Prince George is set to welcome about 6,000 athletes, coaches, family members and supporters next week as the BC Summer Swimming Association (BCSSA) Provincial Championships are hosted at the Prince George Aquatic Centre.
The Pisces Swim Club is fresh off the Cariboo Regional Championships qualifying event and scored an impressive 2,379 points out of a total of 5,173 points awarded across all clubs.
With approximately 46 per cent of the points awarded to one club, the Pisces are confident heading into the BCSSA.
Several club members of all ages also set new regional records, which are listed below:
Archer Barnes – Division 5
- 50 Fly – 29.44
- 200 Freestyle Relay – 1:58.81 (also a club record)
Emma Watson – Division 8
- 200-metre individual medley – 2:39.08
- 100 Back – 1:12.84
- 100 Breast – 1:21.22
- 200 Medley Relay – 2:10.50 — relay team includes J. Murguly, J. Guillet, S. Maritsas
- 200 Freestyle Relay – 1:53.31 — relay team includes S. Maritsas, J. Murguly, J. Guillet
Justine Guillet – Division 8
- 50 Free – 26.67
- 100 Fly – 1:13.26
- 50 Fly – 30.91
- 100 Free – 1:00.47
Jocelyn Murguly – Division 6
- 50 Free – 28.50
Finn Boyle
- 200 Medley Relay – 2:01.24 — relay team includes N. Oviatt, C. Watson, T. Chingee
- 200 Freestyle Relay – 1:47.72 — relay team includes C. Watson, N. Oviatt, T. Chingee
Hudson Marjoribanks – Division 1
- 100 individual medley – 1:35.54
- 50 Fly – 44.30
Annika St. Jean – Division 2
-
200 Medley Relay – 3:06.71 — relay team includes C. Enemark, E. McWhinnie, F.C. Fabillar
In addition to the new regional records, Justine Guillet, Jocelyn Murguly and Archer Barnes came in first for their divisions across the entire province for the 50 Free, 100 Breast and 50 Free events, respectively.
The Citizen caught up with the proud medal winners from the Pisces Swim Club following their regional victories.
Hudson Marjoribanks, despite his young age, is one of the top contenders for his division and was surprised by his accomplishment.
“I broke the record for the fly,” he said. "I was kind of surprised because I went in with a 48 and I came out with a 44."
When it comes to the BCSSA, Marjoribanks is confident in his chances of bringing home the gold.
“I'm mostly excited and kind of nervous,” he said. “There are a lot of fast people down south. I have a chance at medalling. I'm top eight in the province for everything, so I’ve got a pretty good shot at medalling.”
Archer Barnes, who came in first in the province for 50 Free and set a regional record for his 50 Fly, is also excited to attend Provincials and had good things to say about his fellow swimmers.
“I've been to Provincials before, so I'm not too scared, but it's going to be a little bit different having it in Prince George with everyone watching,” said Barnes. “I'm hopefully looking to drop some time and also just hang out with my friends. We've got a really good community here and it's just fun all the time.”
Jocelyn Murguly also shared Barnes’ sentiment about the community that surrounds the swim club.
“It's honestly amazing,” said Murguly. “I love having the team community because we all work together and push each other, and I find that I train harder, I train better when I'm training with my friends and teammates. We just push each other and we all want each other to succeed and do well.”
She also told The Citizen that one of the biggest parts of Provincials for her is getting to meet swimmers from other parts of the province.
“The whole atmosphere of Provincials — just how there's going to be so many swimmers here. I'm excited for everything that comes along with it,” Murguly said. “Just the social aspect of meeting new people and new swimmers, and getting to talk to people from different places. I love cheering on my teammates. It's probably one of my favourite things — just to watch other people race.”
Pisces Swim Club coach Ian Williams, who also competed in Division 8 and set a regional record for the 200 Medley Relay and the 200 Freestyle Relay, has seen his athletes come a long way since he started coaching.
“I mostly cover the teenagers now,” said Williams. “But when I came back in 2018, it was just me coaching for the first little while, and some of those swimmers that were eight-year-olds and seven-year-olds are now some of my older swimmers. It's really cool seeing them through from being children to being adults now. It's cool just watching them grow up right before your eyes.
“It goes by pretty quickly, and I try to take in those moments and realize how far they've come. Also with my coaches now — the older swimmers that are getting into coaching — getting them to really remember these moments and remember the kids improving, so that five, ten years down the road they'll know where they came from.”
He also spoke about his approach to coaching and the values he tries to instil in his swimmers.
“My philosophy really lies in having fun before being competitive,” said Williams. “I want to keep as many swimmers in the sport as I can. I want them to have a good relationship with the sport and want to continue until they're adults and can swim on their own. It starts there — just being a fun coach, making sure that we're not too hard on the kids, but hard when we need to be. Trying to get them to unlock another level of work ethic and responsibility, while making sure they're having fun and building connections with other swimmers.”
Williams is also confident in his team's chances at the upcoming BCSSA.
“Normally, we haven't been really competitive at Provincials in the past,” said Williams. “Outside of a couple of summers here and there doing really well. So for us to go into Provincials now, having multiple medal chances and just people making the finals is really cool. I think we'll put on a good showing for our region. It's something that we haven't always had in the past, but we're heading in that direction of being one of the teams to beat.”
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
