It was a weekend of personal achievements as many of the Ponoka Pools Sharks beat their best times during a home meet, held Dec. 6 and 7.
Ponoka’s swimmers challenged themselves against seven other clubs from around the province, and a total of 177 swimmers. “I think they did very well in comparison to the other clubs,” said head coach Bobbie-Jo Christensen.
“We had a lot of fun, which is the most important part.”
She also feels the younger swimmers, for whom the weekend was their first meet, also held their own. This year the 42 member team has approximately 12 first time teammates, and 40 competed during the home meet.
She says a home meet is especially important for the swimmers. “They like to show their stuff,” Christensen explained.
“I think they’ve been practicing really hard,” she added. “They put a lot of effort in.”
For Christensen, one of the highlights of the busy meet was watching her team push themselves and compete head-to-head in the elimination race. “It was a lot of fun. We had quite a few sharks in that.
Another highlight, as well as a bit of an anomaly, was seeing Ponoka Shark Lanny Wildcat compete in the lengthy 400 IM alone, which she says is a tough swim without the added pressure he faced. “All eyes are on you. He did very well.”
Those who place in the top three of a heat are awarded medals at the meet and swimmers in fourth and fifth place receive ribbons. By press time, Christensen was not sure how each one of her swimmers placed but she was impressed with the number of accolades they earned. “We’ve got a whole box full.”
While all Pool Sharks pushed themselves to race their best, Christensen says her senior swimmers are working especially hard to prepare themselves for the major meets of the season, which begin early next year.