THUNDER BAY – It was one of the biggest weekends of the year for local swimmers.
The Everlast Thunderbolts Grand Prix kicked off on Friday morning at the Canada Games Complex, with 235 swimmers taking part.
The competition, which ran until Sunday, featured athletes from across Northwestern Ontario, in addition to swimmers from Winnipeg, Sault Ste. Marie and Kapuskasing.
“It’s a phenomenal regional event,” Thunder Bay Thunderbolts swim club president and meet manager Rebecca Bourgeois said. “It brings all of the clubs together and the racing is fantastic.
“It can be some pretty long days . . . but the racing gets better and better as the event goes on.”
In addition to earning bragging rights, the swimmers were also competing for spots at upcoming major meets.
The Ontario junior and festival championships, which are for competitors 12 years of age or under, are taking place from June 13-16 in Unionville and Etobicoke.
The provincial meet for those 13 years of age or over is slated for July 4-7 in Toronto, with the nationals taking place in the provincial capital from July 24-30.
“This is one of the last meets of the year for a lot of these swimmers so everyone is shooting for those qualifying times in these races,” Bourgeois said.
Thunderbolts swimmer Maddy Giardetti – who finished in first place in the female 13-and-over 800-metre race on Friday morning – said the Grand Prix is a special meet.
“It’s our last big team meet of the year where we all have a chance to come together and swim with our friends,” Giardetti said.
“For a lot of the older swimmers who are graduating from our team, this is the last meet for them at home, so it’s always a pretty memorable weekend.”
Giardetti also said there are a lot of differences between competing in a familiar setting instead of travelling out of town to compete.
She also noted that there can sometimes be some pressure on the younger swimmers when they compete in front of family and friends, so she and her older teammates have been giving advice to them along the way.
“We just tell them to go have fun and do what you love,” Giardetti said. “It’s not much different than what you are doing at practice.
“We’re used to doing that during the week . . . so when you go to the meet and spend time with your friends, that’s when it’s the most fun out there.”
