The Yorkton Storm Speed Swim Club sent fourteen swimmers to a meet in Regina recently.
It was the first major meet of the short course season for the club. The competition was a tough one with all of the top swimmers in Saskatchewan taking part.
The team came home with three podium finishes. 15-year-old Jennifer Haczkewicz placed first in the 50m Backstroke, third in the 50m Butterfly and swam four AA times in the process. The 4x50m Medley Relay Team made up of Anna Bulych, Matlyn Bulych, Ella Kozak, and Alex Poncelet swam their way to a third place finish.
Jacob Baker swam an AA time in the 50m Backstroke. Cassidy Flasch turned in a AA time in the 50m Butterfly. The AA times will assure Haczkewicz, Baker and Flasch a spot at the Man-Sask Short Course Championships later on this winter.
Haczkewicz swam her way into the record books at the Regina meet. She broke three club marks; one of them was an astounding 27 years old. Haczkewicz swam the 50m Freestyle in 29.20 breaking the old mark of 29.87. The old record was held by Danielle Ozirny and was set at a meet in 1997.
Her second record was set in the 100m Freestyle event which she swam in 1.05.93. The old record was set in 1987 by Marjorie Talbot. Talbot’s time of 1.07.00 was swum in The Pas, MB and had stood for 27 years.
Haczkewicz’s third record time came in the 50m Butterfly. She swam the race in 32.48 erasing Gloria Liebrecht’s old mark of 33.40 which was swum in North Battleford back in 1991.
Robyn Jones took an average of 6.83 seconds off in three of her races to win the Storm Chaser Award. The award is presented to the Yorkton swimmer that shows the most improvement from one meet to the next.
The next action for the swim team will be in Regina in late December.
