By Angie Abdou
Two Fernie swimmers made challenging qualifying times to represent Elk Valley Dolphins in Alberta’s Long Course Provincial Championships on the first weekend in March. Olivia Howse swam the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 50 back, 100 back, and 200 back. Leah Soetaert swam the 50 fly, 50 back, 50 breast, 50 free, 100 back, and 100 free.
Both swimmers are in grade 12, and after long successful careers with the Dolphins, they can see the end of their time representing the Elk Valley team. The coaches are thrilled to see Soetaert and Howse ending with a strong year and are excited about the athletes’ potential for success in the remainder of this final season.
Both swimmers achieved personal best times during the meet. Olivia Howse made finals in both the 100 and 200 free, placing 11th in the 100 free and 12th in the 200 free. Both girls were only tenths of a second off earning final spots in the 50 back.
“We’re in a good position,” said Coach Aidan Chudleigh. “This championship was our first long course meet, and that’s always a challenging transition. Both swimmers overcame that hurdle to do lifetime bests. Now we’re back to work, and I know they both have more in them before the 2022-23 season is over.”
Leah Soetaert qualified for the Western Nationals in the 50 back and will be traveling to Calgary to compete in that event on March 17th.
The club’s next meet (March 11-12) is in Cranbrook, an event that will give swimmers from all the different levels a chance to compete. “We’re happy to see swimming in the Kootenays growing,” said Coach Aidan Chudleigh. “We’ll be attending meets in both Nelson and Invermere later this spring too.”