Joey Payeur
It was a fantastic three days for three Fort Frances-based swimmers in southern Ontario.
The only shame is that it could have been better if not for an administrative decision that left at least two of the locals shaking their heads.
Cassidy Roach and Jacy Gagne of the Fort Frances Aquanauts, along with Sarah Rittau of the Cyclone Swim Club, competed at the Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games in Brantford and Six Nations last week in the female age 15-and-under division.
Roach snagged three golds in the 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and 100m breaststroke while adding a silver in the 50m fly.
Fellow 14-year-old Gagne also swam to four medals—striking gold in the 50m and 100m breast while adding silver in the 200m breast and bronze in the 50m free.
Meanwhile, it was a silver rush for Rittau, 15, with second-place finishes in the 50m and 100m back, the 50m free, and the 100m breast.
The problem for all three was in Roach and Gagne’s non-gold events and two of Rittau’s races, an unidentified 16-year-old swimmer—who should have been in the 18-and-under category—was allowed to compete.
As expected, the over-ager won the quartet of races—knocking all three local swimmers down a step on the podium multiple times.
“The swimming was very good but the meet itself wasn’t organized,” said Roach.
“There were only two coaches to watch over all the swimmers and the one coach we had, we told her that the 16-year-old was in the wrong division and she still didn’t change anything,” she added.
“I was really mad,” Roach admitted. “They didn’t even have actual officials there and just had volunteer timers.”
Gagne also was upset with the situation but tried to keep things in perspective.
“I was a little mad, too, but technically we still got placings—just not the medal colours we should have,” she reasoned.
Rittau shrugged off the whole matter.
“It’s all good. It happens,” she remarked.
“You take it as it comes,” Rittau added. “There’s nothing you can do and there’s no point in getting upset.”
Roach and Gagne were swimming competitively for the first time without the presence of Aquanauts’ head coach Dawnn Taylor—and both felt they held up well despite her absence.
“Usually, I stress out before a race but I didn’t worry this time and just let things slide,” Roach noted.
As for Gagne, she didn’t go into the event—which doubled as an identification meet for Team Ontario for next year’s North American Indigenous Games in Toronto—with any high expectations.
“I was pleasantly surprised to do that well,” she said. “It was pretty awesome.”
The two Aquanauts were grateful to have each other around throughout the experience.
“It made things so much easier to have Cassidy there,” said Gagne.
“She helped me with some of my nerves,” she noted. “With her there, everything went better.”
On the other hand, it was just one more solo trip for Rittau.
“I’ve gone by myself to events like the North American Indigenous Games in 2014 and to many Prairie Winter Invitationals,” she said.
“I just warmed up like I do usually for the races, with maybe a little extra dryland training before and even during the Games.”
The coaches of the two local clubs were equally thrilled about the outcomes for their respective swimmers.
“They ventured out on their own with no coaches along and took the tools they had in their toolbox and dominated,” noted Taylor.
“It gives us a heck of a boost, not only to our program but to the aboriginal community, and gives them another opportunity to get involved.
“I talked to our regional director and he stressed how it’s really important to northern communities to get involved,” she added.
“The girls’ success showed you don’t have to be from the Toronto area to succeed.”
Cyclone head coach Debbie Murray was bursting with pride over Rittau’s accomplishments.
“We’ve been working so hard together,” she noted.
“Sarah has really defined herself that she is able to step forward and be good enough.
“There’s a lot of potential there,” Murray added.
Now the swimmers will play the waiting game to see if they’re selected for Team Ontario for NAIG next year.
“It would mean a lot to me, being that I’ve been there before, because I still want to explore new places and have new experiences,” said Rittau.
