They were a little out of their league at the Olympic swim trials last week in Toronto, an event which happens but once every four years, but just give them time.
Hannah Esopenko and Avery Movold promise they will be legitimate contenders next time around.
But it was hard for the Prince George Barracudas Swim Club members not to feel intimidated when they lined up on the start platform against the best senior swimmers Canada has to offer.
"It was so cool, just to be around all those high-calibre athletes and just getting to watch finals and see everyone make the team and break records,"
said Esopenko, who got back to business racing Friday at the Barracudas Dental Moose Meet at the Aquatic Centre.
"I think I was a little distracted, taking everything in, rather than focusing on my races. I was there for the experience, but next time I'll be more ready to race. I could have made B-finals in one or two of my events but I added time (finishing slower than her personal bests), so that kind of sucked. The majority of the people there were 20-26 and they were university students."
Esopenko's best finish was a 34th-place result in the 100m breaststroke in which she set a club record (1:12.54). The 15-year-old also made the top-49 in the 200-metre fly, 200 individual medley and 200 IM, but was unable to post any best times.
Movold, 16, a backstroke and freestyle specialist, was a 37th-place finisher in the 200 backstroke and was 42nd in the 50 free. She posted a time of 58.62 in the 100 free, just a half-second off her PB. Still, Movold was blown away by her first Olympic trials experience.
"It was so cool, just being around the pool and seeing the record and just the vibe was totally different from any meet I've been to," said Movold. "Just seeing everyone there, it felt different and I was so much more nervous for that. I really need to work mentally on my game and then I'll be able to handle the situation better. But under the circumstances, I had an OK meet. I just need to be more prepared."
Both 'Cudas won seven medals each in February at the Western Canadian Open meet in Winnipeg and they feel confident as they prepare for the age group and Canadian national long course championships this summer in Alberta.
"That was the first real good meet I've had all year so that was pretty exciting, basically all my events I had best times," said Esopenko, who excels in breaststroke. "Going from Olympic trials, it will make nationals not seem like such a big meet."
Movold loves the water-level ledges used for backstroke events at the trials, which give her legs a solid platform from which to push at the start of her races.
"That is awesome because I normally slip off the wall in backstroke because I like to get my hips really high out of the water, like you're supposed to," said Movold.
Movold, joined the Barracudas this past fall after making the move from Prince Rupert and she's enjoying her new surroundings.
"I love it here, I get to train with Hannah and I get to train long course (there is no 50m pool in Prince Rupert), it's so much fun," said Movold. "It's been a great learning experience."
Barracudas head coach Jerzy Partyka attended his fifth Olympic trials. He figures the best is yet to come for Esopenko and Movold.
"It's the best meet in four years, so to make the second swim in finals you have to be very fast in the morning," said Partyka. "When they go to provincial championships or age group nationals or Western national championships they are very confident. But at Olympic trials it is a totally different story. Usually (Esopenko and Movold) swim better in the evenings, but at this level of competition you have to swim best times in the morning and the evening.
"It's a good experience for them and they have the next four years. If you look at the Olympic trials, two 15-year-old girls made the Olympic team, so everything is possible."
Five other former Barracudas - Sava Yungman, Haley Black, Josiah Binnema, Danica Ludlow and Katie Mann - took part in the Olympic trials. Yungman, 19, competes for Simon Fraser University, Black, 19, is attending Auburn University in Alabama, and Mann, 23, swims for the University of Alberta. Mann made the B-finals in the women's 200 and 400 individual medley.
Binnema, 18, is also at the U of A while Ludlow, 19, competes for Island Swim Club in Victoria. Former 'Cuda Kyle McMahon was part of the Paralympic trials in Toronto (see story, page 9).
"I am very proud of those kids, swimming in the very top competition on the country, that's a very big representation from the club," said Partyka.
Of the 300 or so competitors in Toronto, just 27 swimmers (19 women and eight men) made Canada's Olympic team. A top-two finish at or below the Olympic time standard was required.
The Dental Moose Meet, a 50-metre event, continues today and Sunday at the Aquatic Centre. The meet has drawn 235 swimmers from seven clubs, including the Barracudas, Points North (Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert), Williams Lake, Quesnel, Grande Prairie, Fort St. John and Kelowna.
