Matthew Shand has some catching up to do before he reaches the height of his older brother Ben.
Stretched out side-by-side in the pool there's nearly a foot difference between the two Prince George Pisces Swim Club members. But according to Ben, who turns 15 on June 1, his 12-year-old brother is already a much better swimmer than when he was at that age.
"He's going to be better than me, I think," said Ben. "His times already speak for themselves."
To reinforce that belief, Ben just had to look at the clock after Matthew won the Division 4 12-13-year-old boys 200-metre individual medley in the Pisces Invitational meet Saturday at the Aquatic Centre. He needed just two minutes 54 seconds to complete an event he'd never raced until Saturday.
"It's a pretty tough race, it takes a lot of endurance and you have to build up your muscles to get you through the whole race," said Matthew. "I felt really good about it. My goal was to break three minutes and I got six seconds under.
"[Ben] sets a really good example, and I can watch what he does and improve my stroke just by watching. He is really good at everything and if I follow what he does I'll be good too."
Both like the fitness benefits of swimming and how it helps them get in shape for other sports.
Ben says the Pisces summer swim season fits perfectly with his athletic calendar and with only two practices per week through the cold-weather months it gives him plenty of freedom to play basketball and volleyball for College Heights secondary school.
He also plays club volleyball for the under-15 Kodiaks team that won bronze a few weeks ago at the provincial championships and is a strong candidate at offside hitter to make the Zone 8 B.C. Summer Games team heading to Nanaimo in July. He underwent a growth spurt over the last year and now stands just under six feet. Longer limbs are an advantage in swim racing but he's grown so fast he's still adjusting.
"You kind of get uncoordinated when you start to grow," said Ben, who swam the 50 freestyle Saturday in 27.11, close to a best time.
Some of Ben's times are close to winter club provincial qualifying standards. He admits he lets off the gas pedal when he practices but in swim meets he feels the pressure from clubmates Brett Gandy and Jonah Gilbert, which usually brings out the best in him. Sam Cook of the Pisces and Dawson McGillivray of Quesnel are Matthew's main competition in regional meets.
The two brothers get along well away from the pool but when it comes to deciding what swim strokes they like best they're polar opposites. Matthew prefers breaststroke and butterfly, while Ben likes freestyle and backstroke. But both plan on racing as many different events as they can, whatever it takes to qualify for the provincial championships in Kamloops, Aug. 14-17.
Last year at provincials, Ben finished in the top-eight in all his events. Matthew, who has a December birthday, is usually one of the youngest in his age group every other year, but last year swam for a silver medal in the 100m IM and had two fourth-place finishes.
Pisces head coach Jessica Ballantyne said Matthew's dedication to practice sets the bar for the other 85 kids in the club and predicts he'll be fast enough this year to make provincial finals in some of his races.
"He's been to every morning and afternoon practice except for one or two when he was sick and he's been to every dryland [session] so I'm really excited for him when he goes on to regionals," said Ballantyne. "He's at the bottom of his division so it's going to be a tough year for him, but last year he was at the top of his age group and he was medaling in everything.
"He's at that age where he's starting to get it, and he's a beautiful swimmer. He and his brother are so graceful and their technique is unmatched. It's like watching someone floating on water. It's so easy to coach those boys."
The two-day meet drew 43 swimmers. Next up is a meet in Dawson Creek this Saturday and Sunday.
