On August 17th, Winkler welcomed a large group of swimmers to the city for the Swim Manitoba Championship Meet at the RCU Aquatic Centre.
Nicole Levesque, a member of the Winkler Barracudas’ executive team, said athletes from Treherne, Hamiota, Beausejour, Neepawa, Swan Valley, and Portage made the trip to the Pembina Valley.
A ‘really, really good’ meet
Levesque said that swimmers were ready to take to the water by 8 a.m. for the Manitoba Championship.
“It was just a big meet of all the different strokes and all the different ages,” she said. “We all gathered, the coaches even did a relay, and everybody got together to host a really, really good meet.”
Although the weather was slightly cool for a day in the water, Levesque said the swimmers were in good spirits.
“We have a few winter swimmers, so they swim all winter, and then ... some of [the swimmers] have their favourite strokes .... It's high endurance and they do really well,” she said.
“Winkler Barracudas ... practice three times a week, and it’s high intensity. It's a great workout, and it's very rewarding watching the kids do their best.”
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‘It brings a lot to the city’
One of the stand-out features of the successful meet, according to Levesque, is that “it brings a lot to the city.”
“The kids love it. The parents love it. It's a lot of work, but it's well worth it in the end,” she said.
With files from Robyn Wiebe
