Swim racing wasn't even on the radar 10 years ago when Patricia Fortier 's parents, Pam and Tom, were considering sports activities to get their daughter involved.
In Dryden, Ont. at that time there was no swim club. But with her dad and her aunt coaching Patricia, they revived the Dryden Dolphins Swim Club, which had been dormant for several years. The young Fortier couldn't get enough of the water, learning her strokes in Dryden's 25-metre pool, and carried that enthusiasm with her when she moved to Prince George with her parents in 2009. She's been a rising star with the Prince George Barracudas Swim Club ever since.
"In the small town I lived in, everything was about skating, but I could not skate, so my parents threw me in the pool," said the 17-year-old Fortier. "It took a bit to get me interested in swimming but my aunt, who was a swim coach, helped me a lot. Me, my mom and dad and two other families started the swim team."
The racing season officially began on the weekend for Fortier, who competed along with 80 other Barracudas in the Northern Medical Sprints meet at the Aquatic Centre. She started Friday finishing second to 14-year-old clubmate Hannah Esopenko in a close race in the 100 individual medley, then beat Esopenko for first in the 200m butterfly in 2:29.67. On Saturday, Fortier won the 800m freestyle (9:17:15) and the 100m breaststroke (1:16.76) events.
"I love the thrill of racing and the atmosphere of a meet," Fortier said. "Sometimes in practice you really hate this and at the end of the day when you get to a meet you just love it."
Now training 10 times a week at the Aquatic Centre, with two weight gym sessions on top of that, Fortier has made a decision that will shape her future in the pool and in the classroom. Fortier has agreed to a scholarship offer to study kinesiology the University of Calgary. The deal will pay her tuition costs for the next five years.
"She comes to practice every day and it's a very big commitment for her," said Barracudas head coach Jerzy Partyka. "[Saturday] she swam the 800 free and 100 breaststroke and she swam really good. We're trying to focus on different events because she wants to focus on 400 IM. She's swimming lots of breaststroke and less backstroke."
Fortier, a straight-A student at D.P. Todd secondary school and an aspiring physiotherapist, was in Calgary on recruiting trip to the campus facilities in October. She'll attend a winter camp in Florida with the U of C team, Dec. 27-Jan. 7.
Former Barracuda Sterling King is on the Dinos team, majoring in kinesiology, and Fortier was impressed with all the perks available to him, with nutritionists, psychologists, and massage therapists on hand.
"It's going to be a big change from here," said Fortier. "Sterling is doing really well there. I've already asked him to lend me his notes from school."
Fortier's favourite event is the 400 individual medley, which plays to her strength as a long distance swimmer. In a 1,500m freestyle time trial three weeks ago she finished just three seconds off a senior national time. She's already raced to senior national qualifying times in the 400 IM (4:49 is her best time) and 200 backstroke (her PB is 2:13).
"I like 400 IM because I like changing it up a bit, I don't like doing the same stroke for long periods of time," she said. "200 IM is just 50-metre sprints. 400 IM is endurance, which is what I'm best at."
Fortier's goal this season is to swim fast enough in her best events -- 440 IM and 200 backstroke -- to qualify for Canadian Interuniversity Sport meets. She placed sixth in the 200 backstroke at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.
She already achieved junior national standards in 50m and 200m breaststroke and is closing in on her 100m breaststroke time. Esopenko qualified for the junior national meet last season but it was too much of a time commitment and she did not attend but plans to enter it next year in Point-Claire, Que., Aug. 6-9. With Fortier heading to the U of C, Esopenko is hoping similar offers come her way as she approaches high school graduation.
"When I'm older I want to get scholarships and be able to pick where I go for swimming to get a free education and I think that's a realistic goal as long as I keep at it," said Esopenko, now in her eighth season of swimming.
It was a stellar meet for Esopenko, who recorded personal bests in six of her eight events and set three 13-14-year-old girls club records. On Friday she clocked 1:07.21 in the 100 IM to eclipse Kelsey Chapman's club record of 1:08.62, set in 2004. On Saturday Esopenko took seven seconds off her own record in the 200 IM, finishing in 2:22.30. On Sunday she swam 2:34.01 in the 200 breaststroke to erase Katie Mann's 2008 record of 2:34.08.
"That one was the most satisfying, I wasn't focusing on it and it just kind of happened," said Esopenko.
"I like competing a lot and I was just excited to get competing again. This weekend was a gauge to see where I'm at with my training. It's pretty good to get best times considering we've only been swimming for like two months."
