Aquanaut pair off to junior nationals

Two local swimmers are on their way to Vancouver for the Western Junior Nationals.
Alex Parent, 14, and Heather Dutton, 17, along with Aquanaut head coach Roman Ramirez, left today. Parent will be swimming in six events there while Dutton is racing in five.
Ramirez believes Parent has a good chance in the 400m free. He also will swim the 50m and 100m, the 100m backstroke, the 100m butterfly, and the 200m I.M.
Meanwhile, Ramirez said Dutton’s best stroke is the butterfly. She will be swimming the 50m and 100m fly, as well as the 100m and 200m free and 200m I.M.
These are the same events she swan while taking six first-place finishes at the Dolphin Invitational in December, with the exception of the 50m free.
Both swimmers are excited about the event and the trip out west, which is a nice reward for practising twice a day, six days a week—practices that include a lot of time in the pool as well as weight training.
When they get home from the junior nationals Feb. 23, the pair only will have a short time to prepare for the OFSAA and junior provincial competition, which take place starting March 4 in Etobicoke.
Two other Aquanauts—Karli McKinnon and Rachel Dutton—should be joining them for that trip. Rachel Dutton currently is out of the water with a broken arm.