Julie Wing is making some serious waves with the Prince George Barracudas.
This season, Wing became a new member of the city's most competitive swim club. She decided to move up from the Prince George Pisces summer club so she could push herself harder and hopefully reap the rewards on the clock.
Her plan is working.
Wing, who spent about six years with the Pisces, has quickly developed into one of the best Barracudas in her age group. She's continually setting new club standards and is on the verge of participating in her first-ever Canadian Age Group Championships. At nationals, July 25-30 in Calgary, she'll be in the water in three backstroke events -- the 50-metre, 100m and 200m -- and will also test her talents in the 200m butterfly.
The 200m backstroke is Wing's best event. It's also the one she hopes to make the most noise in at nationals. Her challenge, however, is this: she turned 13 on July 7 and will be competing in that age category in Calgary.
"At provincials [July 5-8 in Richmond] I was swimming as a 12-year-old and now I have to swim as a 13-year-old so I think it's going to be harder," she said. "But, I'm excited for it."
At those provincials, Wing was terrific in the 200m backstroke. In the final, she set a new personal-best time of two minutes 31.28 seconds, which was good for a silver medal and a club record. Only Lauren Crisp (2:27.18) was faster. Nationally, Crisp is No. 1 and Wing is No. 7 in the 12-year-old category.
If Wing's 200m backstroke time is placed among the best in Canada in the 13-year-old group, it's still good for 25th in the rankings.
Wing, who will enter Grade 8 at Kelly Road secondary school in September, admits she's a bit nervous about swimming in her first nationals.
"It's more like adrenaline -- that's good nervous," she said with a smile.
Jerzy Partyka, Wing's coach with the Barracudas, sees all kinds of potential in the youngster.
"[Qualifying for nationals] is a very big achievement," he said. "We need to still work on some stuff but her backstroke is good. She needs to build some strength in her shoulders but that's okay because she never misses any practices. She's always smiling, always happy, staying positive. Hopefully she can stay positive for the next 10 years."
Ethan Godden of the Barracudas will also be a first-timer at the age group nationals. Other locals who will compete are Haley Black, Katie Mann, Harrison Lagzdin, Josiah Binnema, Sava Yungman, Patricia Fortier, Jessa Wing, Bailey Hardy, Samantha Bleackley and Hannah Esopenko.
Black, Mann, Danica Ludlow and Sterling King are currently in Edmonton, swimming at the senior national championships.
