Page 18 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 128

18 Issue #128 September 2023 www.sportsenergynews.com

St Andrew’s Stingrays bring back the Fun of

Speed Swimming

By Christine Ouellet ages: 8 and under, 9 to 12, and 13 idea of performing against others,
over. There are fewer kids in the they can see what and how others
8-year-old category because they are doing. Each town holds its own
he Stingray’s speed swimming are younger, and they come in with competition. The Stingrays compete
Tclub is a township program that basic swimming techniques so there against municipal pools from North
has been running for a long time, and is more for them to learn. Dundas, South Dundas, Prescott,
the program has grown substantially When she was a child, Gianna Cardinal, and Johnstown. Compared
since its beginning. Drugea learned competitive speed to Cornwall, where they run a more
Gianna Drugea, a student at swimming with the Stingrays. Her intensive program, St. Andrews is
St-Mary’s University in Nova parents enrolled her in the summer more fun. Kids learn to compete, but
Scotia who majors in biology and program, and she remembers it is not too intense for them. Every
psychology, is the pool supervisor that it was a lot of fun. She says, one of our swimmers gets to see
of the St. Andrews pool where the “I remember at first, I was very their time and they get ribbons and
Stingrays have been training every nervous because I was not a speed medals. The emphasis is placed on
summer for the past several years. swimmer. During the school year, I having fun and becoming a stronger
The speed swimming program played a lot of hockey, soccer, and swimmer.” Photo Submitted
is run by three staff, two of whom other sports, but there was a gap in Drugea says: “St. Andrews has a Because it is a municipality-run
are speed swimmers’ coaches who the summer, so my parents enrolled heated pool; we are in the middle program, they are funded through
used to swim with the stingrays me in this. It ended up being a lot of town. It is an outdoor summer municipal taxes. Once the summer
before. She says that they have of fun, it was much more welcoming activity, and the demand is really is over, as the outdoor pools close,
more experience with teams and than I had anticipated.” high. We have a lot of competitive most swimmers return to Cornwall.
with competitive swimming. The She adds, “The program is a swimmers who are out of a team for The staff takes the time to develop
maximum number of kids admitted development base, as children have the summer months, like the two the program for next year, discuss
to the program is twenty-five. never had to compete before. It little boys from Cornwall Sea Lions ideas with the municipality as to how
They are divided into three group gives them an introduction to the programs who come and swim with to extend the programs, plan funding
us during the holidays. We taught initiatives, and allocate funding.
them how to swim in the summer She says, “Our program is super
and they continued with the Lions in popular, and we put more money
winter. It is interesting to see their into it. Last year we had even more
developments over the years. And than twenty-five kids. It was a bit
we want to keep training more kids, overwhelming, and we trimmed
like for the 8-year-old category. it down a bit this year to make it
They are young and it requires a more manageable. But for next year
lot of patience and, very important, we are looking into increasing the
knowledge on how to teach little limits a little. But we really must
kids, so we involve lifeguards and take the opinion of the instructors
instructors and they have done really into consideration, because they
well.” are the ones who are teaching the
Each municipality runs its own kids. We don’t want to make it too
competition program, they run theirs overwhelming for them, we want
on July 23rd and others run them to make it fair for the coaches, the
earlier, others later. They try to go to lifeguards, and the kids.”
most of them and they work with the The secret is reaching a balance
parents as well to ensure that there for everybody which makes it fun
is no random surprise during the to come back year after year, and all
holiday. Cardinal, Johnstown, North participants - kids and instructors,
Dundas, South Dundas, and Prescott enjoy speed swimming in a beautiful
all held competitions. country-setting town.
Photo Submitted