ST. PAUL – On Feb. 26, the St. Paul Barracudas Swim Club held its second mini-meet of the season at the St. Paul Aquatic Centre, giving swimmers a change to see how they have improved over the course of the season.
Despite its name, the event was more than just a casual gathering, but a competition designed to allow young swimmers to challenge themselves, and an opportunity to experience and simulate the thrill of a real swim meet.
About 40 young swimmers between the ages of 4 and 19 attended the tournament, according to Lana Labrie, president of the swim club.
“They all do 25 metres of four different [swimming styles],” she explains. Swimmers are timed and bring home ribbons with their times written on the ribbons. The swimmers can then compare how much faster they have become by looking at their times recorded during past swim meets.
The idea is “to give them a comparison to see how much they’ve improved,” says Labrie. “It’s not a competition against the other kids. It’s a competition against themselves.”
But the format of the mini meet, meant to imitate that of a real tournament, allows the swimmers to gain valuable experience “of what it would be like once you get competitive,” and attend meets in other communities.
The ultimate idea, however, is for everyone to have fun, and “enjoy being in the pool,” says Labrie. “It’s great to see all the kids out here having fun and with smiles on their faces. They love doing this.”
She adds, “They’re not shy to hop in the pool, have a good time. And it brings out the grandparents and extended family to come and see how they’re doing.”
Some members of the club are now gearing up for a competitive swim meet scheduled to take place in Edmonton at the end of March.
