A small team at Oak Bay High School was going well when the athletes took to the water at Islands last month. Twelve young swimmers qualified for provincial swimming at the October 22 competition in Nanaimo.
“We had a great time,” said coach and faculty sponsor Allison Seidel. “Most of our swimmers don’t participate in swim clubs, and some kids just learned flips this fall. We’re really proud of our swimmers for being provincial.”
This is her first year managing the team with her longtime educational assistant, Meaghan Holahan. The 15-person team represented students from all grade levels.
Due to the short window, they began two-season training sessions at the end of September. The team trains Friday at the nearby Oak Bay Recreation Center and occasionally goes to the Crystal Pool to practice diving.
Seidel said the swimmers are excited to head to the provincial competition in Richmond on Nov. 18-19.
“We’re just here to have fun.”
While swimming may seem like an individual sport, the team excels as a team. “Everyone really likes to encourage each other,” Seidel said.
This will come in handy when the team competes in all relays in the upcoming provincial competitions.
They will compete in the 200m medley relay and mixed 200m medley relay. The medley consists of four swimmers who each run 50 meters and each swimmer does a different stroke – backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and fly. They will also compete in the women’s 200m freestyle relay and men’s 200m freestyle relay.
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Oak Bay High