The Ravensong Waterdancers syncro team takes to the pool in Qualicum Beach Sunday morning for the clubs’ 15th annual Spring Watershow.
Those close to the sport are extending an open invitation to young swimmers to come check them out.
“Oh my goodness,” Waterdancers’ head coach and longtime booster Carol MacFayden paused when asked what annual this year’s event is.
“I think we’ve been goung since ‘97, the year after the pool opened, and every year since, so yeah ... wow.”
The Spring Watershow starts at 9 a.m. sharp Sunday morning. Admission is free, and new this year is a masters group, headed up by former Waterdancer coach Heidi Bromley. The team is made up of six ladies ranging in age from their 30s to 60-something.
“We will have 17 swimmers and six routines so it will last about half an hour,” she said, and confirmed the swimmers have been busy practicing and are looking forward to showing what they’ve learned this season.
For the recreational swimmers, Sunday marks the end of their season, but the six competitive swimmers still have the provincial championships.
The Waterdancers are coming off a great showing down Island at Commonwealth Pool as part of their regional competition where Ravensong’s provincial stream athletes competed against clubs from all over the Island in the figure, duet, trio and team events.
In figures, Julie Preston earned second, Jasmin Ford was fourth and Allandra Ryhorchuk eighth.
The highlight of the weekend though was the clean sweep for the local girls in the routine events, as, Kyra Wilson and Alanna Morton placed first in duet. Allandra, Julie, and Jasmin finished first in trio, and Dasha Tchernova, Kyra, Alanna, Jasmin, Julie, and Allandra, captured gold in team.
Also in the mix in Saanichton were the club’s recreational swimmers, who had an opportunity to compete against others from the Island in both the figure and team event. Mariah Newton earned herslef a second in figures, and the recreation team made up of Mariah, Emily Mahony, Emma Shillington, Catalina Magana, and Chantel Jewer, earned second place.
“They did fantastic,” McFayden said proudly.
“We’re such a small club right now,” she said later, explaining, “we’ve been hit pretty hard by the pool being closed last year, so we’re just trying to get our numbers back up and get some energy back into the sport.
“Them doing so well at the regionals was such a big lift for the club, and that even though there were only six in the competitive (division), we showed Ravensong’s still got it because we came out on top. It was great.”