meet to spring forward into the age group provincial champs in a somewhat surprising way.
“She was predicted to make it in her 100 IM or 200 IM and ended up making it in her 100 breaststroke,” Hesterman said. “I wouldn’t say it’s her best event. She’s a really all around swimmer, but that’s one I wasn’t expecting her to make it in.
“It’s amazing what happens when they don’t put that pressure on their shoulders.”
Two Stingrays then did something they’ve already done this season to officially punch their ticket to the age group trials later this month in Calgary.
Fourteen-year-old Lucy Urban and 12-year-old Solana Lawson re-qualified for trials after recently moving up an age group. Both swimmers re-qualified in the 400m freestyle.
A season of transition has brought about some positive results for the Stingrays.
“We’ve re-structured some things over the past couple years, moved around some groups,” Hesterman said. “I’ve got 18 in two groups and Todd (head coach Todd Melton) and I share one of the younger groups now.
“It’s our first year doing it and it’s been very successful. We can see them now filtering in to our groups.”
The Talisman Centre in Calgary will be home to the biggest events of the swim season in the coming weeks and in the summer when it’s the host venue for the Age Group National Swim Championships.
Before then, the Age Group Trials are in the Stampede City from Feb. 19-21 followed by the Short Course Age Group Provincial Championships from March 4-6.
For the more advanced swimmers the Western Nationals run from Feb. 18-21 in Winnipeg.
Bound for Winnipeg are Foothills’ Layne Guidinger, Kennedy Loewen, Georgia Podmore, Megan Deering, Chyanne Simpson, Justin Lisoway, Finlay Knox, Michael McMahon, Blaise Evelyn and Jotham d’Ailly.
For more information on the Stingrays go to foothillstingrays.com
