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Tress strokes a path to long-course nationals |
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Written by TED CLARKE, Citizen staff
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Monday, 17 November 2008 |
Because she travels fast in the water, Kailey Tress will be racking up plenty of miles in the air this swim season.
Her eighth-place result in the 1,500-metre freestyle event at the age group national long course championships in July in Calgary qualified the 14-year-old Prince George Barracudas Swim Club member for a flight to Montreal for the 2009 age group meet next summer.
Saturday at the Aquatic Centre Tress touched the wall first ahead of clubmate Jessica Ballantyne in the 13-and 14-year-old girls 800-metre freestyle final at the Barracudas’ Northern Medical Sprint Meet.
“I really want to get (an age group) time in the 800 and that one felt really good,” said Tress. “That was a best time from last year and it just felt much better. I like the 1,500 (better than the 800), you don’t have to go as fast a pace and it just feels a whole lot easier to do. I’m not much of a sprinter.”
If that’s true, she put on an act of deception at the Aquatic Centre, posting second-place results in in the 100m individual medley and 100 breaststroke.
Tress has also qualified for the Western Canadian short course championships in Edmonton, Feb. 12-15, 2009.
“I didn’t go to Westerns last year but I’m really excited because you don’t compete with your age group, I could be racing a 24-year-old,” said Tress.
“In B.C., for my 1,500, I’m first right now and that’s really cool.”
Tress’s time of 9:53.13 in the 800 Saturday was encouraging for the distance specialist, who is taking aim at club short course records in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle events. Her 1,500 time of 18:36 in Calgary set a Barracudas long course club record. She’ll get her next chance to break records at the Kamloops Ice Classic double-A meet, Dec. 5-7.
Now in her fifth year with the Barracudas, training six days a week, the workload hasn’t gotten any lighter for Tress, a grade 9 student at Prince George secondary school, but she knows that just comes with the territory.
“As you get older it gets harder to beat your good times,” she said. “You need so much training.”
--- Ten-year-old Gemma Hansen cut 15 seconds off her previous best time in the 100 freestyle Saturday, covering the distance in 1:30.15 to finish third.
“I’m very happy about that,” said Hansen, who won the 100 backstroke in 1:31.66.
Hansen is among a growing number of swimmers in the Barracudas’ development group. She joined the club six years ago as a four-year-old, and she wasn’t the only one who started competitive swimming at that tender age. Her friend Kathryn Chrobot, 10, is also in her sixth season. Hansen teamed up with Taylor Hill, Tyawnna Masse and Brianna Pallot to win a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle relay.
“It’s really great swimming with all these people,” said Hansen. “I’d like to break a club record and my dad has told me if I want to do that I just have to listen to the coaches and listen to all the tips they are giving me.”
Barracudas coach Jerzy Partyka can see a bright future for Hansen if she continues improving her swim strokes into her teen years.
“Gemma is a very young girl and she has lots of time to swim,” Partyka said. “I’m not focusing on times for kids who are 10, 11 or 12 years old. They have to learn the skills and technique and if they are coming to practice every day, that’s what counts. We’ll see how she’ll swim when she’s 15 or 16 years old.”
--- The host Barracudas won the meet with 1,687 points, ahead of second-place Prince Rupert (726) and third-place Grande Prairie (724). Prince George swimmers set 398 personal bests and three Barracudas broke club records.
In the 11- and 12-year-old girls category Haley Black swam the 200m butterfly in 2:36.66, breaking the 2002 record of 2:42.38 set by Kelsey Chapman, while Danica Ludlow clocked 1:14.80 in the 100m individual medley to break the record of 1:14.82 set by Katie Mann in 2005.
In the 13- and 14-year-old age class in the 50m backstroke, Grace Ni’s time of 31.76 during her leg of the 4 X 50m medley relay shaved nine-hundredths of a second off her own record of 31.85.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 November 2008 )
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