![AVID COMPETITORS: West Coast Wind Swim Club has completed its competitive season. Team members, in the back row [from left] are: Madison Giesbrecht, Amy Mulder, AJ Mulder, Steven Wang, Reeve Morwood, Eli Hueston, Ayva Gunther, Hannah Giesbrecht and coach Marissa Schweitzer. Front row [from left] are: Gabe Mussellam, Russell O’Donnell, Shunsei Sternberg, Yoshun Sternberg, Saphire Mitchell and Kalissa Smith. Not all team members were present for the photo.](https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/powellriverpeak/images/sports/2842_swim_club_1.jpg;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000)
West Coast Wind Swim Club completed its final meet of the season, the summer provincial championship at University of British Columbia’s aquatic centre.
According to a media release from the club, one of the local swimmers, Ayva Gunther, travelled to Vancouver to compete in the multi-day meet in the following five events: 100-metre backstroke, 100-metre butterfly, 50-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle.
The meet was a huge success for Gunther as she achieved seventh place in the 50 fly event, eighth in the 100 back, eighth in the 50 back, 16th in the 50 free and 20th in the 100 fly.
“Gunther is looking forward to another season of training and competing with the Wind next fall, with the goals of making national standards and attending the Canadian junior championship meet next summer,” stated coach Marissa Schweitzer.
Prior to this final meet, the Wind had four athletes: Adianta Cocksedge-Hamilton, Gunther, Eli Hueston and Reeve Morwood attend the ISC medley challenge at the end of May. This meet was the final inclusive invitational this season. Two of the club’s graduating swimmers, Hueston and Morwood, attend this meet, setting best times one last time before heading off to University of Victoria in the fall.
West Coast Wind has two other swimmers/alumni who graduated this year: AJ Mulder and Aaron Schweitzer.
The release stated that this season, the Wind doubled its registration, went to multiple meets both in the Vancouver Island and Vancouver regions, and had athletes achieve regional, divisional, provincial and national level standards.
“As a team, we are thrilled to finish off this 2022/2023 season with such joy and success, and we look forward to another season of growth for 2023-2024,” the coach stated.
West Coast Wind is planning to add two new training groups this fall for younger qathet region swimmers, with registration starting at the end of August. If someone is a swimmer, or has a young swimmer interested in joining the club for the 2023/2024 season, contact the team at [email protected].
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