The Innisfail Dolphins are making quite the splash this season.
The local swim club is currently sitting in fifth place in the province (among large teams) in the Alberta Summer Swimming Association's top club rankings.
“For us to compete with those big teams and do that well is amazing,” said head coach Amy Andrew.
The Innisfail Dolphins have just 74 registered swimmers this year, up from 53 last season, and have been competing against larger teams with more than 100 swimmers in each club.
Andrew is pleased with how well the Dolphins are doing at almost the halfway mark of the season.
“My goal this season is to place in the top five. I'm going to aim for (that) and hope these guys can pull through,” she said. “It's such a positive place to be. It's a good way to spend your summer and keep your kids active.”
The Innisfail Dophins hosted their annual Swim Meet on June 18 at the Aquatic Centre and saw close to 250 athletes participate in the event.
“They improve their times in various strokes, and demonstrate teamwork, competitiveness and being good stewards of the sport,” said Shawn Morgan, manager of the swim meet.
Swimmers between the ages of five and 18 and over competed in individual swimming events and relay races, noted Morgan, adding the meet included swim clubs from Ponoka, Calgary, Lacombe and Red Deer.
“The meet saw about 54 per cent of all athletes (from across Alberta) improve on their best swim times in various events,” said Morgan, noting the meet began Friday evening and wrapped up Saturday afternoon.
Andrew said she was impressed with how well the local swimmers performed at this year's meet.
“We did very well. Lots of the kids here won, and for some kids it was their first swim meet, so it was a really neat experience for them to have,” said Andrew.
She noted the hard work and dedication to the sport that many with the Innisfail club demonstrated.
“I saw a great team effort in relays. We're coming together a lot better as a team,” she added. “I think that's important even though swimming is such an individual sport.
“You're racing your best time or racing your teammates. When it comes to relays and when it comes to training, that's when you have to be there for your teammates, push each other and encourage each other,” said Andrew. “I saw a lot of that this year and that's more important for me than best times.”
Amy Andrew, Dolphins head coach
"For us to compete with those big teams and do that well is amazing. My goal this season is to place in the top five. I'm going to aim for (that) and hope these guys can pull through."
