The Nanaimo White Rapids moved indoors, where they were as fast as ever.
The local club hosted the B.C. Summer Swimming Association’s Vancouver Island regional championships this past weekend at the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre and many White Rapids are Island champs.
Taber Ripka, Peter Morch and Cadence Jones were some of the winningest athletes at regionals, with each capturing four gold medals. Ripka won the 100-metre freestyle, the 100m backstroke, the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley. Morch won the 50m free, the 100m free, the 50m butterfly and the 100m IM and Jones was first in the 10m free, 100m free, 50m breast.
Other swimmers who won Island championships in individual events include: Danielle Barberie, Ella Hudon, Gus Johnson, Sarah Kirkhope, Cam Laturnus, David MacLeod, Eliza McGuire, Oliver McLaren, Baylee Munro, Oliver Orton, Abby Pallard, Nadia Sertic, Stewart Stephen and Grace Thornton-Trump.
The White Rapids’ relay teams were also successful. The Category 1 boys and Cat. 2 girls both swept their freestyle and medley relays, and White Rapids teams also won the free and medley relays for Division 2 girls, Div. 3 girls, Div. 3 boys and Div. 4 boys. The Div. 6 boys won the medley relay, the Div. 7 boys won the free relay and the Div. 8 men won the free relay.
Eleven teams participated at regionals from communities up and down Vancouver Island, as well as contingents from Pender Island, Saltspring Island and Powell River.
Regionals were a qualifying meet for the BCSSA provincial championships, to be be held in Coquitlam from Aug. 18-21.
Top-three results from individual competition at regionals:
Eight-year-olds - Kennadie Sheppard, third, 50m back.Nine-year-olds - Aiden Jeffries, second, 50 free, third, 100m free, second, 50m breast, second, 50m fly; Danielle Barberie, first, 50m free; Ella Hudon, first, 50m free, third, 50m back, first, 100m individual medley, third, 50m fly; Payton Young, third, 50m free, third, 100m free, third, 100m IM; Kaira Orton, third, 50m breast.10-year-olds - Nadia Sertic, first, 50m breast; Cadence Jones, first, 50m free, first, 100m free, first, 50m breast, first, 100m IM; Oliver McLaren, first, 50m breast; Peter Morch, first, 50m free, first, 100m free, first, 50m fly, first, 100m IM; Dylan Barberie, second, 50m free, second, 100m free, second, 50m breast, second, 100m IM; Carter James, second, 50m free, second, 50m back, second, 50m fly, second, 100m IM; John Kirkhope, second, 50m fly.11-year-olds - Isabelle Parsons, third, 50m fly; Gus Johnson, first, 50m back, first, 50m breast, third, 100m IM; Oliver Orton, first, 50m back, first, 50m breast, first, 100m IM, second, 100m free; Yulia Bobkova, second, 50m free, third, 50m back, third, 50m breast; Bryan Moore, second, 50m back, third, 50m breast.12-year-olds - Nicholas Bennett, third, 50m free, third, 100m free, second, 100m breast, third, 200m IM; Cam Laturnus, first, 50m free, first, 100m breast, third, 50m fly, second, 200m IM; Abby Pallard, first, 50m free; Stewart Stephen, first, 100m free, first, 50m fly, second, 50m free, second, 100m back; Kayley Morch, third, 200m IM.14-year-olds - Finn Bodnar, second, 50m free, third, 100m free, third, 100m breast, third, 50m fly; Ava Johnson, third, 100m free; Grace Thornton-Trump, first, 50m free, first, 50m fly, second, 100m free, second, 100m back; Delaney O’Toole, second, 100m back, third, 100m breast, third, 50m fly, third, 200m IM.15-year-olds - Erin O’Sullivan, second, 100m back; Quinn Todd, second, 50m free, third, 100m free, third, 50m fly, second, 200m IM; Taber Ripka, first, 100m free, first, 100m back, first, 100m breast, first, 200m IM; Andrew MacLeod, third, 100m breast.16-year-olds - Jessica King, third, 50m fly, third, 100m fly; Sarah Kirkhope, first, 100m fly, second, 100m free, second, 50m fly, second, 200m IM.17-year-olds - Alayna Crane, third, 100m back, third, 50m fly, second, 100m fly, third, 200m IM.18-year-olds - David MacLeod, first, 50m fly, first, 100m fly, third, 50m free, third, 200m IM; Seamus O’Toole, third, 100m breast; Kara Wilson, second, 100m breast.19-and-over - Vanessa Yates, third, 100m fly; Taylor Snowden-Richardson, third, 50m free, third, 100m free; Byron Trajan, third, 100m free, third, 100m back; Eliza McGuire, first, 100m fly, second, 50m fly; Baylee Munro, first, 100m free, second, 50m free; Angus McGibbon, second, 50m fly, second, 100m fly, third, 200m IM.
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