Angie Abdou
On the weekend of December 9, 33 Dolphins traveled by bus to compete in the Sandy Ferris Invitational Swim Meet. It’s the first time the club has attempted team-travel on this scale and the most swimmers the Dolphins have ever taken to a Calgary meet. Coach Aidan reports that the whole event was a tremendous success. “All of our swimmers had a fun weekend and achieved personal best times. We also had a record number of athletes competing in the finals.” The Dolphins’ coaches say that their best memories in swimming are traveling and lodging with their peers and sharing big team meals. The Dolphins’ organization is excited that the club now provides this option, which also makes meet travel more accessible to busy families.
The star of the weekend was 11-year-old Layla Rella. Rella recently moved up to a new age group, but the tougher competition didn’t stop the young athlete from claiming her spot on the podium. She placed 2nd in the 50 free, with a time that puts her mere tenths of a second off the club record. She then won gold in the 100 fly with a blazing fast 1:18.08. Shortly later, she pulled off a silver medal in the 50 breast. The young athlete commented with a surprised, “How did I manage that! I went into the final ranked fifth!” The Sandy Ferris competition proved to be another impressive weekend for Layla Rella.
Two other Dolphins hit the podium in individual events: 15-year-old Adam Hayden and 14-year-old Katherine Hafke. Hayden placed third in the 200 IM, and Hafke also picked up a bronze medal in the 100 back.
On Sunday evening, the 10 & Under Mixed Relay Team earned a bronze medal in the mixed medley, with competitors Brooklyn Irving (backstroke), Rennik Melwood (breaststroke), Ruby Cain (butterfly), and Ben Gillespie (freestyle) putting in a very clean performance where other teams succumbed to disqualifications. The senior relay added two more medals to the tally, with a bronze for Jackson Radkie, Adam Hayden, Abbigail Wannamaker, and Atley Nelson in the free relay and another bronze for Jackson Radkie (backstroke), Adam Hayden (breaststroke), Abbigail Wannamaker (butterfly), and Cadence Prefontaine (freestyle) in the medley relay.
After a two fun meets at the home pool this week, the Dolphins will break for Christmas. Their first meet of the new year will be in Cranbrook on the weekend of January 13.