The Olds Rapids swim team competed at the 25th annual Silvertide Poppy Invitational event on November 2 and 3 at the Kinsman aquatic centre in Edmonton.
On the first day of competition, Jazz Thompson, 12, squeaked under the 11-to-12-year-old 100-metre freestyle club record previously held by Elizabeth Christiansen by 2/100ths of a second. She also improved her 100-metre fly time by 10 seconds to qualify for fifth place in the finals and she placed eighth in the 50-metre breaststroke.
Wesley Wilks, 13, swam his best times in the 100 free event and the 100 fly event.
Gizelle de Guzman, 15, had the best times in the 100 and 200 free events.
On the second day, Thompson qualified for provincial trials in 200 IM placing eighth.
In the 50 free event, Thompson improved by over a second and qualified seventh in the finals.
She was three-for-three in best times improving by five seconds in the 100-metre backstroke. Gizelle also had a faster 50-metre free event in her second attempt in as many weekends.
Thompson swam well in the 100 fly final improving five seconds from the day before and placing fourth.
In a very tight race, she placed eighth in the 50 free event.
A week earlier, the Rapids were in Saskatchewan for a meet where, on Oct. 24, Wesley competed in the 1,500-metre freestyle.
He posted fast splits early in the race, but came up just short of a best time, finishing ninth.
On the morning of Oct. 25, preliminaries were productive for Victoria Wagstaff, 14, as she lowered the 13-to-14 200-metre breaststroke club record by six seconds.
The record was previously held by Allison Durieux.
Wilks had best times in both his swims and made the finals in the 200-metre butterfly.
Cole Urbanowski, 14, made consolation finals in the 100-metre freestyle and improved his 200-metre breaststroke by 11 seconds.
De Guzman, who is competing with Olds in her first year while residing in Cremona, had a best time in the 100-metre free event by 11 seconds.
During the finals on Oct. 25 Terence Kelly, 14, Wilks, Dawson Green, 14, from Sundre and Urbanowski swam the freestyle relay six seconds faster than any other previous Rapids team. Kelly recorded a best time with the leadoff leg.
Urbanowski recorded the fastest Rapids relay free split.
The team placed sixth in the race.
Urbanowski had one more shot at Mitchell Ormann's 13-to-14 100 free event record, but came up half a second shy.
On Oct. 26, Kelly, Wilks and Green improved by five, seven and 25 seconds respectively in the 200-metre free event.
Urbanowski and Kelly qualified for the consolation finals in the 200 free event.
In the 100-metre breaststroke, the girls took the spotlight with Wagstaff qualifying for consolation finals, Kate Amos, 12, from Sundre improving by 10 seconds and de Guzman posting a fast first effort.
Urbanowski made the 'A' final in 50-metre free and Dawson made the consolation final with a two-second improvement.
Posting another fast first swim, de Guzman swam her 50-metre free under 40 seconds. Finishing off the morning was Kelly in the 400 IM qualifying for provincial trials.
In club record form, Kelly, Wilks, Green and Urbanowski lowered the club record by seven seconds.
Wilks also recorded a club record for the breast split on the relay.
In the 200 free consolation final, Kelly added to his club record list previously set by Ormann lowering the time by three seconds. Wagstaff placed 19th in her 100-metre breaststroke consolation.
Green had a breakthrough race becoming the next Rapid under 30 seconds in 50-metre free. Urbanowski placed 10th in the 50 free.
On Oct. 27, Wagstaff, Amos, Kelly, Green and de Guzman all improved in 50-metre backstroke by about 20 seconds cumulatively.
Amos also got best times in 100-metre free and 50-metre breast by 10 and two seconds, respectively. Green, 15, broke the 40-second barrier in 50-metre breaststroke lowering the 15-to-16-year-old record previously held by Ormann.
Earlier in October, the Rapids attended a meet in Calgary where two new club records were posted by Kelly in the 13-to-14 50-metre breaststroke, lowering his previous best and the all-time 50-metre breaststroke previously held by Cody McArthur.
