Dan Falloon
Local swimmers got the 2010-11 season off to the right start Saturday as several brought home gold medals and personal bests from a meet in Dryden.
Limited to four races apiece, three Fort Frances Aquanauts—Donovan Taylor, Levi Rittau, and Katja Sutherland—posted clean sweeps by winning each of their events in their respective age groups.
Sutherland, 14, finished first in the 50m back (39.01), 50m breast (40.90), 100m breast (1:28.05), and 200m breast (3:07.90).
Rittau, 13, was tops in the 200m free (2:19.87), 50m back (37.34), 100m back (1:12.69), and 50m fly (32.13).
Lastly, Taylor, 16, won the 50m free (25.66), 200m free (2:04.58), 50m fly (27.69), and 100m fly (1:02.48).
Meanwhile, Regan Danylchuk and Cole Trimble earned gold in three of their four events.
Danylchuk, 12, won the 50m free (32.98), 100m free (1:14.19), and 50m backstroke (40.51) while earning a fourth-place in the 200m I.M. (308.84).
Trimble, nine, captured the 100m free (2:07.63), 200m frees (4:28.90), and 50m breast (1:13.77) while taking silver in the 50m free (58.54).
Other Aquanauts also hit the podium Saturday.
Lyndsi Jo Wilson, 12, racked up a gold in the 200m back (3:12.87) to go along with bronzes in the 50m back (43.13) and 50m fly (45.11).
Callie Loveday, eight, struck gold in the 50m back (1:06.43).
As well, three members earned bronze medals—Tayla Trimble, 11, in the 50m breast (1:13.64); Brielle Byma, 12, in the 100m free (1:51.19), and Sarah Rittau, nine, in the 200m breast (4:07.37).
Aquanauts head coach Dawnn Taylor also cited great improvement by some swimmers in recording personal best times.
Loveday, Cole Trimble, Nikki Wilson, and Abby Douglas notched best times in all four of their races while Danylchuk, Byma, Lyndsi Jo Wilson, and Levi Rittau set new bests in three of four.
“That’s so good,” enthused Taylor. “They’re hitting the ground running.”
Taylor also noted the three swimmers who swept their events had put in some extra time in the pool—and it showed.
“Those were the three that swam through the summer,” she noted.
“Take that season a little bit longer and you can come back up without having to work too hard at it.”
Some of the older Aquanauts also were trying to implement some technique changes in response to changes to their bodies.
“It was a good meet for the seniors,” Taylor remarked. “We were trying new things.
“We’re trying some new turns and we’re trying some new dives, so it was a good meet to go try those new things out—try some new techniques and see how they go,” she explained.
“Turns, in particular, have changed,” Taylor noted.
“You’re a little bit longer or taller. You’ve built some more muscle, so we need to learn how to move that off that wall and into that wall a little bit more strategically.”
Taylor was thrilled with the results from Saturday’s meet in Dryden, and feels it is just a positive foreshadow of things to come this season.
“I’m looking forward to a really good season this year,” she enthused.
“We’ve got some fantastic parents that are just really ready to go, and some great new swimmers.”
Meanwhile, the local Cyclone Swim Club sent a small contingent to Dryden, as well, posting some fine results.
Peter Jensen, 18, earned gold in the 100m free (1:04.31) and 200m I.M. (2:47.04) to go along with silvers in the 50m free (26.67) and 50m fly (30.36).
Tylar Cawston, 16, took gold in the 100m free (1:21.03), silver in the 200m free (3:00.05), and bronze in the 50m fly (50.11).
Lastly. Alyssa Spence, 15, brought home silver in the 100m free (1:25.84) and bronze in the 200m free (3:17.17).
