The Kamloops Classic Swim Club is hoping it can make a splash at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre on the weekend, as the MJB Law Classic takes over the pool this morning (Dec. 12).
The meet begins at 8:45 a.m. and will run through to Sunday, Dec. 14.
The event features 423 swimmers from 22 B.C. and Alberta teams, 75 of whom will represent the Kamloops Classics.
TRU WolfPack swimmers Jagdeesh Uppal and Sarah McChesney will also be competing.
“It’s a big focus swim meet for us,” said Classics head coach Brad Dalke.
Most of the club’s swimmers should be peaking in time for the MJB.
“It’s the end of our first training cycle,” he said.
“So, that being said, we have a lot of kids that are looking to be swimming very fast to be able to make some of their qualifying times for competitions that are coming up in the early spring.
“It’s our first big, big competition of this year’s training program.”
Classic swimmers are shooting to hit a number of qualifying times, including those for 2015 Pan Am Games trials, the Canadian Interunivesity Sport swimming national championships, provincial championships and the Canadian Age Group Swimming Championships.
One of those swimmers is South Kamloops’ Ethan Phillips.
The 15-year-old will be swimming in six events this weekend, including the 100-metre butterfly, the 100m backstroke, the 200m freestyle, the 200m butterfly, the 200m backstroke, the 400m individual medley and the 1,500m freestyle.
“I’m feeling quite comfortable,” Phillips told KTW.
“It’s a really great environment.
“This swim meet, clubs come from all over and it creates quite a good championship. Just a great kind of spirit going on, good emotions, good competition.”
The MJB Law Classic is one of the first meets in which Phillips ever competed. As a young swimmer, he remembers thinking of the meet as “the big show.” He said he still does, though he’s a little more comfortable there now.
“I just want to get out there, put out some great times,” Phillips said. “Swim B.C. is kind of watching me, to see how I’m doing here, so I just want to get up there, put on a good show and swim fast.”
Phillips is hoping to add a few more senior national qualifying times to his resume.
He’s also looking to make a few more times for the Canadian Olympic Trials next year.
Thus far, he has both his senior national time and his Olympic trials time in the 200m backstroke.
This weekend is a big one for swimming programs across Canada, with a number of clubs hosting meets as they come to the end of their training cycles before the holiday break.
Last weekend, meets in Toronto and Victoria headlined the Canadian swimming landscape. This weekend, it will be meets in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal sharing the limelight with Kamloops.
The United States will also host a meet in Portland, which will include a number of Canadian swimmers.
“We’re posting times and then everybody is running to the Internet to take a look to see where it ranks and that kind of stuff,” Dalke said.
“It’s a big weekend across Canada for all age-group swimming programs.”
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