Three swimmers from the Kitimat Marlins swim club competed at the AAA Provincial Short course (25 metre pool) Championships in Victoria March 3-6 which drew 750 of the best swimmers from BC and Yukon aged 11-18.
For all three swimmers it was the very first time they had qualified and competed at the AAA Provincial level (the highest Provincial level) so the goal was to go for the experience and try to better their personal best times.
The Marlin swimmers joined swimmers from Prince Rupert and Smithers to compete as the Points North swim team, an association of Northwest BC clubs that allow for more and stronger relays.
Kyler Cordeiro competing in the 15-year-old boy’s category achieved personal best times in all six of his races.
His strongest race by far was his 1500 metre freestyle. In this gruelling 60 length race Kyler improved his personal best time by a whopping 43 seconds and has improved his time by over two and a half minutes since May last year.
His time was fast enough to qualify him for age group Nationals in both the 15- and 16-year-old age group allowing him to compete at Age Group Nationals in Montreal in July. He finished ninth overall in the event.
Kyler also joined two swimmers from Smithers and one from Prince Rupert to break the Points North club record in the 15 and over boy’s 200 metre freestyle relay.
Arthur Firmino (17), competing in the 16-18 boys category, achieved personal best times in all six of his races.
He achieved his second Provincial qualifying standard in the 100 metre breaststroke.
His biggest improvement was a 10 second improvement in 200 metre free.
Firmino’s best placing was 11th place in the 200 metre breaststroke.
Daphne Howell, competing in the 13-year-old girl category, swam personal best times in four of her races.
Her biggest improvement came in the 200 metre breaststroke where she improved by seven seconds.
She achieved her second Provincial qualifying standard in this event.
She achieved her third Provincial qualifying standard in the 100 metre freestyle and had her best placing in this race by placing 14th.
Honourable mention go’s to 11-year-old Danika Howell who had just missed her first AAA Provincial time at the AA Provincial champs a few weeks ago but helped by swimming in relays as the Points North girls were one member short for relays without her.