NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA CHANNEL CATS SWIM CLUB
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The Orillia Channel Cats Swim Club recently hosted the Elaine Thompson Memorial Meet at the Orillia Recreation Centre.
Clubs from Peterborough, Sudbury, Owen Sound, Collingwood, Port Elgin, Barrie, Muskoka and Lindsay were in attendance.
The meet brought in approximately 240 swimmers over the weekend.
The Orillia Channel Cats had 53 swimmers in attendance from the senior novice, bronze, silver and gold training groups.
“This meet was a huge undertaking, and we couldn’t have hosted it without our meet managers and many volunteers,” says head coach Meredith Thompson-Edwards.
“Our club did a great job honouring longtime coach Elaine Thompson, who passed away from cancer in 2020. It felt like she was there with us," said Thompson-Edwards, referencing her late mother.
The Cats had numerous personal best times and a few more swimmers qualified for provincial-level competitions.
Jace Black qualified for Ontario Winter Festivals in the 100-metre freestyle. Taryn Fenton qualified for Ontario Youth Junior (OYJ) Championships in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly. Kael Cresanto also made the OYJ time in the 50-metre freestyle. Sam Pecorella added another event to OYJ in the 100-metre backstroke and also qualified for Ontario Swimming Championships in the 200-metre backstroke.
Two more swimmers qualified for Huronia short-course regionals: Harper McGill in the 50-metre freestyle and Trenton Shepherd in the 50-metre freestyle.
Forty-three swimmers will be competing at regionals early next month in Barrie.
Swimmers who competed at the Elaine Thompson meet include Hartley Russell, Emma Edgerton, Lilly Edgerton, Harrison Levene, Cheyenne Hawrysio, Cohen Greer, Adair Wieclawek, Rydaar Watt, Kael Cresanto, Sophie Shivers, Evangeline Cooke, Georgia Cameron, Margot Cameron, Taryn Fenton, Anna Crawley-Blauel, Nicolas Willis, Riley Shore, Maelle Bouchard, Harper McGill, Jace Black, Fedor Radzievskii, Niko Plett, Carmen Conroy, Max Mooney, Maelle Mooney, Leah Guller, Maya Guller, Catherine Shaw, Dario Rotar, Jackson Denne, Kajun Butler, Sophia Brown, Isabella Brown, Katie Heckendorn, Charlie Timms, Trenton Shepherd, Emony Fisher, Boyd Brown, Sam Pecorella, Olivia Favaro, Maya Favaro, Caden Stuart, Christopher Dorevich, Everett Dorevich, Anna Holton, Zoe Leboeuf, Caden McParland, Grace Hunter, Ava Fairgrieve, Nadine Ackert, Hayden Nie and Mila Sekelski.
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