By Brady Lang

North Battleford swimmers set to compete at U of R

Sep 27, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Two members of the Battlefords Orcas Swim Club will be getting a taste of university action this weekend.

Brandon Nord and Taylor Parker were selected for a duel training camp at the University of Regina, exposing them and other top Grade 12 swimmers in the province to a higher level of training and racing. The swimmers were chosen based on their performances from the previous seasons.

Orcas Head Coach John Mcleod told battlefordsNOW this will benefit both swimmers.

“The idea is to get the guys exposed to this level of competition and their last season,” he said. “The last year of school for these guys is important, as they’re applying and focusing on their school as well as their performance. Both Brandon and Taylor said they do want to swim for a university team once they find the right school.”

The two swimmers have been quite decorated in their careers to this point. They’ve swam in many meets, but going to a situation in which they may not be as comfortable will benefit them, the coach believes.

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“It will put them in a situation where they can’t necessarily succeed easily, so they’ll have to find ways to handle and manage stress,” he said. “Ultimately it will confirm their aspirations whether university swimming is for them or not. University is a totally different beast than high school. They’re training early mornings, afternoons, and juggling classes. I hoping it gives them a realistic snapshot of what university swimming is.”

For Mcleod, the trip will also benefit him in the sense of familiarizing himself with other coaches and competition from the province. Mcleod just started the job a few short weeks ago, from Montreal, and he’s excited to see what the province has moving into the start of the swimming year.

“I get to see what the province looks like; the province has been growing in terms of swimming over the last several years,” he said. “I get to get my feet wet within the first few weeks, what the province is doing in terms of training. There’s going to be a few high level coaches there.”

The next time the orcas are in action is October 13 in Regina. The club will also be debuting Fish School which is the old 3-2-1 program next week, with the goal of attracting younger swimmers to the growing program.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB