Red Deer Marlins 51st annual Invitational Swim Meet attracts over 165 regional athletes

Not only were friends and family excited for the event, but so were the swimmers with 31 new members joining the club this year. The club now has 85 members.

(Supplied)

“For our Red Deer Marlins, this event is much anticipated as it is our home meet and home pool. For our new swimmers, it is a familiar environment to compete in their first few races,” she said.

Although Driesen deemed the event a success, she says they still had to deal with the ongoing challenges of inadequate aquatic facilities in the city.

“There is no real competitive pool for our teams like the other cities in Alberta have. The Michener is sub-optimal as the length is not compliant to set swim records and depth is not ideal for flip turns in the shallow end. The swimmer camp for our meet, held at the Michener, was located outside as the one gym access is too small of an area for all the athletes,” she said.

Other swimming clubs have voiced similar concerns. Earlier this month, former president of the Catalina Swim Club Jennifer Bahler told rdnewsNOW ahead of the club’s 70^th annual Freeze or Fry event that the city could produce more Olympians if it had a proper aquatic centre.

READ: Longevity of club & Freeze or Fry meet evidence better facility needed, says past president

Red Deer City Councillor Vesna Higham also advocated for a new aquatic centre during 2023/24 budget deliberations last December. Administration was directed to return with a report on project timing by the fourth quarter of this year, just in time for 2024/2025 budget debate.

READ: Red Deer city council revisits Capstone to Bower Ponds Bridge and Aquatic Centre projects

In June 2021, the City announced that a future multi-use aquatic facility would be built on the Michener North lands. In December 2020, council approved the scope, design and costing of such a facility.

(Supplied)

Part of Region D, the Red Deer Marlins have already competed this month at a meet in Lacombe and will compete in five other meets throughout the season in Forestburg, Castor, Ponoka, Killam and Innisfail.

Driesen says many parent volunteers are required to host a successful meet. As the host club and one of the biggest in the region, she said they are lucky and grateful to have such great help from local residents.

Following the seven meets, swimmers will then compete at the Regional Meet in Lacombe this August for a spot at the ASSA Provincials in Edmonton against swimmers from five other regions across Alberta.

Eight Red Deer Marlins athletes and one senior coach have already qualified to compete in the Alberta Summer Games in Okotoks from July 20-23.

by Alessia Proietti

Red Deer Marlins 51st annual Invitational Swim Meet attracts over 165 regional athletes

What's Trending