The Humboldt Hammerheads season will reach its climax this weekend with Provincials in Swift Current.
It has been a successful couple of months for the Hammerheads as Coach Lauryn McLean explains, with swimmers setting new personal best times and a couple of team members breaking records.
Aidra Angelstad has set multiple records throughout the season and Taylor Possberg established a new mark in the 18 & Over 25m Butterfly this past weekend.
July has been a busy month for the Hammerheads highlighted by the 2024 Sask. Summer Games in Lloydminster with five Hammerheads competing as a part of the Prairie Central District (Dylan Fleischhacker, Cohen Gasper, Noah Zimmerman, Sienna Zimmerman, Sophia Zimmerman). They were joined by five members of the Watrous Whitecaps team (Kellie Campbell, Amy Campbell, Mia Campbell, Marcus Chester and Logan Jansen.)
Each swimmer took part in six individual events along with eight relay teams. The Prairie Central boys medley relay team brought home a silver medal. Cohen Gasper was a member of the squad.
On Saturday, the Hammerheads hosted the North Semi-Finals in Humboldt. 52 Hammerheads competed. The top six swimmers from each event advanced to provincials, and in the end, 30 swimmers from the Hammerheads earned the right to swim in Swift Current this weekend.
12 Hammerheads finished in the top three of their respective age groups at the Northern Semi-finals, with six gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
MacLean felt it was a triumphant weekend regardless of their final placing.
“Everyone else came out with even more personal best times and improving their own records personally.”
The dedication to honing their craft in the pool has been instrumental reason for the Hammerheads success this year according to MacLean.
“Their consistency at practice and them wanting to swim their best at practice and that translates into them being able to swim faster every weekend.”
Even though everyone can’t finish on the podium, she thinks success for each swimmer is when they achieve a new personal best.
“Them beating their best is the ultimate goal, I tell them at every meet. Number one have fun, number two, swim your best race.”
Even though the Hammerheads will be competing on their largest stage this weekend in Swift Current, MacLean says the mindset for the swimmers is still the same.
“It is a bigger meet but we still have the same goals, do our best, meet our personal best, and as a club get as many points as we can through doing our best. ”
Here are the medal winners from the Northern Semi-Finals from Saturday July 27.
7&8 Girls
Gold- Ruth Schick
7&8 Boys
Gold- Rhett Grywacheski
Bronze- Ben Saretsky
9&10 Girls
Silver- Everly Grywacheski
Bronze- Claire Kiland
9&10 Boys
Gold- DJ Fisher
Bronze- Asher Speke
11&12 Boys
Gold- Noah Zimmerman
13&14 Boys
Gold- Cohen Gasper
15-17 Girls
Gold- Aidra Angelstad
18&O Boys
Silver-Keniel Reich
