Page 10 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 3

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National Championship a Learning Experience

for Local Swimmers

By Jan Murray

Four members of the Cornwall Sea Lions had the
opportunity recently to compete in the Canadian
Age Group Swim Championship that took place in
Calgary, Alberta from July 26 – 30. For each of the
four, Alex Nurse, Ally Lecky, Emilie Contant and
Claudia Duguay, it was an exciting and exhilarating
experience. They have now returned to Cornwall
invigorated and anxious to begin a new year with
coach Simon St. Pierre and the Cornwall Sea
Lions.
The young women were accompanied on their
trip by their parents as well as coach St. Pierre.
They faced a gruelling week of multiple events in a
pool twice the size of what they are accustomed to
swimming in on a regular basis. They began each
day in the pool by 7 a.m. in order to get a 45-minute
warm-up in before the pool became too crowded,
thereby reducing the risk of injury. This warm-up
was critical to each day; without it they would risk a
race not going as well as it could have. Afterwards,
however, they could wait around as long as three
hours for their swim time.
The girls worked very hard all year to prepare for
this competition. Coach St. Pierre worked with all
of the swimmers, trying to prepare them as much as
possible. One of the biggest challenges they would
face was the size of the pool. They each are familiar
with swimming in a 25-meter pool on a daily basis.
They had to adjust for the difference when they
arrived at competition and had to now compete in a
50-meter pool. It was definitely a factor that put the
girls at a disadvantage.
Fifteen year old Emilie Contant was attending
Nationals for the very first time. She found it
“very exciting and overwhelming.” She felt that
her training definitely prepared her physically for
the event in Calgary, but she believes she was not
quite mentally prepared. “I was very nervous and Cornwall Sea Lions Alex Nurse, Claudia Duguay, Ally Lecky, Emilie Contant, and Coach Simon
I didn’t know what to expect since it was my first St-Pierre. Supplied photo.
time there,” said Contant.
This was a second chance at Nationals for 15-year they did swim okay. This was their first time in friends. This is the time to refresh before preparing
old Ally Lecky, but first time to swim so far away Calgary and he felt that perhaps their expectations for the upcoming year.
from home. She believes as well, that her training of themselves were set a bit high. They had several
If you are interested in learning more, or registering
prepared her physically, but not mentally. “I think obstacles to overcome from the size of the pools
for the upcoming year with the Cornwall Sea Lions,
I should have mentally prepared myself during to the change in altitude factor. He was less than
you may do so the second week of September at
practice and the meet to get myself pumped up.” satisfied with the secondary pool. “Not a lot of
the Cornwall Civic Complex. Currently they are
Said Lecky. She also acknowledged that swimming people in that pool made their best time,” said St.
in a different pool can be challenging. Pierre. expecting approximately 60 swimmers, but as St.
Coach St. Pierre confessed that the girls were a The girls can each enjoy a few weeks of down Pierre noted, “we would like to see that number
little disappointed with their results but that overall time now to unwind and spend time with their come up a little each year.”

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