The Terrace Bluebacks swim team has a lot of fun. On the last practise before breaking for Christmas, the Aquatic Centre is echoing with chants, cheers and — of course —splashing water as the team unwinds from the hard work of the season’s first half.
There are nearly 40 team members this year — the highest number the club has seen in three years. But still a small club compared to others in the region. Kitimat has nearly twice the amount of members.
And their spirited head coach Mike Christensen has been pushing the team to excel, and learn to have fun while doing it. Some members of the team even took to the frigid waters of Lakelse Lake during the annual Polar Bear Swim on Jan. 1.
“And yes, we prefer the comfort of our home waters at the Terrace Aquatic Centre,” said Christensen.
Team events like the polar bear swim, and the time spent together four times a week training at the pool ensure there’s certainly no lack of team spirit in the club — in the middle of chatting with swimmers Brayden Phillips and Harlene Takhar (they both won medals at the last meet in Kitimat) the Bluebacks team chant starts up across the room.
The two turn their attention to their teammates, forgetting the interview for a moment to join in enthusiastically.
Both Phillips and Takhar had standout performances at the Kitimat meet, held the weekend of Dec. 14.
Phillips took a clean sweep, winning all seven of the races he was in to get the gold medal in the U10 category.
Swimming for nearly five years, he still has a year in the his category and is expected to keep on winning medals, but insists he won’t get bored.
He likes swimming because “it’s hard, makes you really athletic,” he said. “It’s not just fun, it’s hard work.”
Plus, there’s a swimmer he only competes against in Prince George (“a really tough guy”) who he considers his main rival and is a major motivator for him.
But Takhar actually isn’t used to winning.
In fact, she’s just getting used to competing — the Kitimat meet where she took bronze for the 13-14 Girls was her second meet ever. She’s only been swimming competitively since September.
“I was really shocked,” she said. “I kissed it I was so happy.”
Eighteen athletes from Terrace competed in the meet that hosted 85 athletes in total from Kitimat, Smithers, Prince Rupert and Fort St. John.
Kitimat took top spot, with 820 points. Prince Rupert had 761, Bulkley Valley had 496, Terrace with 371 and Fort St. John with 28.
Next up the Bluebacks host the Northwest Regional Championships Jan 25-27 here in Terrace. It is a key event for the swimmers in the region as they try to qualify for AA or AAA provincials.