On May 6, The Pas Roadrunners Swim Club had a spectacular day of racing, and learning. Some 30 Roadrunners faced off against each other for an exciting morning of racing. As the only club in the North, Thompson and Flin Flon are currently without pools, the meet isn’t what it once was. It’s always more exciting with the rivalries with visiting clubs. Hopefully, we see a return to the fiery competition of swimming in the north as Thompson and Flin Flon have new pools in their plans. There was still plenty of cheering from teammates and spectators. It was a great learning experience for many of the younger swimmers. The Roadrunners have had an influx of young swimmers the last two years, so it was a great chance for them to test their skills in competition and prepare for future meets. Top swimmers at the meet were Dean Anderson, and Eva Mearns. Lexi Devlieger showed the most improvement in personal bests..
There was a special guest on deck that attracted quite a bit of attention from the swimmers. Kelsey Wog, a made in Manitoba Olympian, cheered Roadrunners on and offered words of encouragement between races. Kelsey is a national team member and represented Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She continues in her Olympic pursuit training for the Paris Olympics in 2024. In the afternoon, for both junior and senior swimmers, Kelsey conducted a stroke and skills clinic focused on breastroke, her specialty. There were many wide eyes, and ready ears. After the clinic, swimmers got a chance to view some of Kelsey’s medals and take photos with our made in Manitoba Olympian.
It’s a sprint to the end of the season for TPRR with one final meet, a year-end celebration of sorts at an outdoor pool, in Moose Jaw mid-June..