INNISFAIL – The Innisfail Dolphins can put this season in the history books as one of their finest.
“It’s been a great season. Right now we’re right up there with the top teams in the province,” said Josh Gette, head coach for the Dolphins. “We’re in sixth place right now behind Lethbridge and the two Calgary and two Edmonton teams.
“We’ve done really well for a small little town like Innisfail,” he added. “This is for sure one of the best seasons we’ve ever had.”
Gette said the Dolphins had about 75 registered swimmers that participated in about 10 swim meets all over the province this season, including those in Canmore, Lacombe, Hanna, Calgary and Innisfail.
Earlier this summer, several swimmers competed at regionals and qualified for the Alberta Summer Swimming Association Provincial Championships on Aug. 17, 18 and 19 in Edmonton.
“We had 37 swimmers qualify for the provincial meet in 67 swim (events), which was very good,” said Gette, noting swimmers with the Dolphins ranged in age from seven to 18 and over.
“We have a wide variety of swimmers in all distances (that competed at provincials),” he added, noting such events as relays, sprints, and individual swims.
Gette said there were several reasons for the club’s success this season.
“They’ve just been a really tight-knit group and they all really bonded as a team. It doesn’t matter how old they are,” he said.
“They’ve also really improved their times this year. We’ve had probably (a lot) more swimmers on the podium in first and second place this year at regionals than we’ve really ever had before,” explained Gette.
Kendra Haldorson, president of the Dolphins, also noted the club’s hard work, success and commitment over the past several months.
“It’s been a great year, very positive,” said Haldorson. “Provincials is the last part of our season.
“For a smaller town, we definitely have a really large swim club and we did very well. I attribute that to the coaches, the positive attitudes of the kids and the dedication from parents too,” Haldorson concluded.
