Contributed by Angie Abdou
Elk Valley Dolphin Swim Club
Ava Pollock, Adam Hayden, Katherine Hafke, and Abbigail Wannamaker will be representing Zone 1 at the BC Summer Games. “This is the most swimmers we’ve ever placed on a Summer Games team,” said Coach Aidan Chudleigh, “another sign of the club’s growth and elevated performance.”
The four Fernie swimmers will join athletes from teams in Cranbrook, Nelson, and Radium/Invermere to make up the team for this region. Karen Fahrni from Columbia Valley has accepted the head coach position, and Jackson Sorenson from Cranbrook will be her assistant coach. The team will carry a total of 11 swimmers, with Elk Valley Dolphins making up more than a third of the roster.
The Kootenay swimmers will travel by chartered plane to Prince George for the BC Games.
“This will be a great experience for our local swimmers” said the Fernie coach. “None of them has made a regional team before. Some have never traveled by plane. They’re all very excited, and we can see that excitement turning into good hard work in the pool. All of them have upped their game since the head coach announced the Zone 1 team.”
Hafke, Hayden, Pollock and Wannamaker will be competing July 21, 22, and 23.
Maddox Johnson also qualified for the swim team, but he qualified in two other sports as well (triathlon and biking) and has decided to represent Zone 1 in triathlon.
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