LeRae Haynes
Special to the Tribune/Advisor
Blue Fins members are back in the water in preparation for their upcoming season.
Coach Chad Webb said that the pool renovation closure and evacuation order impacted the team, including a couple of weeks of summer camp training.
“It was a long season without water, first because of the renovation, and then by the evacuation. The kids are very glad to be back in the water,” he explained. “The older kids especially felt it – the ‘no water’ for a while.”
He added that during the evacuation, some of the kids were able to swim where they ended up. “Some of them asked me to provide a work out for them while they were away at other facilities,” he said.
Webb has been coaching for nearly 30 years, and has been with the Blue Fins for four years.
“During the time we were without a pool - February to July – we ran some dryland programs at Total Ice,” he said. “We catered to swimmers instead of hockey players: general strength and conditioning. Many of the kids played sports, including soccer, until it was cancelled due to fires.”
In his career he said sometimes he’s been without water for his team for a day or two, up to a week, but this six weeks has certainly been the longest.
“The kids are handling it pretty well,” he added. “We have a younger group this year, and I wasn’t too worried about how it would affect them long term.”
Blue Fins members are training a couple days a week to get back into their routine, and the club is gearing up for registration in September. For more information about Blue Fins, visit their website www.wlbluefins.ca or find them on Facebook.