Tyson Taylor
sports@pqbnews.com
The Vancouver Island Regional Championships were held in Duncan and it was a showcase of the very best swimmers that Vancouver Island had to offer.
With more than 300 swimmers in attendance on 12 teams, the Ravensong Breakers team placed fourth behind Pacific Coast Swimming, Island Swimming and Campbell River Killer Whales.
The Breakers beat out the second largest team in B.C., the Nanaimo Riptides, who have almost 400 swimmers registered compared to the 40 Ravensong Breaker swimmers. The Breakers sent 22 swimmers to the meet and all swam extremely well.
“The championship is a hotly-contested competition with all teams vying for the highest position,” said coach John Campbell. “It was the first test of the championship season so it was a good indication of where the swimmers are in fitness and preparation.”
Earlier in the month, the Breakers also took part in the January Jamboree in Comox.
There were several highlights for the team, including new regional championship qualifiers Tyson Krieger and Jayde Herr. New qualifying times also came for Jakob Brager, from the Powell River branch of the Ravensong Breakers. Arlene Cabreira-Hall, just 6 years old, took part in her first ever 50m butterfly event and the 11- and 12-year-old girls’ relay team captured a first-place finish as well.
Next up for the Breakers are the B.C. Championships to be held in Kamloops at the end of January. From there it’s on to the Western Canadian Championships in New Westminster. Then in March, the Breakers will be sending two swimmers to the Canadian World Championship trials in Saanich.