Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club dominates home meet

The Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club celebrated a resounding success after this season’s first junior swim meet on the weekend of Oct. 27, crushing their northern B.C. competition.

Out of 365 races at the BC Maritime Employers Association Invitational Swim Meet, 70 per cent of the best times were clocked by swimmers from Kaien Island, with many setting personal bests and new records for the region.

Across the weekend, Prince Rupert’s overall team score was a hefty 1,343.50 points, beating out Terrace (597.50), Prince George (287), Smithers (193) and Kitimat (86).

Youngsters Oliver Bomben, Tess Edwards and Rachel Butt all set new divisional times at the meet. Bomben, Jorja Boot, Lucy Phuong and Ben McDonald also swam qualifying times for ManSask, the Manitoba-Saskatchewan swim meet that young Prince Rupert swimmers aspire to reach.

Gold medal winners for cumulative points included Boot for the 11-12 girls age group, Heidi Bellis for the 15-plus girls age division and Peter Joubert for the 15-plus boys age division.

Silver medal winners were Edwards, Butt, Naveen Gautam, Sophia McDonald, Iona Riesen and Chase McWilliam.

Bomben, Hadley Seier, Elijah Kroeker-Wilson, Blake Ciotoli, Eva Sumanik, Annabelle DeMille and Joeseph Kristoff won bronze.

Seth Forward, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Rupert Northern View