Clockwise: Elizabeth Johnson, Slade Pruden, Madison Higgs, Brandon Nord. MISSING: Reece Sommerfeld (submitted/John Mcleod)

By Brady Lang

into the water

Orcas continue strong season, earn eight medals at Prairie Champs Competition

Mar 20, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The Battlefords Orcas Swim Club had yet another impressive showing over the weekend.

Five swimmers travelled south to Regina to compete at the Prairie Champs competition, which is the premier championship in the province. Throughout the five, multiple club bests, eight medals and numerous qualifying times made this a statement to the swim clubs around the province that the Orcas are up there.

The event, which wraps up the second chunk of training, head coach John Mcleod said, showing the province that the quality of racers is high in this area.

“It says that we’re still a force to be reckoned with,” he said. “We’ve been consistently at these championships, and we keep moving up the rankings, getting more medals, qualifying for games. It shows the kids are working hard and sticking with the plan.”

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Madison Higgs, 14, Brandon Nord ,17, Slade Pruden ,15, Elizabeth Johnson ,13, and Reece Sommerfeld, 13, hit the pool for the Orcas, and each had an impressive showing. Higgs set eight new club records, earned five medals, qualified for the Western Canada games, and is still sitting in the top 50 in the nation.

Nord, who competed in his final Prairie Champs competition, set a club record, earned a gold and two silver medals, and will now set his sights on Western Nationals. Coach Mcleod gave high praise for the future college athlete, calling him a role model for other swimmers, and that his time spent with the club has the bar set high in terms of leadership moving forward.

Pruden made an AA time, and will be travelling to Winnipeg to compete in the near future, while Elizabeth Johnson set five of six best times. Sommerfeld set two best times.

The performance, Mcleod said, was a lot about quality over quantity in his eyes. It shows that no matter how many swimmers you bring to a completion, it means more for success for the program than bringing a large contingent of swimmers. When asked if this means the sky is now the limit for the program, Mcleod had an interesting answer.

“I’d hesitate; I’d say the sky is wide open. The opportunities are out for these kids,” he said. “We’ve performed well, we come together as a team.”

He added that this goes to show that it’s about being fast, and having fun at the same time. Next up for the club will be three weeks of preparation before the 2019 Speedo Western Championships, where Higgs and Nord will be competing against swimmers from B.C., all the way east to Manitoba. The four day racing competition will be in Edmonton from April 11-14 at the Kinsmen Sports Centre.

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brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangBFN