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Williams Lake Blue Fins set new records, prepare for Christmas with annual fundraiser

Swimmers competed at the Kelowna AquaJets Fall Classic Swim Meet
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The Williams Lake Blue Fins gathered Christmas trees from under the hydro lines recently as part of their annual fundraiser. The Blue Fins will be selling their trees outside Canadian Tire for $40 a tree on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and all day Saturdays and Sundays until the trees are gone. (Photo submitted)

A contingent of Williams Lake Blue Fins Swim Club’s competitive swimmers travelled down to Kelowna Nov. 19 to 21 for the Kelowna AquaJets Fall Classic Swim Meet.

This meet was incredibly competitive, with some of the best swimmers in the Okanagan racing, including an Olympic finalist. The meet was split into sessions, which meant not only splitting the team based on age, but also a very quick turnaround between events, with some athletes having to hop out after completing one race and immediately start to prepare for the next.

The Star of the Meet was Jadyn Grant, who not only achieved 100 per cent personal best times, but also qualified for divisional championships in the 100-metre butterfly.

“Jadyn showed up with her head in the game, ready to rip it up,” said head coach Chad Webb. “She was determined to give every race everything she had, and that coupled with the work she’s been putting in at practice really paid off for her this weekend.”

Also achieving a perfect sweep of best times was swimmer of the month Rebecca Elefson.

“Rebecca has been very diligent about her training, and for a swimmer at her level to get a best time in every race is commendable,” Webb continued.

The Fins also had notable achievements with five new divisional and two new provincial championship qualifying swims, and one new club record.

“Taylor Fitzgerald swam a fantastic 50-metre butterfly, swimming it in just under 30 seconds and knocking down a 16-year-old record along the way.”

Fitzgerald also swam her way to six podium finishes in her six events: three bronze, one silver and one gold. Altogether, the Blue Fins ended the meet with 17 podium finishes with Braedi Hamar earning three bronze and three silver finishes and Morgan Langford, Jadyn Grant and Jordyn Stokes all reaching a coveted top three spot in one or more events.

“It was a great experience for our swimmers to step up in a more challenging meet with some of the top swimmers in the province. Our swimmers stayed focused and proved that no matter how tough the competition is, they are tougher.”



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