The Richmond Rapids Swim Club returned from snowy Kamloops last week having accomplished something no Rapids squad has ever done -win a provincial championship.
"This has been a goal of ours for a long time. It's something we've been trying to build over the last few years, and it came together for us in Kamloops," said head coach Robert Pettifer.
After missing the title last long course season by 11 points, the Rapids were out for redemption, leading from the very beginning of the meet.
Over the duration of the event, the Rapids continuous top-16 swims widened the difference between first and second to over 600 points, resulting in one of the widest margins of victory in recent years.
Among those scoring swims, the Rapids were dominant in the relays, including placing two 11-and-under boys teams on the podium for all three events. The crown jewel, however, was the 13-and-14-yearold boys, who won the 4x50 Medley in provincial record-breaking time. This was a huge celebration, since they had missed the record the day before in the 4x50 free by merely .01 seconds.
The jubilation increased tenfold the following morning, when the team realized it had broken the 22-year-old national age group record as well.
"Two of the swimmers on the previous relay team went on to be national team members, and one of them became an Olympian," said Pettifer. "We can't wait to see what those four are able to accomplish in the future."
A huge part of the Rapids success was a much stronger presence from the girls' team. Dini McIver and Amanda McCallum were staples on the 11-and-under podium, while Serena Xue and Cathy Ye made several finals and medaling swims in the older categories.
Equally important was an increase in strength across several more events where the Rapids had not previously been contenders. This is a result of a larger emphasis on creating a true long-term development organization, free of any specialization or preference.
"The strength of the many will carry the team, when the strength of the few fails," said coach Drew McClure. "We look at the gaps we're missing, and try to fill in those parts, while simultaneously fortifying what's already strong. That's been the process for the last several years."
Of course, the consistency of performances was aided in huge part by the Rapids team of chaperones and parent volunteers, who provided a catering service second to none. For the consistently delicious food and the attention to detail that surpasses that of an air traffic controller, the Rapids coaching staff and swimmers say a huge thank you.
So, now that this significant goal has been accomplished, what are the Rapids doing next? "We want to win it again," said Pettifer. Listed below are the medalists for the meet.
Serena Xue: Gold -100 Breast, Silver-200 Breast. Dimitri Volchkov: Silver -200 Free, Silver -100 Back, Silver -200 Back, Bronze -400 Free. Nic Dekker: Gold -200 Fly, Silver -100 Back, Bronze -200 IM, Silver -100 Free, Silver -100 Breast, Gold -100 Fly. Amanda McCallum: Silver -100 Back, Silver -200 Back. Adrian Hsing: Silver -200 IM, Bronze -100 Free, Bronze -50 Free. Jerry Liu: Bronze -200 IM. Dini McIver: Bronze -200 Back, Bronze -200 Breast. Rich Rakchtis: Gold -100 Breast, Gold -200 Breast. Austin Berry: Bronze -100 Breast. Alex Ball: Silver -50 Free. Kevin Ye: Gold -100 Breast, Silver -200 Breast.
The Rapids would like to thank their sponsors, TYR, Team Aquatic Supplies, Holiday Inn Riverport, Spirit of Math Schools, and the City of Richmond for their continued support.
For more information on the Richmond Rapids, visit richmondrapids.com.
