Dolphins Throw-down in Downtown

  Winskill Dolphins descended on Downtown Vancouver for the 2010 CDSC New Year’s Invitational Meet this past weekend.  The Vancouver Aquatic Center, a grand concrete pool and a permanent fixture in the competitive swimming scene, played host to over 500 athletes from across B.C. and Alberta.  Dolphin swimmers, exhausted from holiday training but hungry for glory in the New Year, transformed their races into a series of tag-team matches, dominating the podium in a gauntlet of sprint and distance events!

Mckenzie Summers (14) and Meghan Kwiatkowski (14) controlled the field, placing one-two in 50 Backstroke, 50 and 100 Freestyle; Kwiatkowski and Summers ended the competition tied for top swimmer and shared the Aggregate Award.  Kwaitkowski also teamed up with Brittany Mageau (14) to place one-two in 200 Individual Medley.  Jon Kraft (15) and Alex Thormeyer (15) took first and second in 400 Freestyle.  Kraft joined forces with Ryan Anderson (15) to double-team first and second place in 50 and 200 Freestyle.  Nunu Singh (12) and Sarah Yeo (12) claimed gold and silver in 200 Backstroke.  Taylor Reilly (11) and Selena Ye (11) collected second and third spots in 200 Breaststroke.  Vito Zou (13), Gabe Lee (13), and Matt Lock (13) conquered the podium – winning first, second and third respectively - in 50 Freestyle.  Sarah Yeo, Sidney Peake (13), and Mckenzie Summers each won 100 Freestyle in their age groups.  Vito Zou, Luke Reilly (14), and Jon Kraft made their presence felt by each winning 400 Freestyle.  Rounding out the weekend was Maya Hiebert (13), Kiana Beaton (14), and Danielle Mageau (16) each winning 50 Breaststroke.

Meets records fell like so much Vancouver rain: Mckenzie Summers in 400 Individual Medley, 200 Backstroke, and 50 Backstroke; Vito Zou in 50, 100, 200, and 400 Freestyle, and 200 Individual Medley; Jonathan Kraft in 200 and 400 Freestyle; Meghan Kwiatkowski in 100 Backstroke; Sarah Yeo in 100 Backstroke; Luke Reilly in 400 Freestyle; Ryan Anderson in 100 Breaststroke and 50 Freestyle; Maya Hiebert in 50 Breaststroke; and Matt Lock in 50 Backstroke.

Up-and-coming Dolphins were not to be forgot either!  Joshua Baerg (14) swam 8 sec best times in 100 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke.  Kathinka Gundermann (12) slashed 13 sec from her 400 Freestyle, while teammate Isaiah Rusak-Gillrie (10) removed an incredible 28 sec from his 400 Free!  Rachel Yeo (11) knocked-off 19 sec from her 200 Free, while Paul Zou (10) cut 13 sec from his 200 Freestyle.  Tai Long Singh (9) finished strong with a 5 sec best time in 200 Backstroke.

CDSC saw numerous Dolphins reaching new qualifying standards.  Selina Ye qualified for BC ‘AAA’ Provincial Championships in Victoria, BC!  Rachel Yeo qualified for BA ‘AA’ Provincial Championships in Penticton, BC.  Ryan Anderson qualified for 2010 Western Canada Championships in Saskatoon, SK.  And Kiana Beaton qualified for 2010 Age-Group National Championships in Winnipeg, MB.  

Congratulations Dolphins!